Kansas Jayhawks hoops star Kevin McCullar held court before KU-Illinois football game

Kansas super-senior men’s basketball guard Kevin McCullar Jr. entered a shaded courtyard at the bottom of Campanile Hill, next to the Jayhawks’ football practice field, 90 minutes before the start of Friday’s nonconference football game against Illinois at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

McCullar was happy to be soaking in the atmosphere on a steamy summer afternoon with his KU hoops teammates at an NIL event held in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club and sponsored by Mass Street Collective and Jayhawk Sports Properties.

“I love it. I love football. Growing up, I loved football,” McCullar, a 6-foot-7, 212-pound, 22-year-old native of San Antonio, Texas said before KU’s 34-23 win over the Fighting Illini.

Of course, McCullar also attended the game.

“Football is in my family,” he said. “I’m a big supporter of KU football. I know a bunch of guys on the team. My best friend is Kenny Logan (defensive back).

“I’m out here supporting him. He’s super cool, a great dude, down to earth. We’ve been brothers ever since I met him,” said McCullar, who’s entered his second and final year at KU after transferring from Texas Tech.

McCullar’s dad, Kevin McCullar Sr., was a linebacker at Texas Tech and also for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Logan is a fifth-year Jayhawk out of St. Augustine, Florida.

“They’re so good,” McCullar said of the football Jayhawks, who will take a 2-0 record into Saturday’s nonconference game at Nevada, set for a 9:30 p.m. Central Time kickoff.. “It’s great they they started off the season like this. They kicked the school year off well, now we’ve got to do our thing. I have much love and respect for them.”

McCullar averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while playing stellar defense in 2022-23 for the Jayhawks. They went 28-8 and won the Big 12 regular-season title before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In three exhibition games played during KU’s recent trip to Puerto Rico, McCullar averaged 13.6 points (on 48.3% shooting), 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

“It was a great trip. Now we’re re-energized. We got to go home a little bit,” McCullar said of the team’s short vacation, which extended from about Aug. 8 to the start of the school year on Aug. 21. “It’s been good. We kind of got a fresh start and are grinding now.”

The Jayhawks have been practicing up to four hours a week in accordance with NCAA rules since the start of school. They’ll run through Bill Self’s annual Boot Camp conditioning program starting a week from Monday. Late Night in the Phog will take place Oct. 6.

“It’s been good. We’re enjoying it,” McCullar said of the squad’s post-Puerto Rico practice sessions and individual workouts. “We’re putting in different thing now, kind of progressing. It’s going well.”

One player, freshman Johnny Furphy, has been with the KU team since the start of school. A late addition, the 6-8, 202-pound guard from Melbourne, Australia signed with KU on Aug. 3. He chose the Jayhawks over Duke, North Carolina, Gonzaga and other programs.

“He’s super good,” McCullar said. “He’s so talented. He does everything on the court. He’s a versatile guy that can play on both ends of the floor, so he’s going to be really great for us.”

Asked what positions Furphy has been playing, McCullar said: “Pretty much everything, 2 through the 4. He can move the ball. He can put the ball in the basket Also he can guard well. He rebounds great for his size, is super energetic. He’s going to play a pivotal role on this team.”

The Kansas basketball account on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday posted a video clip of Furphy corralling a bounce pass from big man Hunter Dickinson and finishing a resounding one-handed dunk.