KU hoops basketball coaches still recruiting for 2023-24 as summer session approaches

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self and his assistants will not be taking it easy between now and June 6, the start of summer school classes and workouts on KU’s campus.

“There’s no time (off). We still need to sign a couple guys,” Self said Sunday. Speaking to The Star before KU’s 2023 graduation ceremonies at Memorial Stadium, he was referring to adding two or three scholarship players to the roster of the 2023-24 Jayhawks team.

Thus far, KU has recruited and signed four high school players in the recruiting Class of 2023 (Marcus Adams, Elmarko Jackson, Jamari McDowell and Chris Johnson) to go with three players from the 2023 NCAA transfer portal. They are: Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Nick Timberlake (Towson) and Arterio Morris (Texas).

Two players — Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams — return from KU’s 2022-23 Big 12 regular-season championship team.

That adds up to nine scholarship players on the 2023-24 roster with up to three vacancies to fill.

“I don’t know for sure, probably just a couple,” Self said, asked if he wanted to add two players or three. Three signees would put KU at its scholarship limit of 12. One scholarship is being withheld as part of self-imposed penalties in response to the NCAA inquiry into KU basketball. “We’re only at nine now — nine good ones,” Self added.

Self said though he’s pleased with the current roster, he’s confident there are still standout players to be added through the portal.

“It’s been an unbelievably good year recruiting wise, the players we’ve gotten,” Self said. “It’s still incomplete. We need to get one big and another guard, hopefully a wing. We need a wing and a big to provide that depth.”

Also, “we need to get one more (walk-on). He needs to be a big,” said Self. The Jayhawks have returning walk-on guards in Michael Jankovich, Charlie McCarthy and Wilder Evers and big man Dillon Wilhite.

“In a perfect world we need another big guy. After we sign another big we need a big to practice,” Self noted.

“We’ll get what we need,” he quickly added. “We’re still waiting to see how Kevin does.”

Self was referring to how senior guard Kevin McCullar fares at this week’s NBA Combine and in individual workouts for NBA teams.

There’s still a chance defensive whiz McCullar could return for a second season at KU, though McCullar has expressed a desire to begin his pro career if the feedback from NBA scouts is positive regarding the June 22 draft.

“Hopefully he’ll do great (in NBA workouts),” Self said of McCullar. “There’s that possibility (of return to KU). Obviously there are a couple of bigs out there we are chasing, definitely some guards that we think really fit well, that I would say we are involved with at least a little bit. We need to wait and see how things play out over the next week to 10 days (deadline to withdraw from draft is May 31 to keep collegiate eligibility).”

Self didn’t mention names of any prospects in accordance with NCAA rules.

Possible frontcourt players who could be available through the portal: Grant Nelson, North Dakota State; Arthur Kaluma, Creighton; Julian Phillips, Tennessee; Adrame Diongue, Washington State; Aziz Bandaogo, Utah Valley; Olivier Nkamhoua, Tennessee; Daimion Collins, Kentucky. Guards available in the portal: RayJ Dennis, Toledo; Tyrin Lawrence, Vanderbilt; Mika Adams-Woods, Cincinnati. Also available in the portal is former Santa Clara forward Parker Braun, the 6-10, 215-pound brother of former Jayhawk wing Christian Braun. As a graduate transfer, the former Missouri Tiger is eligible to play without sitting a season.

It’s been a hectic time at KU. Since season’s end KU has added the three portal players while losing eight to the portal. They are: Zach Clemence, Kyle Cuffe, Zuby Ejiofor, Cam Martin, Bobby Pettiford, MJ Rice, Ernest Udeh and Joseph Yesufu.

Last week, sophomore-to-be power forwards Ejiofor and Udeh entered the portal in response to KU landing 7-footer Dickinson.

“No,” Self said, asked if he was upset at last week’s developments. “The whole deal is it’s the way the system is set up. If freshmen don’t play (in the future) there is a good chance they are going to leave.”

Of two-time first-team all-Big Ten selection Dickinson, Self said: “We’re really excited about him.”