Tristan Enaruna on leaving KU for ISU: ‘I knew coming to Kansas ... would be tough’

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self contacted former Jayhawks sophomore guard/forward Tristan Enaruna on Monday morning after word surfaced that the 6-foot-8 Netherlands native had chosen Iowa State as his transfer destination.

“He cracked a joke (that) if I score double figures the first half he’ll foul me the second. He said if I get double figures he’ll hack me the second half,” Enaruna, who entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 30 after two seasons at KU, said with a laugh.

Enaruna — who selected Iowa State over finalist Creighton — is in the somewhat strange position of continuing his career at one of KU’s rival schools in the Big 12 Conference. That means he’ll go up against his former school once at Hilton Coliseum and once in Allen Fieldhouse during the upcoming 2021-22 regular season.

“It’s a good thing in that I’m familiar with the conference and the teams,” Enaruna told The Star on Monday in a phone conversation. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds while logging 9.4 minutes a game in 25 games last season for 21-9 KU.

“I think it’s an advantage in that way,” he added.

As far as playing against KU in Lawrence, Enaruna said: “I will still go out there and do the best I can to help my team win. I’ll always do it respectfully.

“I was here two years. I love the people here. I always will have respect for this place. At the end of the day it’s about winning and playing basketball. I can’t let that (fond feelings about KU) affect anything I do on the court. Off the court it’s all love. I don’t know how I’ll respond. I think that’s something you won’t know until you are there.”

Enaruna, who signed with KU as the No. 44 ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2019, said he has become a better player after experiencing two seasons at Kansas.

“I think I learned a whole lot about basketball — the mental side of basketball — understanding the game and the physical nature of basketball,” Enaruna said.

“Playing for a coach like Coach Self, you will learn stuff regardless. I didn’t play a lot of minutes. That’s where I can make a change at Iowa State, transitioning everything I learned at KU to my next place.”

Of diminished playing time at KU, Enaruna said: “I think there’s a lot of different reasons. The team, the lineups kind of took a different shape than what I kind of expected and maybe what Coach expected. He found lineups that worked and didn’t work as well.

“I knew coming to Kansas this program would be tough, that it could work out, if it can’t it’s all good. I was prepared for everything. Obviously it (stunk), the way it turned out, maybe I could crack the lineup more or start at some point. Things turned out different.”

The end of Enaruna’s sophomore season proved especially difficult.

He did not play in KU’s two NCAA Tournament games after having a positive COVID-19 test on March 14.

“I wouldn’t say depressed (but) I was sad for sure. It was a weird year with a lot of stuff going on. I wanted to be with the team at the end as well,” Enaruna said. He was quarantined in Lawrence for KU’s entire stay in Indianapolis for two games in the NCAAs.

“We didn’t get a chance last year (to play in postseason because of the pandemic). This year the same thing happened. It (stunk).”

It also was difficult because Enaruna suffered some symptoms from COVID-19.

“I had cold, flu like symptoms, fatigue, headaches at first,” Enaruna said, indicating he’s not sure he could have rejoined the team for the Sweet 16 had KU defeated USC in a second-round game. Instead, the Trojans ended KU’s season. “I don’t think so. It was going to be hard (to come back). It kind of took control of my body,” he said.

After season’s end, when he was 100% recovered from COVID, Enaruna went and spoke with Self about his future plans.

“I went up (to Self’s office) one day and told him about the situation and how I was feeling about entering the portal. He was understanding and positive,” Enaruna said.

So he did indeed enter the portal and ultimately chose Iowa State.

“I think it’s a good place where there’s a good opportunity for me to come in and make an impact right away,” Enaruna said. “Obviously there are some changes in the team, new players, new staff. I had a good relationship with Coach T.J. (new Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger). He came to my high school a couple times when I was there and he was at South Dakota.”

Indeed, Otzelberger, who coached South Dakota State for three years then UNLV two seasons, recruited Enaruna his senior year at Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. Otzelberger on March 18 left UNLV to replace Steve Prohm, who was fired after six seasons in Ames.

“He followed me through the years. He saw I entered the portal and reached out right away. He’s easy to talk to, understands players my age. I could tell he’d be a good guy to work with,” Enaruna said of the 43-year-old Otzelberger.

Of his upcoming role with the Cyclones, Enaruna said he’s been told he’ll likely be used at the 3-spot, small forward.

“Just handling the ball on the perimeter, making plays. He wants me to become more comfortable shooting the ball as well, just really trying to use all my abilities. (Playing) defense, obviously. Overall he wants me to be somebody who has experience and use that to help other guys on the team, be a leader and vocal,” Enaruna said.

Enaruna, by the way, said he’s in favor of the transfer portal, which now allows all college players a one-time transfer with immediate eligibility at the player’s transfer destination.

“From my personal standpoint, it’s good. In a situation like I am in it is beneficial,” Enaruna said of getting to play right away with the Cyclones. “I hear a lot of times people talk about players actually looking for an easy way out. I don’t think it’s the case. I think it (players leaving schools for another in large numbers) is because the opportunity is here now for players to transfer and not sit out if they feel it’s the right thing to do.”

Enaruna was asked if he would have departed KU if he had to sit out a season.

“It might be different, but I don’t think it’d affect my decision-making process,” he said.

Self, who is bringing in two four-year college transfers (Cam Martin, Missouri Southern; Joseph Yesufu, Drake) compared to Iowa State’s four transfers (Enaruna, guard Gabe Kalscheur of Minnesota, forward Jaz Kunc of Washington State and forward Robert Jones of Denver), said this upon losing Enaruna to the portal: “Obviously, this was a difficult finish for Tristan this year with the COVID situation and not being able to finish the season with the team. He represented himself, his teammates, our program and our university with first-class daily and he will be missed. His best ball is ahead of him and we all support his decision and wish him well.”

Transfer talk

In other transfer news Monday, former KU guard Charlie Moore, who has played the last two seasons at DePaul after playing one year at Cal and one at KU (2018-19), has transferred to Miami (Florida) for his final season of college basketball. Moore averaged 14.4 points a game with 67 assists to 53 turnovers in 16 games last season for the (5-14) Blue Demons. He hit 40.7% of his shots and was 28 of 81 from three for 34.6%.

Oklahoma, a day after landing transfer forwards Conner Groves and Jacob Groves of Eastern Washington, added to the roster former Duke guard Jordan Goldwire. A 6-2 guard, Goldwire averaged 5.8 points, 4.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals as a senior at Duke. Like Moore, he has a year of eligibility remaining.