KU’s Bill Self feeling ‘fine’ at home in Lawrence; assistants recruited over weekend

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Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self, who revealed Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, told The Star on Sunday night he’s “doing fine,” at his house in Lawrence.

“I’m not (experiencing) bad symptoms,” Self said in a text message.

On Friday he said in a news release he started experiencing minor symptoms on Thursday, then tested positive for COVID-19 both Thursday and Friday. He canceled his plans to go recruiting over the weekend.

He also revealed Friday that he was vaccinated and encouraged others to get vaccinated. A source close to the program told The Star that all players and coaches in KU’s men’s hoops program are vaccinated.

“If you have not, please get vaccinated so we don’t have to worry about this virus continuing to affect our communities and loved ones. I fully believe I would be in a much worse condition if not for the vaccine. Thank you to Dr. Magee (Larry) and our Kansas Team Health staff for their help and work through this pandemic,” Self said Friday in a statement.

Meanwhile, KU’s assistant coaches hit the road during an open recruiting evaluation period over the weekend.

One rising senior prospect — Dominick Barlow — reported Saturday on Twitter he’d been offered a scholarship by KU.

Barlow, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound senior small forward from St. Benedict Prep in Newark, New Jersey, who is not ranked in the recruiting Class of 2022 at this time, has emerged as a high-major college recruit because of his outstanding play for New York Renaissance AAU this summer.

Other schools recruiting Barlow include Virginia, Miami (Florida), USC, DePaul, Rutgers, Pitt, Seton Hall, Illinois, Xavier, St. Bonaventure and others.

“Dom Barlow is everywhere. All over the floor. Hammering dunks. Already had high-major offers, but recruitment is about to blow-up,” ESPN’s Adam Finkelstein wrote after watching Barlow play a recent game at Peach Jam in South Carolina.

Barlow attended Dumont (New Jersey) High School last season, but has elected to head to prep school for his senior year.

“He is definitely our leader in everything we do. He is also a mentor to all the younger kids on the team. He’s wonderful. He is just a kid having fun, playing basketball,” Dumont High coach Kenny Martoral told northjersey.com late last season.

Of Barlow, New Recruit media wrote: “one of the toughest players In the 2022 class. This kid is capable of shooting, rebounding, and defending.”

New York Renaissance coach Andy Borman told Zagsblog.com: “Dominick is a modern day forward. He can guard multiple positions and also score from multiple positions. He shoots the ball extremely well, but is also a very active rebounder. His upside is through the roof as he continues to work on the court and in the weight room.”

Kijani Wright to visit KU, Stanford

Kijani Wright, a 6-8, 220-pound senior forward from Windward High in Los Angeles, is planning on visiting Kansas, he told Rivals.com.

Wright, the No. 17-ranked prospect in the recruiting Class of 2022, according to Rivals.com, has visited USC, Texas and Arkansas.

He is planning on visiting KU and Stanford before choosing a school.

“Kansas is a powerhouse. Coach Bill Self is a great coach, I watched them a lot this past year. I love Ochai Agbaji’s game, and his physicality. I can see myself playing in kind of his role. You see the powerhouse program they are,” Wright told Rivals.com.

He said he’d like to choose a school before the start of his senior season.

“I am on down the road with these five, but I am still grateful for any school who may want to offer,” Wright said. “The balance between academics and athletics is the main thing I am looking for. Of course, the coaching staff and how they look to play me will be big. I am very connected with my mother and my family, so I want to go to a family-oriented place.”

KU pursuing junior Kylan Boswell

KU has offered a scholarship to Kylan Boswell, a 6-1 junior point guard from Centennial High in Corona, California, according to Rivals.com.

Boswell, who played well at the recent Peach Jam in South Carolina, is currently unranked in the Class of 2023. He has also been offered scholarships by Arizona, Illinois, Louisville, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC and Washington.

He plays for Team WhyNot 16s on the AAU circuit.

“Boswell was outstanding on both sides of the basketball. His instincts, IQ, feel and anticipation shined as he ripped ball-handlers, split-defenders and got anywhere he wanted to on the floor,” Travis Branham of 247sports.com wrote from Peach Jam in South Carolina.

“Offensively, he did it both as a playmaker and a scorer. He’s a tough and aggressive driver who is very shifty, putting pressure on the defense, finishing well through contact around the rim and finding teammates with skip-passes with precision as the opposition collapses. His vision, passing, decision making and shot-making were on full display. Off the bounce, he’s strong, tough and physical and even showed that he will bully weaker defenders in the post and really knows how to use his body to get to the rim.”