Not long after making the decision to leave Alabama and hit the transfer portal, Rylan Griffen, the 6-foot-6, 190-pound shooting guard from Richardson (TX) High School became a top priority for Bill Self and his staff. I mean, this is a player the staff absolutely wanted to add to the roster, and wanted to make the addition ASAP.
Not long after hitting the portal, it became clear that there was a lot of interest coming from both sides. Kansas, not long ago, traveled to Texas to conduct an in-home visit with Griffen. Now, as I posted in my commit story, coming out of Richardson (TX) High School as a member of the 2022 class, Griffen was a four-star prospect and the No. 68 ranked player in the class. Ultimately, Griffen picked Alabama over the likes of Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, California, Creighton, DePaul, Georgia, Iowa State, Kansas State, Mississippi, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Southern, Texas Tech, and others.
Before giving the nod to Alabama, Griffen, the No. 12 ranked shooting guard in the 2022 class, took a number of visits, including an official visit to Kansas during the weekend of October 1, 2021.
Before ultimately making the decision to transfer out of Alabama, Griffen, in 66 games played, averaged 8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. During that same stretch, he shot 41.7 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from behind the arc, and 79.3 percent from the free-throw line.
This past season, Giffen, as a sophomore, averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Offensively, he connected on 45 percent of his field goals, 38.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 83.3 percent of his free throws.
A starter on a team that advanced all the way to the Final Four this season, Griffen, as a sophomore, scored in double-figures 19 times. He scored 15 or more points 10 times and scored a season-high 21 points at Kentucky on February 24, 2024.
Additionally, Griffen hit 2 or more threes 15 times this past season. Furthermore, four times he finished a game with five made threes. Overall, he connected on 74-of-189 shots from behind the arc. He also dished out 67 assists on the season and was credited with 19 steals.
At the end of the season, Self knew that adding depth and improving KU’s three-point shooting ability would be a big key. Well, he’s certainly done that this off-season.
Griffen, as I mentioned above, hit 74-of-189 shots from behind the arc and was 132-of-291 (45.4%) from the field. Zeko Mayo, who recently signed with Kansas, connected on 92-of-35 (39.1%) from behind the arc and 218-of-468 (46.6%) from the field.
AJ Storr, who just recently announced his commitment to Kansas and made that commitment official by signing, shot 216-of-498 (43.4%) from the field and 48-of-150 (32.0%) from behind the arc.
Mayo, Griffen, and Storr are excellent free-throw shooters and all have the ability to score from behind the arc, from the midrange, or by attacking the basket.
Riley Kugel, who has yet to sign with Kansas, shot 110-of-279 (39.4%) from the field and 34-of-109 (31.2%) from behind the arc. From what I’ve been told, he isn’t likely to sign with Kansas and could potentially look elsewhere.
Throw in guys like Rakease Passmore and possibly another addition or two, along with the guys set to return, and Kansas, it would appear, is absolutely loaded on the perimeter.
Kansas, in a matter of days, has added two of the very best players from the portal in Storr and Griffen.
Griffen, coming off a Final Four appearance with Alabama, could have taken a handful of visits and, in doing so, had every opportunity to take his time with the process. However, once Kansas came calling, the decision appeared to be all but made.
Kansas, since the portal opened, has added Zeke Mayo, AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen, and Riley Kugel. Up next on the list to visit could be Dayton transfer Koby Brea, the 6-foot-6, 206-pound small forward from the Bronx, N.Y.
This past season, Brea averaged 11 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He shot 51.4 percent from the field, 49.7 percent from behind the arc, and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. Currently down to Kansas, UNC, Duke, Kentucky, and UConn, Brea has conducted Zoom calls with all five schools and is in the process of deciding what schools to visit.
The coaching staff recruited Griffen while at Richardson (TX) High School and they know exactly what he’s all about. They know how he performed at Alabama, especially this past season, and made it clear from the beginning that he was going to be a top priority.
Friday, all of the hard work Self and his staff put in paid off when Rylan Griffen committed.
Not long after hitting the portal, it became clear that there was a lot of interest coming from both sides. Kansas, not long ago, traveled to Texas to conduct an in-home visit with Griffen. Now, as I posted in my commit story, coming out of Richardson (TX) High School as a member of the 2022 class, Griffen was a four-star prospect and the No. 68 ranked player in the class. Ultimately, Griffen picked Alabama over the likes of Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, California, Creighton, DePaul, Georgia, Iowa State, Kansas State, Mississippi, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Southern, Texas Tech, and others.
Before giving the nod to Alabama, Griffen, the No. 12 ranked shooting guard in the 2022 class, took a number of visits, including an official visit to Kansas during the weekend of October 1, 2021.
Before ultimately making the decision to transfer out of Alabama, Griffen, in 66 games played, averaged 8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. During that same stretch, he shot 41.7 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from behind the arc, and 79.3 percent from the free-throw line.
This past season, Giffen, as a sophomore, averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Offensively, he connected on 45 percent of his field goals, 38.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc, and 83.3 percent of his free throws.
A starter on a team that advanced all the way to the Final Four this season, Griffen, as a sophomore, scored in double-figures 19 times. He scored 15 or more points 10 times and scored a season-high 21 points at Kentucky on February 24, 2024.
Additionally, Griffen hit 2 or more threes 15 times this past season. Furthermore, four times he finished a game with five made threes. Overall, he connected on 74-of-189 shots from behind the arc. He also dished out 67 assists on the season and was credited with 19 steals.
At the end of the season, Self knew that adding depth and improving KU’s three-point shooting ability would be a big key. Well, he’s certainly done that this off-season.
Griffen, as I mentioned above, hit 74-of-189 shots from behind the arc and was 132-of-291 (45.4%) from the field. Zeko Mayo, who recently signed with Kansas, connected on 92-of-35 (39.1%) from behind the arc and 218-of-468 (46.6%) from the field.
AJ Storr, who just recently announced his commitment to Kansas and made that commitment official by signing, shot 216-of-498 (43.4%) from the field and 48-of-150 (32.0%) from behind the arc.
Mayo, Griffen, and Storr are excellent free-throw shooters and all have the ability to score from behind the arc, from the midrange, or by attacking the basket.
Riley Kugel, who has yet to sign with Kansas, shot 110-of-279 (39.4%) from the field and 34-of-109 (31.2%) from behind the arc. From what I’ve been told, he isn’t likely to sign with Kansas and could potentially look elsewhere.
Throw in guys like Rakease Passmore and possibly another addition or two, along with the guys set to return, and Kansas, it would appear, is absolutely loaded on the perimeter.
Kansas, in a matter of days, has added two of the very best players from the portal in Storr and Griffen.
Griffen, coming off a Final Four appearance with Alabama, could have taken a handful of visits and, in doing so, had every opportunity to take his time with the process. However, once Kansas came calling, the decision appeared to be all but made.
Kansas, since the portal opened, has added Zeke Mayo, AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen, and Riley Kugel. Up next on the list to visit could be Dayton transfer Koby Brea, the 6-foot-6, 206-pound small forward from the Bronx, N.Y.
This past season, Brea averaged 11 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He shot 51.4 percent from the field, 49.7 percent from behind the arc, and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. Currently down to Kansas, UNC, Duke, Kentucky, and UConn, Brea has conducted Zoom calls with all five schools and is in the process of deciding what schools to visit.
The coaching staff recruited Griffen while at Richardson (TX) High School and they know exactly what he’s all about. They know how he performed at Alabama, especially this past season, and made it clear from the beginning that he was going to be a top priority.
Friday, all of the hard work Self and his staff put in paid off when Rylan Griffen committed.
