Why Kansas Fans Should Temper Expectations for Landing Malique Ewin

An interesting piece of news surfaced earlier this week when an Arkansas insider reported that former Razorback big man Malique Ewin was interested in Kansas. The former Ole Miss and Florida State standout is coming off a season in which he served as Arkansas’ sixth man off the bench.

While the source was unconfirmed, it gave Jayhawk fans a sliver of hope that the team could make one more meaningful addition to next year’s roster through the transfer portal. At this stage of the offseason, fans will take any tidbit of information they can get.

While Ewin is not entirely out of reach for Bill Self and Co., it appears highly unlikely that this rumor ever comes to fruition. Ewin is seeking a ruling that would allow him to play an additional year at the NCAA level after spending one season at the JUCO ranks.

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Shreyas Laddha of the Kansas City Star and KC Sports Network explained why this is such a tricky scenario on a recent episode of the Pay Heed Podcast.

“I reached out to him a few days ago, and he got back to me,” Laddha said. “He basically told me that he’d have conversations and kept in touch with coach Bill Self. But it’s hard to get a feel if he is actually going to get this fifth year eligibility waiver.”

Co-host Nick Springer noted that Ewin only spent one year at a community college, which could make a favorable ruling more likely in his case than someone like former KU guard Melvin Council Jr., who spent two years at the junior college level. Regardless, it doesn’t sound like something the fanbase or coaching staff should be banking on.

Ewin has bounced around throughout his college career, playing for four schools in as many years. His best campaign came in 2024-25, when he averaged 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists at Florida State while leading the ACC with a 59.6% field-goal percentage.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Malique Ewin (12) celebrates after a basket in the first half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during…

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Publish date : 2026-06-13 14:17:00

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