A closer look at the players joining KU men’s basketball as signing period starts

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self is expected to add at least four players to the Jayhawks’ 2021-22 roster during the late signing period, which starts Wednesday and runs until Aug. 1.

Normally a month-long, the spring signing period has been expanded an additional 2 1/2 months in response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

KU, which announced receipt of signed letters-of-intent from high school seniors Zach Clemence and KJ Adams in November during the week-long early signing period, within the next few days will receive signed letters-of-intent and/or financial aid agreement forms from incoming high school player Bobby Pettiford, junior college transfer Sydney Curry and four-year transfers Joseph Yesufu and Cam Martin.

Pettiford, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior point guard from South Granville High School in Creedmoor, North Carolina, told The Star on Monday night he will be signing his letter-of-intent “at home on Friday, not sure what time.”

Yesufu, a 6-0, 180-pound sophomore point guard out of Drake, told The Star on Monday afternoon he will be signing his financial aid agreement with KU “sometime this week.”

Curry, a 6-8, 265 pound sophomore power forward out of Logan Community College in Carterville, Illinois, told Jayhawkslant.com on Monday he is planning on signing his letter-of-intent on Wednesday, the first day of the signing period.

Martin, a 6-9, 240-pound senior power forward out of Missouri Southern, told The Star he will select a date and time to sign his scholarship papers with KU after speaking with KU coaches in the near future.

Here’s a quick look at the players soon to make official their commitments to KU.

The list of players could be expanded at any time as Self and his assistants are not finished pursuing players in the recruiting Class of 2021. The Jayhawks at this time have two scholarships to award in recruiting, more if Ochai Agbaji and/or Jalen Wilson keep their names entered in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Bobby Pettiford

Pettiford, who received a release from his letter-of-intent at Louisville on March 20, orally committed to KU on March 30. He chose KU over Providence, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, Texas A&M, Hampton, North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T, Coppin State and others. Coaches from Duke and North Carolina showed interest as well.

The North Carolina native is ranked No. 115 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com, No. 95 by ESPN.com and No. 82 by SI.com.

Pettiford, according to the Fayetteville Observer, averaged 18.7 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 104 career games. During his senior season he hit 53% of his shots, including 39% on three-pointers and 80% on free throws. He earned conference player of the year honors as both a junior and senior.

Joseph Yesufu

Originally from Bolingbrook, Illinois, Yesufu played the past two seasons at Drake. He announced for KU on April 7, choosing the Jayhawks over USC and Georgia. He also considered Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arizona State, Washington State and Wisconsin.

Yesufu averaged 12.8 points, 1.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds a game this past season for the 26-5 Bulldogs. The Missouri Valley Conference’s sixth man of the year started seven games after Roman Penn suffered a broken foot in late February.

Yesufu averaged 23.2 points in the last nine games of the season. He hit four or more threes in five of those nine games. For the year, Yesufu hit 44.2% of his shots. He made 48 of 125 threes for 38.4% and 69 of 85 free throws for 81.2%. Yesufu dished 56 assists to 37 turnovers with 33 steals.

Yesufu scored 26 points on 8-of-22 shooting (6-of-11 from three) in Drake’s 72-56 first-round NCAA Tournament loss to USC on March 20 in Indianapolis. He scored 21 points on 8-of-21 shooting (3 of 9 threes) in the Bulldogs’ 53-52 win over Wichita State on March 18 in the opening round.

During the regular season, he scored a career-high 36 points in a win over Evansville. He was chosen the Missouri Valley Conference’s sixth man of the year after coming off the bench in in 24 of 31 games. Unranked in high school, he averaged 16.0 points a game for Bolingbrook High.

Cam Martin

A Division II All-America power forward and unanimous first-team all-conference selection, Martin on March 31 announced for KU over Texas, UNLV, Creighton, Georgetown, Colorado State and Stetson.

Martin averaged 25.0 points and 9.1 rebounds a game this past season for 13-10 Missouri Southern. As a senior, he hit 209 of 361 floor shots for 57.9%, including 49 of 110 threes (44.5%). He made 73.8% of his free throws (107 of 145).

Martin is Missouri Southern’s second-leading career scorer with 2,040 points.

Martin, who played high school ball in Yukon, Oklahoma, transferred to Missouri Southern after one year at Jacksonville State.

He played three years at Missouri Southern for a team coached by former Jayhawks guard Jeff Boschee and now is taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows players another year of eligibility because of the pandemic.

Sydney Curry

The power forward, who is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, orally committed to KU on Thanksgiving Day 2020. He chose KU over Texas A&M, Mississippi, Seton Hall and others.

Curry has averaged 13.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 19 games this season for (18-4) Logan, which will compete in the upcoming NJCAA tournament April 19-24 in Hutchinson, Kansas. He has converted 68.8% of his shots but just 46.2% of his free throws.

As a freshman, he averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds a game. He hit 74% of his shots.

Curry has said he’s been compared to former KU big man Udoka Azubuike.

“A shorter Azubuike,” he said. “I’m athletic enough to have a 48 (inch) vertical. My athleticism can take over.”

KU during the week-long November signing period received signed letters-of-intent from Clemence, a 6-10, 205-pound senior forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas and Adams, a 6-7, 220-pound senior power forward from Westlake High in Austin, Texas. Clemence is ranked No. 35 and Adams No. 73 nationally by Rivals.com.

The Jayhawks are currently recruiting TyTy Washington, 6-4, 180-pound senior point guard from Compass Prep School in Chandler, Arizona and former Creighton forward Christian Bishop, a 6-7, 220-pound junior, who is originally from Lee’s Summit. Inside The Portal has reported that KU has recently reached out to former Utah guard Alfonso Plummer, a 6-1 senior who told the website that he has heard from coaches from KU, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Marquette, BYU, VCU and others.