Kansas Jayhawks add another guard as Kyle Cuffe Jr. joins incoming recruiting class
Kyle Cuffe Jr., who committed to Kansas in December, has switched from the recruiting Class of 2022 to 2021 and has signed a national letter-of intent at KU, men’s basketball coach Bill Self announced Thursday.
Cuffe, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound combo guard from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, will be a freshman at KU during the 2021-22 season.
“Kyle is a young man that has great upside and the determination to be a great player,” Self said of Cuffe, who was ranked No. 56 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com. “He’s an explosive athlete that makes plays on both ends of the floor. His father, Kyle Sr., was a great player at St. John’s and has been instrumental in Kyle’s development. He is already a well-prepared player coming from a powerhouse school like Blair Academy under the excellent tutelage of (Blair coach) Joe Mantegna.”
Cuffe, who is from Toms River, New Jersey, averaged 25.0 points a game in a season limited to just two games because of the pandemic.
In 2019-20, he averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game for 24-3 Blair Academy. Cuffe was selected to the 2020 All-Mid Atlantic Prep League team.
“After talking to my family and high school coach, we came to the decision it’s best to come to Kansas now,” Cuffe said Thursday in a phone conversation. “I am just making sure I develop the best I can by competing against the best.
“I felt I could take it to the next level. Coach Self was excited about it as well as coach Norm (Roberts). They were happy I made the decision. It was a decision up in the air ever since I committed.”
Cuffe told The Star he believes he can compete for a spot in the rotation immediately.
“That’s not my main focus,” Cuffe said. “My main focus now is to get up there and connect with the team. That’s when I can show I can get on the floor. My final word is I’m ready to play. Nobody’s going to stop me.”
Cuffe is the son of former St. John’s power forward Kyle Cuffe Sr., who attended Rice High School in New York City, the same high school as former KU guard Russell Robinson.
Cuffe is the fourth player to sign with KU during the spring signing period, which started Wednesday and runs through Aug. 1. The others are transfer forwards Cam Martin and Sydney Curry and transfer guard Joseph Yesufu. KU signed forwards KJ Adams and Zach Clemence in November 2020.
Bobby Pettiford, a high school point guard from North Carolina, is expected to sign his letter of intent with KU on Friday.
Following the Pettiford signing, KU still will have one scholarship available in recruiting.
