Former Drake star Joseph Yesufu returns to Des Moines with Kansas men's basketball
When the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team hit the floor for practice on Wednesday, Joseph Yesufu immediately felt comfortable in the gym that was foreign to the rest of his teammates.
That's because, well, they were in a place he used to call home.
The Jayhawks practiced at the Shivers Basketball Practice Facility at Drake, where the junior played two seasons before transferring to Kansas following the 2021 campaign. The facility looked a bit different than he remembered, but it still felt like he never left.
"They had done some renovations, but I definitely still knew my way around it," said Yesufu, who along with the rest of the Jayhawks had a shootaround at Wells Fargo Arena later in the day.
"Just being in that practice gym was nostalgic and I'm just happy to be back."
He was a solid player in his two seasons with the Bulldogs, winning the Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year award in his second season when he averaged 12.8 points per game. But it wasn't until the NCAA Tournament that year that he burst onto the scene nationally.
In Drake's First Four game against Wichita State, the 6-foot guard scored a team-high 21 points against the Shockers. The performance was punctuated by a thunderous dunk over 6-foot-7 Clarence Jackson that helped the Bulldogs secure a 53-52 win and a spot in the field of 64.
After a loss to USC in the round of 64, where Yesufu scored a game-high 26 points, he decided to enter the transfer portal. His play over those two games in March, plus his iconic dunk, caught the attention of the Jayhawks.
"We saw explosiveness, scoring ability, that dunk he had was the big show of the NCAA Tournament that year," said Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts, who has filled in for head coach Bill Self while he recovers from a medical procedure. "Joe has done good for us. He has been good for us, he supplies a spark off the bench both offensively and defensively."
That spark helped play a part in the Jayhawks' national title run a season ago. During his first year in Lawrence, he saw action in 34 games and averaged just over 2 points per game, with 29 boards and 11 steals. His production has gone up this season and he even had the opportunity to start in three games, helping Kansas earn the top-seed in the West Region and a trip to Des Moines.
When he rolled back into the city on Tuesday, Yesufu said he was excited to be here instead of any other location for the opening rounds. Some of his old teammates, like D.J. Wilkins and Okay Djamgouz, came by to Yesufu's hotel before they took off for Albany to play Miami in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
"I love being back here, seeing my guys, I got to talk to them a little bit," Yesufu said. "Those guys are always going to be my brothers and I pray that they do well against Miami."
A lot has to go right for it to happen, but there's a chance he could take on his old squad if both teams make it to the Final Four. It's unlikely, but he has thought about what it would feel like meeting his former teammates on the court for a chance at another national title.
It's March, so anything can happen, right?
"I don't know, it would be pretty nostalgic again, to see all of them," Yesufu said. "But you know, then I'd have to lock in and try to beat them."
When he takes the floor for Kansas on Thursday against 16-seed Howard, it could be the final time he ever plays in the city where he started his college basketball journey. Or the Jayhawks could go on a tear, play in Des Moines again Saturday and potentially bring another national championship to Lawrence, the city Yesufu refers to as the Mecca of basketball.
Still, no matter what happens Thursday or for the rest of the weekend, he's happy to be back in the city that helped turn him into the man he is today.
"I loved it here, I loved it at Drake, I loved the people and the coaching staff," Yesufu said. "I really love (that whole coaching staff), they did a lot for me and got me better, not only as a player but as a man and a person."
Contact Deputy Sports Editor Will Kennedy at Wkennedy@dmreg.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former Drake star Joseph Yesufu returns to Des Moines with Kansas
