KU basketball among three finalists for former Creighton forward Christian Bishop
Former Creighton forward Christian Bishop, who entered his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal on March 31, will commit to either Kansas, Texas or North Carolina at 6 p.m. Saturday, he reported Thursday on Instagram and Twitter.
Bishop, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior, eliminated Missouri, Illinois, UNLV, Memphis, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Minnesota and Oklahoma from his list of schools. He will have two years of eligibility remaining starting with the 2021-22 season.
Bishop averaged 11.0 points and 6.4 rebounds a game last season for the 22-9 Bluejays.
He hit 68.1% of his shots, which ranks second on Creighton’s single season field-goal percentage list. He’s started 62 of 90 games in his three seasons with career averages of 8.0 points and 4.7 boards.
The graduate of Lee’s Summit West High School scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-4 from line), grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots in Creighton’s 73-72 loss to Kansas on Dec. 8 at Allen Fieldhouse. He had four turnovers, one assist and a steal in that game.
Bishop scored a season-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting (3-of-6 from line) in a 76-74 overtime win over UConn on Dec. 20 in Mansfield, Connecticut.
He had 12 points and five rebounds in the Bluejays’ 83-65 season-ending loss to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Prior to that, he scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 72-58 second-round tourney win over Ohio and scored 15 points and secured 11 rebounds in a 63-62 first round win over UC Santa Barbara.
Bishop was ranked No. 103 in the recruiting Class of 2018 by Rivals.com.
He became the first boys basketball player in Lee’s Summit West High School history to post a triple-double when he scored 24 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 10 shots his senior season in a win against Christian Brothers College. Bishop signed with Creighton over Kansas State, Missouri, Wichita State and others.
KU, which has netted seven players in the recruiting Class of 2021, has one scholarship available in recruiting, more if Ochai Agbaji and/or Jalen Wilson remain in the 2021 NBA Draft.
KU has signed college transfers Cam Martin and Joseph Yesufu, high school players Zach Clemence, KJ Adams and Kyle Cuffe Jr. and juco transfer Sydney Curry. High schooler Bobby Pettiford has committed to KU and has said he’ll sign a letter-of-intent Friday.
A new name surfaced as a possible KU recruit on Thursday. South Florida graduate transfer David Collins, a 6-4, 220-pound combo guard, held a Zoom call with KU coaches Thursday, according to Jayhawkslant.com. Collins averaged 12.5 points and 3.4 assists this past season. He hit 37.3% of his threes. He scored a season-high 23 points against Temple on March 11.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Collins entered the NBA Draft after his junior season before electing to return to school to play his senior year. He has one year of college eligibility remaining.
