KU freshman Gradey Dick discovers, saves note left by a former Jayhawk on move-in day

Kansas freshman guard Gradey Dick discovered a gift in the top drawer of an otherwise empty cabinet next to the closet in his new McCarthy Hall apartment bedroom during his 2022 KU summer school move-in day on Saturday.

“Ochai left a note,” Dick, the 6-foot-7 Gatorade national player of the year out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, said as he glanced at a message on the back of Ochai Agbaji’s Wooden Award finalist card.

The note was left behind on purpose by former KU guard/current NBA lottery prospect Agbaji.

Agbaji, a first-team All-American, Big 12 player of the year, MVP of the Final Four and leader of KU’s 2022 national title team, resided in that same apartment room during the 2021-22 school year.

“It says, ‘Whoever takes over this room be great,’” Wichita native Dick added, smiling and nodding as he read the card to his mom, Carmen, and dad, Bart.

The moment was captured on Kansas Men’s Basketball Twitter account.

“That’s crazy … motivation,” Dick said, placing the card back in the drawer to read in the event he needs any inspiration during his freshman season at KU.

Dick’s mom gave her son a hug after Dick read aloud Agbaji’s message on the card.

“(It) made my mom cry,” Dick said with a smile.

It wasn’t all serious stuff on move-in day for Dick as well as fellow KU scholarship freshman Ernest Udeh, a 6-10 forward from Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, Florida and preferred walk-on Wilder Evers, a 6-3 guard from Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

Scholarship freshmen MJ Rice and Zuby Ejiofor, who are awaiting their graduation ceremonies, have not yet arrived for Tuesday’s start of summer school on the KU campus. Ejiofor, 6-8 forward from Garland (Texas) High School, is set to arrive June 11; Rice, 6-5 guard out of Prolific Prep in California, on June 10.

KU assistant coach Jeremy Case, glancing at Dick’s clothes on a table, picked up a colorful Hawaiian shirt and said to Dick: “Can I borrow this? Where’d you get this? I think I want to get me one.”

Dick responded that he “got it on the Islands,” and pointed out he had more than one to wear during the 2022-23 school year.

Meanwhile, Udeh also unpacked just some of his belongings in his new bedroom at McCarthy Hall as captured on the Kansas Men’s Basketball Twitter Account.

“One of my bags got left at the airport so it’s coming tonight. Thank God I didn’t put probably the most valuable thing in that other bag, PlayStation of course,” Udeh said jokingly in KU’s Twitter video.

“One of the necessities, still wrapped,” Udeh added, removing his PlayStation from a bag. “Laptop of course,” he continued, taking his computer laptop out of his luggage.

Udeh says he’s happy to be in Lawrence.

“Most of the camps and AAU events I’ve been to in my life, you always get those butterflies. There’s no butterflies at all. I’m just completely happy to be here. Next step in my life, so I’m glad,” Udeh said.

Udeh took to Twitter to ask KU fans: “Hey Lawrence, where should I have my first dinner? RockChalk.”

Incoming freshman class at KU

Here’s a quick look at how members of KU’s incoming freshman class fared during the 2021-22 school year.

• Gradey Dick: McDonald’s All-American averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for Sunrise Christian Academy.

• Ernest Udeh: McDonald’s All-American averaged 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks at Dr. Phillips High.

• Wilder Evers: Averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for Oak Mountain High.

• MJ Rice: McDonald’s All-American averaged 17.1 points, 8.1 rebounds for Prolific Prep.

• Zuby Ejiofor: Averaged 22.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 2.0 steals for Garland High.

• Dick Vitale ranks Jayhawks No.. 8 in country

Kansas is ranked No. 8 in the country in Dick Vitale’s latest “dazzling dozen” poll in advance of the 2022-23 season.

Vitale put out his rankings Friday in recognition of the June 1 deadline for players to withdraw from the June 23 NBA Draft if they wish to continue their college careers.

Of the Jayhawks, Vitale wrote: “The Jayhawks got a big boost when Jalen Wilson pulled out of the NBA Draft to return to Lawrence. KU cut down the nets and would love to go back-to-back. While Kansas loses a lot (Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack), coach Bill Self has talent coming in. Forwards Gradey Dick and MJ Rice are top 20 prospects. Center Ernest Udeh is not far behind. Dajuan Harris can be more productive. You know Self will add more talent through the transfer portal.”

KU currently has a full roster of 13 scholarship players following the decision of Wilson and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar to exit the NBA Draft and play college basketball in 2022-23.

North Carolina is No, 1 in Vitale’s Top 12 followed by Kentucky, Arkansas, Houston, Gonzaga, Creighton, Duke, KU, UCLA, Texas, Baylor and Villanova.