On Saturday at 5:00 p.m. (CT), No. 5 Kansas plays host to No. 12 Kentucky. Following a full day of activities, including ESPN College GameDay being in attendance, KU and UK, the top two winningest programs in all of college basketball, will clash on the hardwood.
Bill Self and his staff are expected to host several visitors this weekend.
First, Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., will be making the trip up from right down the road. Dick, who was recently named a McDonald's All-American, has been working on a date to get down and visit Kansas for a game, and it just so happens that this weekend works best. I was able to exchange some text messages with Gradey and some family members, and I can tell you that everybody is fired up about his selection to the McDonald's AA game and his decision to sign with Kansas.
Through 16 games this season, Dick is averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for Sunrise Christian Academy, and he's being talked about as the best shooter in high school basketball
MJ Rice, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound small forward from Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., is also scheduled to visit Kansas this weekend. Rice, who was also selected to participate in the McDonald's All-American game, is averaging 19.2 points per game this season. I was able to talk to Quentin Rice, the father of MJ Rice, on Wednesday, and he is really looking forward to making the trip to Lawrence this weekend. Rice made it clear that the next move for his son after Prolific Prep is Lawrence.
In fact, Mr. Rice told me that MJ won't stop talking about getting to Kansas, so he's had to tell his son to slow down and enjoy the ride. He wants his son to enjoy every minute of high school and then every minute of college and then every minute of whatever comes next. Mr. Rice also said that the best decision his son made was signing with Kansas. He just raved about Coach Self, the coaching staff, and the people around the program.
Layden Blocker, the 6-foot-2, 168-pound point guard from Sunrise Christian Academy, along with his backcourt running mate, Scotty Middleton, the 6-foot-6, 180-pound small forward, will also be in attendance. Blocker is the No. 55 ranked player in the 2023 class, while Middleton is the No. 110 ranked player in the 2023 class.
Blocker, a four-star prospect, is down to Kansas, Arkansas, Memphis, Baylor, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, and Auburn, while Middleton is hearing from the likes of Kansas, Arizona State, Clemson, UCONN, DePaul, Kansas State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Texas Tech, and others.
I know that Kansas has invested quite a bit of time recruiting Blocker, but he's got some options that he's going to seriously consider and I think it's going to be a battle for any school to sign him.
Bill Self and his staff are expected to host several visitors this weekend.
First, Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., will be making the trip up from right down the road. Dick, who was recently named a McDonald's All-American, has been working on a date to get down and visit Kansas for a game, and it just so happens that this weekend works best. I was able to exchange some text messages with Gradey and some family members, and I can tell you that everybody is fired up about his selection to the McDonald's AA game and his decision to sign with Kansas.
Through 16 games this season, Dick is averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for Sunrise Christian Academy, and he's being talked about as the best shooter in high school basketball
MJ Rice, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound small forward from Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., is also scheduled to visit Kansas this weekend. Rice, who was also selected to participate in the McDonald's All-American game, is averaging 19.2 points per game this season. I was able to talk to Quentin Rice, the father of MJ Rice, on Wednesday, and he is really looking forward to making the trip to Lawrence this weekend. Rice made it clear that the next move for his son after Prolific Prep is Lawrence.
In fact, Mr. Rice told me that MJ won't stop talking about getting to Kansas, so he's had to tell his son to slow down and enjoy the ride. He wants his son to enjoy every minute of high school and then every minute of college and then every minute of whatever comes next. Mr. Rice also said that the best decision his son made was signing with Kansas. He just raved about Coach Self, the coaching staff, and the people around the program.
Layden Blocker, the 6-foot-2, 168-pound point guard from Sunrise Christian Academy, along with his backcourt running mate, Scotty Middleton, the 6-foot-6, 180-pound small forward, will also be in attendance. Blocker is the No. 55 ranked player in the 2023 class, while Middleton is the No. 110 ranked player in the 2023 class.
Blocker, a four-star prospect, is down to Kansas, Arkansas, Memphis, Baylor, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, and Auburn, while Middleton is hearing from the likes of Kansas, Arizona State, Clemson, UCONN, DePaul, Kansas State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Texas Tech, and others.
I know that Kansas has invested quite a bit of time recruiting Blocker, but he's got some options that he's going to seriously consider and I think it's going to be a battle for any school to sign him.
