2023 Kansas Hoops Preview

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OOPS H S A S N A K 4 2 2023

Le f t to r ig ht : K ev in M cC ul la r Jr ., D aj ua n H ar ri s Jr ., H un te r D ic ki ns on & KJ A da m s Jr .

Battletested returners.

The most hyped player in the portal.

A rising star from Down Under.

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This KU team has all that & more.

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We keep champions in motion.

WHAT’S INSIDE THE STORY LINES

The rotation, KU’s 3-point shooting, off-court issues and more. • Page 4

THE BIG 12 RACE

The conference is bigger than ever. Who are the new contenders? • Page 10

NONCONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Illinois, UConn, Maui Invitational — there’s plenty more to see outside of conference play. • Page 14 Erik Henkelman, MD

Emily Heronemus, DO

Stephan Prô, MD

MEET THE TEAM

KU’s roster has lots of new additions. Get to know the key players. • Page 18

IMPORTANT DATES

The big games for the rest of the year, and a look ahead at the Big 12. • Page 32

Jeffrey Randall, MD

Luis D. Salazar, MD

Douglass E. Stull, MD Journal-World File Photo

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to watch this season B y H enry G reenstein

I

lll

hgreenstein@ljworld.com

t’s nothing new for a men’s basketball team at the University of Kansas to face the weight of great expectations. But there was nothing familiar about the offseason that earned KU its preseason No. 1 rankings in outlets like CBS Sports, ESPN and The Athletic.

The unprecedented nature of the signing of transfer Hunter Dickinson — a second-team All-American center as a freshman at Michigan, who only elevated his game over the following two years — and the frenzy of speculation that surrounded it characterized the months between KU’s Round of 32 loss to Arkansas in the tournament and its return to the court for Late Night in the Phog in October.

> STORIES, PAGE 5

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STORIES

come back a few weeks They all, along with after the addition of freshmen Elmarko Dickinson.

Jackson and Jamari continued from 4 They had a whopping McDowell, join the returning core of The Jayhawks brought eight players transfer — then one of them, Zach KJ Adams Jr., Dajuan in four highly touted Clemence, returned to KU Harris Jr. and McCullar. freshmen, and saw two A summer trip to of them decommit at the in an unforeseen reversal.

And the Jayhawks Puerto Rico for three last minute — but then added a few more transexhibition games propicked up another one fers of their own, includ- vided some fleeting from Australia, Johnny glimpses of what Furphy, who until recent- ing Nick Timberlake (Towson) and Parker this new-look ly had been a virtual Braun (Santa Clara), the squad can be. unknown.

They had a top player, brother of KU’s oneKevin McCullar, declare time national champion > STORIES, Christian Braun.

PAGE 6 for the draft — then

He a d coach B il l S e lf Nick Krug/ JournalWorld Photo

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STORIES continued from 5

But their results this year hinge on a few unanswered questions, including the following.

Who will shoot the 3?

Head coach Bill Self gave voice to this question about the upcoming KU basketball season when he brought it up as a key concern ahead of the school year, describing his team as “pretty inconsistent in that area.”

This year’s KU squad is weighted even more toward athleticism and less toward shooting acumen than usual. The Jayhawks didn’t exactly bombard the opposition with 3-pointers last season — they shot 20.1 per game, which was 244th out of 352 teams, and converted a reasonable 34.67%, which was 150th — but find themselves in an even less promising position with Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson having departed for the NBA.

Dick’s shooting skill was the primary reason he became a lottery pick of the Toronto Raptors, after he converted 40% of his 3s (83-for-206) as a freshman. Wilson took about the same number of shots, though he made fewer. Together, those two standout players accounted for 57% of the Jayhawks’ 3-point attempts, and their departures leave an enormous hole for this year’s team to fill.

Some improvement and increased volume from its returners would help. Most important is a more efficient showing from McCullar, who went just 29-for-98 from beyond the arc in his first year as a Jayhawk.

Much has been made of McCullar’s offseason development, but at least in Puerto Rico, that was borne out in more decisive play with the ball in his hands and an ability to draw contact in the paint, not quite as much in 3-point shooting (in fact, he went 1-for-6 in a game that KU lost to the Bahamas by 6 points).

The point guard Harris actually converted at an even greater rate than Dick — 41% — but in a small sample size of 74 shots, and he might not be able to match that pace on a greater scale, especially given that he was nine points worse the previous year. The Jayhawks are likely better when he serves as a distributor anyway.

Three newcomers will also be expected to shoulder the responsibility of converting from long range.

The transfer Timberlake, whose 92-for-221 (42%) showing from deep was elite on a nationwide scale, is the most obvious plugand-play solution to this problem, though it’s not clear as of yet whether he’ll start and, even if he does, how many minutes he’ll garner.

> STORIES, PAGE 7

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Tr ans fe r N ic k T im b e r la k e co u ld g iv e K U a b o o st fr o m lo n g ra n g e.

Chance Parker/ JournalWorld Photo

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STORIES

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KANSAS HOOPS PREVIEW

else about Furphy, based on a rather small body of work.

bench productivity was a thorn in the Jayhawks’ side.

In most cases, though, the continued from 6 starting lineup of Adams, Like Harris, Dickinson How many players Dick, Harris, McCullar can fit in the and Wilson — which took has a solid perimeter the floor to open 33 of 36 shot, but also like Harris, rotation?

Self is generally known games during the 2022his talents are best used for playing a pretty tight 23 campaign — was good elsewhere (in the paint, rotation, placing significant enough to alleviate that although he should excel responsibility on his start- issue. on the pick-and-pop this ing lineup. Last season’s This year, the Jayhawks year). Finally, the freshKU bench scored just have double-digit players man Furphy can, by all under 11 points per game, with distinct, compelling accounts, shoot from long one of the lowest totals in skill sets who have strong range, but this observathe nation, and that lack of cases to see extended tion is, like everything

time, and they simply won’t all be able to do so.

Adams, Harris and McCullar — the Big 12 Conference’s most improved player, plus two of the nation’s best defenders — are all locked in as returning starters, as is the center Dickinson, who is probably the most accomplished player ever acquired in the modern transfer portal.

> STORIES, PAGE 8

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transition like no one else and zoom into the paint from a standstill with ease. Furphy has a well-balanced continued from 7 offensive skill set and the size his teammates lack to help fill in at forSetting aside Clemence, who ward positions. And the 6-foot-10 is expected to redshirt, and, for Braun, a gifted athlete himself, is the the moment, even McDowell, the top candidate to spell Dickinson as a next likeliest player to do so, that traditional center. still leaves several additional playOne of those first ers who for one reason or another three players demand time on the floor. should start at Timberlake is the team’s best the two-guard shooter and can still play off the position. Self dribble. Jackson can push the pace in gave his top

STORIES

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five players an average of 158 minutes per game last season. If kept constant, that would mean just 42 combined minutes for all the other tantalizing options. Expect this year to feature plenty of tinkering as Self looks to find the right balance.

How does Puerto Rico help in the long run?

KU’s summer trip to Puerto Rico was its first preseason “foreign” (though in this case, strictly domestic) tour since 2017.

> STORIES, PAGE 9

KJ Ad a m s Jr . g o es u p fo r a sh o t d u ri n g th e g a m e b et w ee n K a n sa s a n d th e P u er to R ic o S el ec t te a m in S a n Ju a n , P u er to R ic o , o n A u g .

3.

Missy Minear/ Kansas Athletics

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STORIES

That meant the chance for McCullar to go up against Buddy continued from 8 Hield (twice!), and It provided the have the Indiana Pacers Jayhawks a rare opporguard repeatedly sink tunity to take on overcontested 3s that no one seas professional playin college can against ers — or as Self put it, his impeccable defense.

“27-year-old men that The trip gave Harris the actually know what opportunity to become they’re doing” — in game the team’s focal point action long before they offensively as a diswould normally get the tributor (normal) and, chance to play against in KU’s final game, as any other teams. a scorer (less normal).

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It saw less seasoned players like Jackson excel for brief stretches, then make the sorts of defensive mistakes and fouls that young athletes often do. In short, it was a learning experience for all involved — not to mention that it helped bring the motley crew of players, the vast majority of whom played elsewhere last year, closer together off the court.

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As the season progresses, it’ll be interesting to get some backward-looking perspective on how these games shaped the Jayhawks.

Any team can take a foreign tour every four years (though many had their schedules displaced by the pandemic) but not any team can play against NBA talent when doing so.

> STORIES, PAGE 10

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B y S h a n e J ac kso n

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Special to the Journal-World

he Big 12 might be going through a transition period, but the one thing everyone can count on is that Kansas men’s basketball will be a frontrunner to win the league.

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> BIG 12, PAGE 11 Journal-World File Photo

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STORIES continued from 9

What happens with Arterio Morris?

Morris, an incoming sophomore guard who spent his first year at Texas, had been considered another key piece of the highly touted transfer class, and a candidate to start at shooting guard. He practiced with the team all through the summer and played in Puerto Rico.

But Morris was suspended from the program early on Sept. 15. The previous day, he had pleaded no contest to a lesser charge in a Denton County, Texas, misdemeanor assault case that dated back to the summer before his freshman year of college. Then,

on the day of Morris’ suspension, The Kansas City Star reported on allegations that a rape Morris took place at McCarthy Hall, which houses the KU men’s basketball team, in August, citing police logs.

At press time for this preview, the Journal-World had not yet been able to confirm the information with KU police, and KU Athletics had declined to offer further comment beyond confirming Morris’ suspension, leaving his status in doubt. Whatever direction the situation takes next, it will cast a shadow over the early stages of KU’s season.

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BIG 12

continued from 10 Houston, UCF, Cincinnati and BYU have all made the leap to the Power Five by joining the Big 12. Texas and Oklahoma are slated for one final season in the league before moving to the Southeastern Conference. That means the best league in college hoops now

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has 14 teams instead of its usual 10, and has had to ditch the round-robin format where each team played each of the other nine league members twice — once at home and once on the road.

The conference schedule will still be 18 games long, which means each school’s league slate will look a bit different.

For example, Kansas will get two meetings, home and away, against B a y l o r, Houston, Kansas State,

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. There are four teams — BYU, Cincinnati, TCU and Texas — that KU will only play at home, and four more — UCF, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia — that the Jayhawks will only face on the road.

Despite all this change, the Jayhawks opened as +180 favorites to win the Big 12 regularseason title. At Caesars Sportsbook, KU’s odds have moved to +160 for an implied probability of 38.46% of winning the league. No other team has better than 4-1 odds or more than a 20% implied probability.

Of course, the Jayhawks are used to being in this position. Bill Self has guided Kansas to at least a share of the regular-season conference crown

in 17 of his 20 seasons at KU, including each of the last two years.

And because KU landed Hunter Dickinson in the transfer portal and has a nice group of returning contributors, there’s as much buzz this year as there’s ever been. Kansas ranks No. 2 in analyst Bart Torvik’s early 2024 projections, trailing only Purdue, and it has a case to be the preseason No. 1 team this year.

Only one other Big 12 team is even in Torvik’s top 10 for 2024. But that doesn’t mean the league is just going to let Kansas claim the trophy. This Big 12 will be just as daunting ever, with the conference race likely coming down to the very end.

Here’s a look at a few of the biggest competitors that KU will have in the league race.

> BIG 12, PAGE 12

C e n tr a l F lo r id a g u a r d D a r iu s Jo h n s o p u sh es th e b n a ll u p th e co u rt d u ri n g a g a m e o n Ja n . 25. The UC F K n ig h ts a re o n e o f th e fo u r n ew te a m s jo in in g th e B ig 1 2 th is se a so n .

AP File Photo

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BIG 12

continued from 11

Houston

KANSAS HOOPS PREVIEW

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conference tournament to cut down the nets in Kansas City.

Texas can play spoiler during its final year in the league under head coach Rodney Terry, who was interim head coach last season after Chris Beard was let go.

KU doesn’t have to take a trip to Austin this year; its lone regular-season meeting with Texas will be at Allen Fieldhouse.

Ranked No. 7 in Torvik’s 2024 projections, Houston should have no problem adjusting to life in the Big 12. Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars dominated the American Athletic Conference, winning at least 28 games in four of their last five seasons. They bring back 53.2% of their returning minutes from > BIG 12, a roster that claimed a No. 1 seed PAGE 13 last year.

Houston is +400 to win the Big 12, so oddsmakers clearly believe AP File Photo in this team’s ability to handle much more difficult comH o u s to n g u a petition on a nightly basis. rd Te r r anc e Kansas will face Houston A r c e n e a u x (2 twice this season.

3

Texas

The Longhorns fell short of the regular-season title last season, but they ran through the

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BIG 12

won the league outright in 2020-21 before claiming a national title.

Baylor has the fourth-best odds to win the Big 12 at +800, but it is only listed at No. 24 in Torvik’s latest rankings. The Bears bring back just 30.9% of the minutes from last year’s team, which might be a good thing based on how much they fell short of preseason expectations.

The Jayhawks are scheduled to play Baylor twice.

continued from 12 The Longhorns are +550 to win the Big 12 and No. 12 in the nation in Torvik’s 2024 ratings. Watch out for guard Max Abmas, who transferred from Oral Roberts and can put up impressive offensive numbers.

Baylor

Scott Drew’s Bears underperformed last season, but it’s important Kansas State On the surface, the to remember that this program has won two of the last three regular-sea- Wildcats don’t project as son conference titles. The Bears even a true contender in the Big

13

12. They are +1,500 at Caesars, and Torvik ranks them No. 39.

But Jerome Tang surprised many observers in his first year, guiding a team that was picked to finish last in the Big 12 all the way to the Elite Eight.

There is no reason to doubt Tang’s team anymore, even if K-State will have to replace its top two scorers. As usual, there will be two KU-KSU matchups this year — which is likely good news for fans, because the Sunflower Showdown has produced some thrilling moments in recent years.

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B y H enry G reenstein lll

hgreenstein@ljworld.com

Kansas at Illinois

Oct. 29 at State Farm Center (exh.)

An already atypical exhibition season for KU that featured the Jayhawks’ first summer tour since 2017 will now get even more robust — for a good cause. This pair of veteran Maui Invitational participants decided to convert their closed-doors “secret”

scrimmage into a charity exhibition, with proceeds going to the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund to help the island and the town of Lahaina recover from August’s devastating wildfires. In announcing the plans, both Self and Illinois coach Brad Underwood stressed the importance of giving back to a community that has hosted them over the years.

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Of course, this matchup itself will also have plenty to offer in a variety of ways: Not only is it a rare exhibition against a high-caliber power-conference opponent (the Illini have made the tournament for three straight seasons), at a time in the calendar when KU is usually still a few days away from taking on a Division II foe, it is also Self’s return to his former school. He coached Illinois for three seasons before embarking on his Hall of Fame career at Kansas.

> HIGHLIGHTS, PAGE 15

Il li n o is h e a d c o a c h Br a d Un d e r w o o d is p ic tu re d M a rc h 1 6 d u ri n g th e N C A A T o u rn a m en t.

AP File Photo

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HIGHLIGHTS

Hunter Dickinson, who was never widely beloved by opposing Big Ten fan bases while at Michigan and in continued from 14 2021 called Illinois fans “pretty annoySelf went 1-1 against KU while at ing.” Safe to say the atmosphere of Illinois and is 1-0 against Illinois with charity and goodwill will not extend to the Jayhawks. All three games took the Jayhawks’ center. place at neutral sites, meaning this will Kansas vs. Kentucky be Self’s first Nov. 14 at United Center in return trip to Chicago what was previThere’s nothing quite like a battle of ously known as blue bloods in college basketball, and Assembly Hall. these two may be the bluest — not just The game in terms of color scheme — as they are will have a the two winningest schools in college familiar feel- basketball history. They have battled ing for KU’s in numerous memorable games over prized trans- the years, perhaps most notably the fer acqui- 2012 NCAA Championship in which s i t i o n Anthony Davis and Kentucky topped Thomas Robinson and Kansas. Since then, KU is 5-3 against UK in a variety of matchups split between the Champions Classic and the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Last year, in the latter competition, KU won 77-68 on the road behind 22 points from Jalen Wilson.

This time around, the two teams will play at a neutral site with radically different rosters, adding another level of intrigue to the clash.

U C o n n ’s A le x K a r a b a n is p ic tu re d F eb .

AP File Photo

11.

The Wildcats had eight departures; so, it seemed, did the Jayhawks, until Zach Clemence decided to return and set the number back at seven. Both teams have promising freshmen, although Kentucky’s five-star center Aaron Bradshaw had foot surgery and could miss this early-season clash. In all, KU appears to have the edge in terms of returning experience; it brings back three starters from January’s previous matchup to Kentucky’s zero.

Unlike last season, when these teams were already well into their respective conference schedules when they faced off, this game is just the third of KU’s season. It’ll provide an early barometer to determine whether the Jayhawks’ national-championship aspirations have a strong foundation; whatever happens, because of the scrutiny surrounding this matchup, you can bet there will be a host of overreactions.

UConn at Kansas

Dec. 1 at Allen Fieldhouse UConn emerged from a staggeringly unpredictable 2023 NCAA Tournament with an only moderately surprising national title, meaning that this matchup will pit the last two schools to win championships against each other.

The Huskies return starters Alex Karaban and Tristen Newton and will hope for 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan to take a step forward this year.

> HIGHLIGHTS, PAGE 16

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HIGHLIGHTS continued from 15

But they lost a slew of significant contributors and have a whopping five true freshmen on the roster. The young group will set out to prove that last year’s title was no fluke, even though it had been preceded by first-round exits against Maryland and New Mexico State.

KU and UConn have met just three times, with the Jayhawks winning all three, including in the tournament in 2016. This latest installment, the Huskies’ first-ever trip to Allen Fieldhouse, is part of the Big EastBig 12 Battle. It’s a weeklong competition between the two conferences in which the Jayhawks have compiled a 3-1 record over the last few years, with the lone loss coming in a one-point defeat at Villanova four years ago.

Kansas vs. Wichita State

Dec. 30 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City This is an in-state battle 30 years in the making, as the two teams last met in the regular season in 1993.

Wichita State doesn’t quite carry the same cachet as it did just eight years ago, when Gregg Marshall took the Shockers into Omaha for an NCAA Tournament Round of 32 matchup and emerged with a 78-65 win, led by five double-figure scorers. Since then, Marshall resigned following allegations of verbal and physical abuse, Isaac

Brown had an abortive and unsuccessful stint and now former Oral Roberts head man Paul Mills will be a ways into his first season when the team meets KU. Mills, as a former Baylor assistant, is well acquainted with Self (himself a former ORU head coach) and his Jayhawks. This late-December matchup will see both teams rounding into good form and hoping to build momentum with their conference schedules days ahead, and the neutral-site atmosphere in Kansas City should attract sizable fan contingents from both teams.

That should provide plenty of entertainment and novelty, even with the Shockers in a downturn (and even though they are just 3-12 all-time against KU, with that NCAA Tournament showdown certainly the exception rather than a rule). Mills, who once told Yahoo Sports he has watched the movie “Hoosiers” more than 1,000 times, will be hoping for a memorable upset, albeit with somewhat lower stakes as compared to the Sweet 16 run he managed with ORU in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

> HIGHLIGHTS, PAGE 17

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W S U ’s Ja le n R ic k s is p ic tu re d D ec . 3, 2022.

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HIGHLIGHTS continued from 16

Don’t be surprised to see these teams (and schools) become much better acquainted in the near future, as Wichita State AD Kevin Saal said in a press release announcing the game that he hopes for a “renewed relationship” with KU.

Honorable mentions

l Kansas vs. just about anyone at the Maui Invitational, Nov. 20-22 — This year’s field is unbelievably stacked, and even despite that, organizers gave KU the de facto top seed

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by assigning it a first-round matchup against Division II host school Chaminade. A win could see the Jayhawks face UCLA or Marquette in the semifinals, and regardless of the outcome of that game they’ll take on Gonzaga, Purdue, Syracuse or Tennessee. It feels like too much uncertainty to speculate about any particular matchup, but whomever the Jayhawks play, it’ll be under a national spotlight. Because of the fires that devastated Maui, this year’s tournament will actually be held in Honolulu.

B il l S e lf a n d o th e r c o a c h e s p o se w it h su rf b o a rd s a t th e 2 0 15 Maui In v it a ti o n a l.

T h is y ea r’ s to u rn a m en t w il l b e h el d in H o n o lu lu .

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l Missouri at Kansas, Dec. 9 — There really is no substitute for the Border Showdown, although KU has taken some of the shine off this game by winning 13 of the last 14 matchups. The Jayhawks are 2-0, with 37- and 28-point wins, since the schools resumed playing in 2021 following a 10-year break.

Still, Missouri is coming off its highest win total in 11 years as part of a landmark second season for head coach Dennis Gates and will hope not to cease its ascent any time soon.

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Look up and down the Kansas roster, and you’ll see plenty of new faces this year — veteran transfers and promising freshmen alike. Here’s a closer look at the squad.

P rofiles by H enry G reenstein lll

hgreenstein@ljworld.com

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B il l S e lf in tr o d uc e s h is te a m d u ri n g th e B il l S el f B a sk et b a ll C a m p sc ri m m age o n Ju n e 7 a t A ll en F ie ld h o u se .

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Junior forward; 6-foot-7, 235 pounds; from Austin, Texas l Last season: Adams enjoyed a breakout year playing as a rather unlikely, undersized center for KU and earned the Big 12 Conference's most improved player honor after averaging 10.6 points per game, including an 11-game early-season stretch of double-digit scoring performances. l This season: Hunter Dickinson's arrival will force Adams to play much more on the outside, in theory a more natural position for the forward, but in practice not a perfect alignment with the skill set he's shown thus far at KU. The highly athletic Adams shot 62% from the field last year but has rarely been called upon to take as many jump shots as he will in his newfound role. “He got everything else,” point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. said when he first returned for practice in June. “He got the body, he’s athletic, he can pass, he got the IQ , so if he just get that shot — I know we’re going to be working on it with him all summer.”

> ADAMS, PAGE 29

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Graduate senior forward; 6-foot-10, 235 pounds; from Burlington, Kansas l Last season: Last season: Braun started 33 games for Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference as a fifth-year senior, averaging 7.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, two assists and one block per game for the Broncos before entering the transfer portal in late April. l This season: Braun has arrived at the school that made his younger brother Christian a national champion, and the bitter rival of the school where he started his career (Missouri). He will serve as a critical depth piece in the post behind Hunter Dickinson, with Zach Clemence expected to redshirt. Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. were immediately impressed by Braun upon his arrival, with McCullar calling him “athletic as hell” and Dickinson remarking that his passing acumen helps him serve as “a guy out there that just is able to play with other great players.”

> BRAUN, PAGE 29

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Junior forward, 6-foot-11, 230 pounds; from San Antonio, Texas l Last season: Clemence became the third of eight Jayhawks to enter the transfer portal following a season in which he saw his playing time stagnate at 5.6 minutes per game and struggled with injuries. He had entered the 2022-23 campaign expected to challenge for a major role at center, but beyond a 10-point showing in a close game against Oklahoma in January, Clemence scored just 18 combined points the remainder of the season. KU coach Bill Self said midway through the year, “The expectations for him, in my mind, were pretty high going into the year. It hasn’t worked out to this date in terms of what the expectations (were). I thought it’d be a 50-50 coin flip whether or not he’d start for us this year.” l This season: Clemence announced in early May that he planned to transfer to UC Santa Barbara but apparently never enrolled at the school. In June he approached Self about returning to KU, which Self said “caught me totally off guard,” and the two agreed that he would return but take a redshirt year to improve his game. That still seems to be the plan for 2023-24.

> CLEMENCE, PAGE 29

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Senior center; 7-foot-2, 260 pounds; from Alexandria, Virginia l Last season: Dickinson reinforced his position as one of the most dominant players in the country on the court and one of the most polarizing off it, tallying 14 double-doubles with averages of 18.5 points on 56% shooting and nine rebounds per game at Michigan, then entering the transfer portal following the season to seek greener pastures. l This season: Dickinson will take on the high levels of responsibility that a center so often does in a Self-coached offense, with a spotlight magnified to an even greater extent by his past success, the three returning starters around him and the national spotlight on KU as a program. l Notes from Puerto Rico: After struggling from the field against Puerto Rico Select, Dickinson showed something closer to his full potential in Game 1 against the Bahamas, dominating an overmatched Bahamian frontcourt to the tune of 28 points on 11-for-13 shooting. His rapport with K.J. Adams was a pleasant surprise as well, as the two were frequently able to set each other up for open looks in the post: “That’s what happens when you got two unselfish players who aren’t looking to score, they’re looking to make the right play,” Dickinson said after the game.

Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics

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Freshman guard; 6-foot-8, 202 pounds; from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia l Last season: Furphy became a trainee of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence in the capital city of Canberra midway through his final year of high school in 2022. After making the all-tournament team at the National Prep School Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island, Furphy, who planned to reclassify to 2024 due to a lack of interest from American colleges, averaged 14.3 points (shooting 39% from deep) and 5.6 rebounds in 12 games for the CoE. l This season: Bill Self expects Furphy to contribute immediately. Furphy has the length to defend practically anyone on the court, though he needs to work on his physicality. He could see playing time right away as a substitute on the wing for Adams or Kevin McCullar Jr., a role in which KU had been lacking an adequate replacement following the decommitment of Marcus Adams Jr. Furphy could also be expected to provide a perimeter-shooting spark for a team that is otherwise pretty barren in that department.

> FURPHY, PAGE 29

Greg Francis/Discovery One Photography

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Redshirt junior guard, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds; from Columbia, Missouri l Last season: Harris formed quite a dynamic defensive duo with Kevin McCullar, averaged more than two steals per game and earned the title of Big 12 defensive player of the year. A skilled distributor, he led the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.28 and on three occasions — including in a double-double against Indiana — reached double-digit assists. l This season: The longest-tenured Jayhawk on scholarship, who still retains two years of eligibility, has plenty of new toys to play with. Hunter Dickinson said he told Harris before committing to KU, “If you don’t average 10 assists, it’s going to be your fault.”

(Harris’ response was that Dickinson is the one who has to “put the ball in the hole.”) Johnny Furphy is a strong cutter. Elmarko Jackson, though inexperienced in comparison, will take some of the pressure off Harris to run the point and, if he can get up to speed quickly enough, defend the opponent’s top guards.

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> HARRIS, PAGE 29

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Freshman guard, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds; from Marlton, New Jersey l Last season: The latest in a long line of McDonald’s All-Americans to play for KU, Jackson played at several different schools prior to college but spent his final and most successful year at the South Kent School in Connecticut, where he averaged 19 points and six assists per game. l This season: Already projected by several outlets as a one-and-done NBA first-round pick in 2024, Jackson has to work his way onto the floor first.

(He did say this summer that seeing two Jayhawks go in the draft “gives me a lot of hope.”) Jackson, whose elite speed and agility will help him generate opportunities at the hoop, is still a candidate for the yetundecided two-guard starting spot alongside Dajuan Harris; otherwise, he’ll fill in there and at the point. l Notes from Puerto Rico: Jackson scores in spurts. In one of the Bill Self Basketball Camp scrimmages shortly after arriving on campus, Jackson had scored 10 of his 12 points as part of a single 17-5 run. He pulled off a similar feat in exhibition action in Puerto Rico when he made three quick layups early in the second quarter of Game 1 against the Bahamas to help KU seize the lead. Add in the fact that he helped the Jayhawks push the pace to lightspeed in transition after each Bahamas turnover, and he showed a lot of promise over the summer.

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Redshirt senior guard; 6-foot-7, 212 pounds; from San Antonio, Texas l Last season: The Texas Tech transfer established himself as an anchor of the Jayhawks’ defense and made the Big 12’s all-defensive team, averaging two steals per game to go along with 10.7 points and seven rebounds. McCullar brought his career point total to exactly 1,000 on senior night, helping to clinch a win against his former team and secure a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship in what appeared at the time to be his final game in Allen Fieldhouse. l This season: After beginning to prepare for the NBA draft, McCullar announced on May 24 that he was returning to Kansas. Since then, the sixth-year senior has impressed Bill Self with increased “confidence and aggressiveness,” similar to what Self saw from Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson after they returned from the draft process. Self said in July that McCullar had been “the best player, I think, on our team so far.” KU will need him to improve his outside shot (just 30% from beyond the arc last year) to help supplement the losses of Wilson and Gradey Dick to the draft.

> McCULLAR, PAGE 30

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Freshman guard; 6-foot-4, 180 pounds; from Manvel, Texas l Last season: Already verbally committed to KU by September 2022, McDowell followed up a stellar junior campaign at Manvel High with an encore performance, helping to lead the Mavericks to a district title.

The lanky do-everything guard blocked 3.4 shots per game to go along with his 22.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists. McDowell was also an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) teammate of longtime KU recruit Chris Johnson on the Houston Defenders, but Johnson decommitted right as KU’s newcomers were arriving in June and ended up signing with Texas instead. l This season: Bill Self and his staff view McDowell as a stronger shooter than Elmarko Jackson with some analogous athletic ability. McDowell has said he wants to focus on defense his freshman year, but it remains to be seen whether that’ll be enough to earn him playing time right away.

> McDOWELL, PAGE 30

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Graduate senior 4, 195 pounds; Massachusetts

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guard; 6-footfrom Braintree,

l Last season: Timberlake went out with a bang his fifth and final year at Towson, improving in practically every statistical category from his already strong 2021-22 season. Timberlake ended the season as the Tigers’ all-time program leader in 3-pointers made and attempted. But even with four games in which he made at least six 3s — including back-to-back 30-plus-point showings against Hofstra and Hampton — he found other ways to score, too, on the drive, in transition and at odd angles. l This season: The northeasterner chose KU over national champion UConn and will immediately shoulder plenty of responsibility as the team’s preeminent 3-point shooter. The question is whether he’ll start, as he did in all 85 games he played at Towson over the last three seasons, which might be dependent on how quickly he adapts to higher-level competition. He certainly provides more veteran experience than his competition in the guard group, having been in numerous close games over the years.

> TIMBERLAKE, PAGE 29

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ADAMS

CLEMENCE

HARRIS

l

Notes from Puerto Rico: As part of a 3-point

l

l

barrage in the Jayhawks' first game of the trip against Puerto Rico Select, Adams, who is 0-for-4 in his career from deep, connected on a corner 3 at the shot-clock buzzer. He hit again from long range once against the Bahamas before being slowed down by a sore knee in the final exhibition game. Adams said he will continue to shoot “if I’m open, yes, but I like to get it to a lot of people that can make better-percentage 3s than I can.”

Notes from Puerto Rico: Clemence has never been

afraid to fire away, and in under 10 minutes of playing time against Puerto Rico Select he went 3-for7, including 2-for-5 from deep.

(He has only scored 8 or more points twice in his regular-season career.) He saw minimal time in the remaining two matchups.

strangest set of exhibition performances of any KU player. He tallied a typically excellent nine assists in each of his first two games but was far less effective as a scorer than usual, shooting a combined 1-for12 with 4 total points. Then, for a brief moment in the third game, he became an offensive dynamo, racking up 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting — exceeding his regular-season career high. Harris said that Self had wanted him to shoot at least five times from deep or risk getting taken out of the game.

continued from 19

BRAUN

continued from 20

Notes from Puerto Rico: Braun didn’t make l

much of an offensive impression after shooting 1-for-4 from the field against Puerto Rico Select but managed to accumulate three steals and two blocks across three games.

continued from 21

FURPHY

continued from 23

continued from 24

Notes from Puerto Rico: Harris had possibly the

Notes from Puerto Rico: KU signed Furphy as l

a late addition during its trip to Puerto Rico, so he was not present to play in the exhibition games. Furphy had become the darling of the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, Georgia, in early July, catching the eye of collegiate coaches across the nation with his highlight-reel dunks and strong shooting and rebounding, and within a month he was back in the class of 2023 and officially a Jayhawk. He arrived in Lawrence just before the start of classes for the semester.

TIMBERLAKE continued from 28

Notes from Puerto Rico: He defended well at times, l

but Timberlake was inefficient offensively throughout the trip as he shot just 9-for-25 across three games, including a 4-for-12 showing in the final matchup against the Bahamas. Bill Self said after the second game that Timberlake was “just OK,” a verdict that could easily extend to his trip overall.

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W a lk -o n P a tr ic k C a s s id y d ef en ds d u ri n g th e B il l S el f B a sk et b a ll C amp sc ri m m a g e o n Ju n e 7 .

McCULLAR continued from 26

Notes from Puerto Rico: l

McCullar’s newfound aggression was on full display during the Jayhawks’ trip, as he frequently penetrated into the paint without hesitation.

His defensive chops were challenged as he faced off against Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield in a pair of games against the Bahamas.

His best statistical showing came in the second of those games, when he tallied 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, thought he went just 1-for-6 from deep and missed some key shots late.

McDOWELL

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KU’S WALK-ONS

l Chris Carter, redshirt freshman guard; 6-foot-4, 190 pounds; from Indio, California. l Patrick Cassidy, junior guard; 6-foot-1, 185 pounds; from Columbus, Kansas. l Justin Cross, junior guard; 6-foot-8, 200 pounds; from Oak Park, Illinois. l Wilder Evers, sophomore guard; 6-foot-4, 185 pounds; from

— and McDowell could be the most likely candidate. l Notes from continued from 27 Puerto Rico: McDowell was fairly efficient in the Self has alluded to possibly redshirting a second player besides first two games of the trip and racked up 11 combined Zach Clemence — a possibility that seems especially likely points across those appearances on 3-for-6 shooting with Johnny Furphy’s arrival

Birmingham, Alabama. l Michael Jankovich, supersenior guard; 6-foot-4, 190 pounds; from Dallas, Texas. l Charlie McCarthy, junior guard; 6-foot-2, 195 pounds; from Rancho Mirage, California. l Dillon Wilhite, redshirt sophomore forward; 6-foot-9, 240 pounds; from San Diego, California.

with a 3-pointer and four free throws, although he committed three fouls in his first showing. In the third game, though, which KU lost, McDowell struggled to make his mark in 10 minutes and finished with the team’s worst plus-minus at minus-11.

ALL 'HAWKS, ALL THE TIME

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UPCOMING GAMES Here’s Kansas’ schedule for the rest of the year. As of the Journal-World’s press time for this section, all times were TBA except the games against Illinois and Chaminade.

Oct: 29

Nov. 22

Nov. 1

Nov. 28

at Illinois (exhibition), 5 p.m. vs. Fort Hays State (exhibition)

Nov. 6

vs. North Carolina Central

Nov. 10

vs. Manhattan

Nov. 14

Champions Classic vs. Kentucky in Chicago

Nov. 20

Maui Invitational vs. Chaminade in Honolulu, 8 p.m.

Nov. 21 Proudly supporting Crimson and Blue fans from far and wide. We’ve got you covered.

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Maui Invitational second round in Honolulu

Maui Invitational third round in Honolulu vs. Eastern Illinois

Dec. 1

vs. UConn

Dec. 5

vs. Kansas City

Dec. 9

vs. Missouri

Dec. 16 at Indiana

Dec. 22 vs. Yale

Dec. 30

vs. Wichita State at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

THE NEW BIG 12 KU’s Big 12 schedule was not available at press time for this section, but it had been announced how many times Kansas would play each school, and whether those games would be home or away.

Home and away: Baylor Houston Kansas State Oklahoma Oklahoma State

Home only: BYU

Cincinnati TCU Texas

Away only: UCF Iowa State Texas Tech West Virginia

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