2023 Recruiting



  • Dennis Evans is very difficult to evaluate at the HS level because of his size and length. He’s so tall that he blocks shots with so much ease, but you can’t tell if that’s skill, or just the fact that he is so big, an advantage that will diminish in college.

    He’s very raw offensively, but most kids that size are very raw offensively because they haven’t developed fluidity, and, honestly, most coaches at the HS level don’t know how to actually coach big men.

    Dennis Evans has a really high floor, though. He will, at a minimum, be a very good defensive player in college. He could anchor a top 10 defense with his rim protection. And because he doesn’t have to jump for a lot of his blocks, it’s hard to get him out of place.

    His shooting stroke looks solid, but he doesn’t have a ton in his bag yet as far as offensive moves. His hands are probably just average, and you would prefer a guy that size to have above average hands because he’s going to have guys swiping at the ball constantly. He could be a below average offensive player in college.

    He could also develop an offensive game, get stronger and suddenly we’re talking about an elite recruit. That’s not a guarantee, obviously, but it’s not that far fetched, either.



  • Evans is definitely a take. You figure out the numbers later. He’s got a lot of Withey to him



  • @FarmerJayhawk said in 2023 Recruiting:

    Evans is definitely a take. You figure out the numbers later. He’s got a lot of Withey to him

    I agree you have a kid like this that is showing strong interest in you - - you return the interest , the others guys just have to compete to earn minutes and or spot on roster - if they transfer out then best of luck to them The only ones I wouldn’t want to transfer out because of Evans would be Zac or Udeh. – -Zuby wants to go - then so be it. We would still have three Udeh Zach and Evans at that point, again agree with you Farmer



  • @FarmerJayhawk said in 2023 Recruiting:

    Evans is definitely a take. You figure out the numbers later. He’s got a lot of Withey to him

    I think Minny or TCU are better choices for him to get immediate PT.



  • FYI Yates set an official to Texas



  • @BeddieKU23 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    FYI Yates set an official to Texas

    We are officially not in this one not sure if you saw.



  • Our good ol Boy down the inner State trying to gather a decent recruiting class. - He got Johnson and the guards. Now is in Baye Fall’s finalists - If he lands fall like the article said that would be a huge commit for then a legit 7 footer crazy rim protector things could get interesting. Tang showing pretty decent recruiter.

    Has to have a hell of a sales pitch to get a kid to Manhattan. Texas Rutgers K State can’t remember the others his list keep an eye on



  • @jayballer67 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    Our good ol Boy down the inner State trying to gather a decent recruiting class. - He got Johnson and the guards. Now is in Baye Fall’s finalists - If he lands fall like the article said that would be a huge commit for then a legit 7 footer crazy rim protector things could get interesting. Tang showing pretty decent recruiter.

    Has to have a hell of a sales pitch to get a kid to Manhattan. Texas Rutgers K State can’t remember the others his list keep an eye on

    Tang is worlds better than Bruce as a recruiter. Whether he can keep guys in Manhattan is to be determined, but if he can get them there, K-State could put together a very solid team fairly quick. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn KSU around in short order.



  • @justanotherfan said in 2023 Recruiting:

    @jayballer67 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    Our good ol Boy down the inner State trying to gather a decent recruiting class. - He got Johnson and the guards. Now is in Baye Fall’s finalists - If he lands fall like the article said that would be a huge commit for then a legit 7 footer crazy rim protector things could get interesting. Tang showing pretty decent recruiter.

    Has to have a hell of a sales pitch to get a kid to Manhattan. Texas Rutgers K State can’t remember the others his list keep an eye on

    Tang is worlds better than Bruce as a recruiter. Whether he can keep guys in Manhattan is to be determined, but if he can get them there, K-State could put together a very solid team fairly quick. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn KSU around in short order.

    Glad to see someone else who can see this, .Tang looks to be a really good recruiter, and now with the even the possibility when Weber was Coach he wouldn’t of sniffed K/State , looks like he is putting together a decent team and they going to turn some heads and they gonna step up and beat some people - -Not saying they are in a title contending role yet - -but they are not gonna win their share. Also seen that are in the finalist for a kid named I think McDowell 4 * 6’8 we shall see but good luck to them

    Maybe this can become a rivalry again because there is no way that’s what it is right now. Can’t be a rivalry when we a kicking their ass yr after yr , after yr like a tin can down the road.



  • @justanotherfan Agree. We saw they were not able to hold on to Pack who took more money to go to Miami.

    The big thing we need to see is how Tang is as a coach. It’s interesting that he is just now getting a chance.



  • Self’s eye for talent strikes again. The new 247 rankings have a lot of our targets going supernova. Chris Johnson might be one of our lowest rated commits



  • @FarmerJayhawk Some near triple digit jumps on a couple of these guys and Elmarko unsurprisingly into the top 20.

    Not sure KU is the favorite to land any of these guys though.



  • @BShark I always thought Tang was the brains behind Baylor, after last year I think Adams is pretty dang close too. I had no idea, he was so unassuming to me. My only thing with him is that he subs to much. Wonder where Bruce is? I did hear Remy is going to try out for the G league.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    @BShark I always thought Tang was the brains behind Baylor, after last year I think Adams is pretty dang close too. I had no idea, he was so unassuming to me. My only thing with him is that he subs to much. Wonder where Bruce is? I did hear Remy is going to try out for the G league.

    Would not compare Tang/Drew to Adams/Beard. Tang is just a recruiter. Everyone had been saying Adams was the brains. No one says that about Tang.



  • Elmarko Jackson and Kaden Cooper are names I’d watch.



  • At this rate we’re just gonna have a team of combo guards in 2025



  • perfect the Combo 5 out



  • Updated 247 ranks for those that missed. Their rankings not the composite. KU targets

    Elmarko Jackson #18 (big jump)

    Mikey Williams #19

    Jamari McDowell #42 (big jump)

    Dennis Evans #27

    Taishon Chatman #31

    Elijah Gertrude #36 (big jump)



  • Half of a college coach’s job is recruiting. You cannot be a great coach if you are a below average recruiter. You just can’t.

    Tang is clearly a good recruiter. He came to a school that had nothing returning. Absolutely nothing. I assumed he would have maybe 10 or 11 scholarship players. He has a full group, and not only that, he got some real players in that class. Now, is he good with X’s and O’s. Hard to say. You can’t really judge assistants on that because they only have a partial voice on those type of things. He may be more skilled than we realize. He may be less skill. We won’t really know that until January or February.



  • @BShark just me!



  • @justanotherfan If KState wins 6+ games in conference play I’ll be impressed. I do think it’s possible, if the coaching is good.



  • @BShark said in 2023 Recruiting:

    @justanotherfan If KState wins 6+ games in conference play I’ll be impressed. I do think it’s possible, if the coaching is good.

    Talent upgrade should be worth 4 wins by itself.



  • KSU’s schedule seems soft prior to league play. Butler and Florida look to be the toughest. They also play in the Cayman Island Classic which may have some decent teams. They should have a good W/L record going into Big 12 play.



  • They have a bottom 5 roster in all of Power 5. No idea how he’s making lemons into lemonade with 1, 1 big-12 level player on his roster



  • @BeddieKU23 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    They have a bottom 5 roster in all of Power 5. No idea how he’s making lemons into lemonade with 1, 1 big-12 level player on his roster

    Not sure KSU’s roster is bottom 5 in Power 5.

    I’ll start with Keyontae Johnson. He was, once upon a time, a top 70 recruit, and the preseason SEC player of the year. He collapsed during an early season game a couple of years ago, and hasn’t played since, but if he is healthy and at or near his previous level, he’s a guy that could play at just about any P5 school. He’s sight unseen, but he’s a sleeper that could lift KSU from okay to good.

    Anthony Thomas was one of the top juco players in the country. I doubt he’s a star, but he will probably be an okay rotation piece. Nae’Qwan Tomlin was another good juco player. Probably another rotation piece.

    Ismael Massoud was a three year rotation guy at Wake Forest. David N’guessan was a two year rotation guy at Virginia Tech. Desi Sills was a three year rotation guy at Arkansas.

    That’s five guys that are legitimate P5 rotation guys that Tang brought in, plus a guy that could be an all conference level talent if he is healthy.

    Tykei Greene was second team all conference at Stony Brook. That probably translates to a decent P5 starter. Iyiola was a decent player at Hofstra.

    Nowell returns for them and should start. He was solid last year as a starter.

    That’s 9 guys that can probably play at the P5 level, and that assumes that they don’t get anything from Cam Carter (rarely used at Mississippi State last year) or Jerrell Colbert (barely played at LSU last year).

    That also assumes they get little or nothing from any of their freshmen.

    This team is decent. Easily the best looking roster KSU has had since Barry Brown and Dean Wade left. They should be on the bubble for the tournament, maybe even in easily if Johnson returns to form.

    By my count Tang has 5 definite P5 level starters on this roster in Nowell, Johnson, N’guessan, Massoud and Sills. I could see Greene maybe being a starter, but those other 5 guys all started at the P5 level before, so I give them the edge.

    This team is MUCH better than before. I wouldn’t label them as good yet, but the improvement in the roster is pretty clear. With an easy early schedule, they could be confident coming into conference play. A 9 or 10 see in the tournament seems within reach.



  • @justanotherfan I look at you listing N’Guessan and Massoud as starters and realize just how spoiled Kansas fans have been. Because you are right, but they are not good starters to have.

    Where did you get N’Guessan starting before though? He had 0 starts at VT according to sports reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/david-nguessan-1.html

    The biggest thing KSU did was they got athletes and some size. That goes a long way. League will be an absolute blood bath for them imo though.



  • @BeddieKU23 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    They have a bottom 5 roster in all of Power 5. No idea how he’s making lemons into lemonade with 1, 1 big-12 level player on his roster

    oh I don’t think they have a bottom 5 roster, I believe they will be better then what your giving credit for. They can still be in lower half of big 12 and still be better then a bottom P-5 roster. - Big 12 is just gonna chew one another up incredible conference the best conference yet again , just more balance



  • Read some dates for KU 23 recruits visiting. - -Jamari McDowell 6’5 Combo this weekend. - Finalist of KU - -Texas A & M - -Xavier - - -& WF - -Ranked # 141 by 247 sports.

    Kaden Cooper : - 6"5 SF - - Sept 24th - - # 36 by Rivals - -38th by On 3. com - - 45th by 247

    Elijah Gertrude -6’4 - -SG - Sept 23rd - -25th - - - #136 by 247 sports wants to decide in Sept - -Ku , St Johns , Rutgers , Seton Hall & Virginia - -made 43 % of his 3’s.





  • @BShark oooh nice left hand!



  • @approxinfinity Lagerald vibes in general here. He wants to visit Kansas, no offer yet.



  • Per the Slant, Evans plans to visit KU, TCU, Minnesota and San Diego State. Bizarre mix.



  • @BShark said in 2023 Recruiting:

    @justanotherfan I look at you listing N’Guessan and Massoud as starters and realize just how spoiled Kansas fans have been. Because you are right, but they are not good starters to have.

    Where did you get N’Guessan starting before though? He had 0 starts at VT according to sports reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/david-nguessan-1.html

    The biggest thing KSU did was they got athletes and some size. That goes a long way. League will be an absolute blood bath for them imo though.

    That was a mistake on my part. I had said earlier that he was a rotation guy, which was correct, but then lumped him in with Massoud and Sills, both of whom had started before in saying that they were all starters before. I think he could start for KSU this year, though.



  • @justanotherfan I think he will start for sure just going off of how much guys played before. He was getting real minutes for VT. A good defensive piece.



  • @BShark

    Silas Demary looks very interesting to me. Potential high level defender from what I am seeing in the video. The 2 on 1 stop he makes at the 1:24 or so mark is exceptional defensive ability, awareness and discipline, along with the athleticism to actually pull it off. I’m not sold, but I am intrigued.



  • McDowell announcing on the 24th. Would be very surprised if it’s Kansas.



  • @BShark said in 2023 Recruiting:

    McDowell announcing on the 24th. Would be very surprised if it’s Kansas.

    How so



  • Bossi thinks KU or Wake for McDowell… Interesting

    Gertrude & Jackson visiting for the Duke FB game.

    Kaden Cooper took his official here but isn’t talking…

    Self on the HUNT for guards



  • Short term target TJ Power to Puke Town.



  • Bossi mentions Chatman leaning Ohio St… Weird. Sounds like Jackson might be the top target and interested to see how it plays out with him

    *Obviously, Kansas has already landed four-star guard Chris Johnson and word out of Lawrence is that Bill Self and his staff are pretty excited about the Houston native’s combination of size and athleticism in the backcourt. They’d like to keep getting more athletic in the backcourt. They’ve already hosted another four-star guard from Texas in Jamari McDowell and super athletic four-star wing Kaden Cooper was on campus over the weekend. Five-star guard Mikey Williams visited during June as did four-star Taison Chatman (who looks to be leaning towards Ohio State). In a few weeks, four-star Elijah Gertrude and top 20 Elmarko Jackson will be on campus. Big man Dennis Evans is among the others in the mix.

    While Self will never turn down a quality big man, the priority for the Jayhawks appears to be adding athletic and versatile perimeter players. Jackson – who visits Miami – this weekend looks to be right at the top of their wish list and they’d be more than happy with any of Cooper, Gertrude and McDowell to go along with him.

    It is hard to imagine that they would whiff on the entire group coming off of a National Championship but at the same time it is tough to say that they are the clearcut favorite for any of those guys either. Sorry I can’t give a clearer answer, but I do think their next commit comes from somebody within the group of their most recent and upcoming September visitors.*



  • Don’t think Gertrude is an option. Lot’s of CB’s to UVA to play in that exciting offense!



  • @BeddieKU23 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    Don’t think Gertrude is an option. Lot’s of CB’s to UVA to play in that exciting offense!

    Yes he goning to end up there



  • 2023 4star Ashton Hardaway has picked up an offer from Bill self and Kansas



  • Puttin this here, Season getting closer. - - Boot Camp starts today - -welcome fella’s lol

    Little FYI for some , Teams with the most wins over top 25 teams in the past 5 seasons. - -# 1 - - KU - -( 36 ) - -# 2 - - Mich St - - ( 31 ) - - # 3 - - Baylor - - ( 27 ) - - # 4 - - Mich - - ( 27 ) - - # 5 - -Tex Tech- - ( 26 ) #-6 - - Villa - - ( 26 ) - - # 7 - - Purdue - - ( 25 ) - - # 8- - Duke- - ( 24 ) - - # 9- -Iowa - -( 22 ) - - # 10 - -Virg- -( 22 ) - - # 11 N Carol - - ( 21 ) - -# 12 - - Ohio St - - ( 25 ) - - # 13- - Okla St - - ( 25 ). - -Just something KU at the top on. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • Kansas is in to see aj johnson



  • Gertrude to Virginia



  • Really hoping we land Elmarko.



  • @BeddieKU23 said in 2023 Recruiting:

    Really hoping we land Elmarko.

    So what you think our chances are. Things have been pretty slow again. Yet not worried seems like this every year, only 1 commit but we always end up just fine



  • @jayballer67

    Think we are sitting in a good spot. Really like his game and it fits exactly what Self is looking for in a point guard.

    It sounds like they are tight on numbers.



  • KU was in to see Bronny James recently as well. Bossi quick to say basically no shot


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