Kansas coach Bill Self won his second national title, and while celebrating, he made sure to find his former star guard Devon Dotson.
The win over North Carolina was huge, and it represented redemption for the Jayhawks. This was a great team, and they will have the trophy to show that forever. But their roster in the COVD-canceled season of 2020 was arguably even more formidable.
While some on that team (Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, Christian Braun) were able to play for the title in 2022, others turned pro. One such player was Dotson.
After the game, Dotson was with two-time NBA champion guard Mario Chalmers, who played for coach Self when Kansas won the title in 2008.
Self found Dotson in the crowd and told Dotson that this championship hat should be his. He explained his decision to give Dotson the sweet gift (via NCAA.com):
“This was partially won for them too. I don’t know how you guys feel. It’s partially won for them because I always thought the 2020 team was better, more equipped to do well in the NCAA tournament.”
Before the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, Kansas ranked No. 1 in the AP Top-25 poll, earning an insane 63 of 65 possible first-place votes.
They had the makings of a title team as they were the only squad with a top 10 offense and a top 10 defense, per KenPom. But they never got a chance to prove they were the best team in the nation and earn the trophy.
When I spoke to Dotson during the pre-draft process in 2020, he spoke about how he handled the tough circumstances (via HoopsHype):
“The team we had was special. The pieces fit right. We had all the right pieces to make a deep run and win it all. But it’s bigger than basketball. It was hard at first. I had to come to my senses and realize it was over. I learned from that and I grew from that. It was just a learning experience: things can be taken away from you in a split second.”
However, he told the Miami Herald that this win “fills that hole” left in 2020.
Dotson currently plays for the Windy City Bulls. He has played in 22 NBA games for Chicago since turning pro.
