As most of you already know, Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound shooting guard from San Antonio, Texas, took to Twitter a few days ago to announce his decision to attend Kansas, should he decide to remove his name from the NBA Draft, next season. Not long ago, McCullar announced that he would finish off his college career at either Kansas or Gonzaga if the NBA wasn't an option this next season. Unless something absolutely unexpected happens, I expect McCullar to arrive in Lawrence for the start of summer school in June. Unless he and Coach Self have some type of agreement worked out, Self loves to get his guys in town for summer school, which allows them to bond and spend time together.
First off, and several sources told me this, Kevin McCullar is the one guy Self wanted from the beginning. No matter what happened with KU's roster, McCullar was at the top of the priority list for Self. Obviously, I think everybody knows that McCullar brings to the table defensively, but from what I've been told, Self sees McCullar as the type of player that is going to play a major role on both ends of the court next season.
In 29 games last season, McCullar averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He shot 40.2 percent from the field, 31.1 percent from behind the arc, and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line. For his career, 78 games, McCullar averaged 8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 43.2 percent from the field, 29.9 percent from behind the arc, and 71.8 percent from the free-throw line.
This past season, McCullar scored 24 points against Grambling on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. He went for 17 (6-of-8; 4-of-6) against Incarnate Word, 21 (7-of-12; 3-of-6) against Arkansas State, 19 (3-of-7, 1-of-3, 12-of-15) against Texas, and 17 (7-of-13, 1-of-4) against Duke.
In all, McCullar had 16 games where he scored 10 points or more. In all, he had scoring games of 24, 12, 17, 10, 21, 14, 10, 11, 12, 19, 10, 12, 11, 10, 14, and 17. He pulled down five or more rebounds 15 times this past season and had three steals in a game five times.
Between 2/26/22 and 3/10/22, McCullar was sidelined with an ankle injury. According to this report, the injury to McCullar was somewhat of a "freak" accident.
LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech men’s basketball point guard Kevin McCullar left Saturday’s game against TCU with a sprained ankle, Head Coach Mark Adams said after the game.
McCullar got injured when he stepped on TCU Head Coach Jamie Dixon’s foot after missing a 3-pointer in the first half.
“That was just a freak accident,” Adams said. “My understanding is he backed up after his shot and actually fell into coach Dixon’s foot… Nothing’s broken. It looks like it’s going to be an ankle sprain right now.”
From what I've been told by a couple of sources, Kevin McCullar, in the eyes of Self and his staff, is going to play a major role this season. I know that his numbers might not necessarily stick out on paper, but he's going to give Kansas another elite defender in the backcourt and, without question, as one source told me, "he's a much better shooter than his numbers indicate."
Looking to next season, KU's roster, at this stage point, will likely look something like this: Bobby Pettiford, Joseph Yesufu, Dajuan Harris, Kyle Cuffe, Jalen Wilson, Charlie McCarthy, Dillon Wilhite, Michael Jankovich, Zach Clemence, KJ Adams, Cam Martin, Kevin McCullar, Gradey Dick, MJ Rice, Ernest Udeh, Zuby Ejiofor, and Wilder Evers.
On a number of occasions, I've tried to contact Tyrese Hunter, but he simply isn't talking to the media. From what I've gathered, Texas appears to be in the best position right now, but I'm still making calls and trying to determine how his visit went and when a decision might be made.
At any rate, I think the addition of Kevin McCullar is a big one, and one the staff absolutely wanted to make from the very beginning.
AWARDS
• All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2022)
• Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (2022)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2022)
• All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2021)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2021)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2020)
JUNIOR SEASON (2021-22)
McCullar averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and led Tech with 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game… He finished his third season playing for the Red Raiders by scoring 17 points against Duke in the Sweet 16 after going for 14 points in the win over Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament Second Round and 10 in the first round against Montana State… McCullar scored in double figures in 16 of 29 game played during the season, including scoring a career-high 24 points in a win over Grambling on November 12 and dropping 21 points on Arkansas State on December 14… He recorded one double-double, going for 14 points and 10 rebounds against Gonzaga at the Jerry Colangelo Classic on December 18 in Arizona… McCullar finished the year shooting 100-for-249 (40.2 percent) from the field and making 28 3-pointers… He had 89 assists which was second on the team and came with him having 18 games with three or more assists, including a career-high seven assists against Alabama State in non-conference play and then a five-assist game against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship final… McCullar had a steal in 19 of 24 games with a season-high three coming in games against Prairie View A&M, Alabama State, Baylor, Iowa State and TCU… Through three seasons and 78 games played at Tech, McCullar has now scored 676 points and has 351 rebounds, 151 assists and 110 steals.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2020-21)
McCullar earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in his second season playing for the Red Raiders where he averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game… He scored a season-high 16 points in the road win at Texas by going 6-for-7 from the field with two 3-pointers and also had two double-doubles with 15 points/11 rebounds at Iowa State and then 10 points/10 rebounds at home against Baylor… He led the Red Raiders with 34 steals for the season, averaging 1.7 steals per game with a season-high six steals in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals against Texas where he also had 11 rebounds… McCullar finished his season by going for 15 points, 8 rebounds and two steals in the NCAA Tournament second round loss against Arkansas… He helped lead Tech to the second round by having 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the NCAA Tournament first round win over Utah State… McCullar averaged 6.5 rebounds in Big 12 play which ranked eighth in the conference… He had two or more steals in 10 of 20 games played and scored in double figures in 14 games… He missed the first nine games of the season due to an injury suffered in the preseason but would play in the final 20 with 19 straight starts to end the year… McCullar has recorded 383 points, 218 rebounds, 62 assists and 69 steals through 49 games of his career… Along with his success on the court, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team for the second straight season.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON (2019-20)
McCullar started the final six games of the season and played in 29 during his redshirt freshman year where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game… He finished the season scoring in double figures in eight games, leading the team in scoring three times and topping the team in rebounding in six games… McCullar scored a career-high 15 points at Oklahoma State after going 6-for-8 from the field and 3 of 3 at the free-throw line in 29 minutes as a reserve… He started the remaining six games, beginning by scoring nine points and having six rebounds in a home win over Kansas State… McCullar had a career-high 11 rebounds and added six points in a road victory at Iowa State before scoring 13 at Oklahoma and Baylor… He led the Red Raiders with eight rebounds and also had seven points in the regular-season finale against Kansas with four of the rebounds coming on the offensive end… McCullar had his first double-figure scoring performance of his career with 10 points against Long Island and also dropped 10 against UTRGV in non-conference play before scoring in double figures for the first time in conference play at Kansas State… He finished the season with eight games of having five or more rebounds and was third on the team with 35 steals for the season with a career-high four steals against Kansas State and Oklahoma State… McCullar averaged 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in conference play and with 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in the final five games of the year… Along with his success on the court, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team.
2018-19: Redshirt season.
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH: McCullar helped lead Converse Wagner to the Class 6A title game as a sophomore before averaging 16.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last year. ESPN listed him as a top-30 national player and rivals.com lists him as a 4-Star prospect.
PERSONAL: Son of Kevin McCullar Sr. and Hether. Has one sibling, Katelyn. His father played football at Texas Tech and then with the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. Chose Texas Tech over Louisville, Kansas State and Houston… Signed with Texas Tech on Nov. 14, 2018.
First off, and several sources told me this, Kevin McCullar is the one guy Self wanted from the beginning. No matter what happened with KU's roster, McCullar was at the top of the priority list for Self. Obviously, I think everybody knows that McCullar brings to the table defensively, but from what I've been told, Self sees McCullar as the type of player that is going to play a major role on both ends of the court next season.
In 29 games last season, McCullar averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He shot 40.2 percent from the field, 31.1 percent from behind the arc, and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line. For his career, 78 games, McCullar averaged 8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 43.2 percent from the field, 29.9 percent from behind the arc, and 71.8 percent from the free-throw line.
This past season, McCullar scored 24 points against Grambling on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. He went for 17 (6-of-8; 4-of-6) against Incarnate Word, 21 (7-of-12; 3-of-6) against Arkansas State, 19 (3-of-7, 1-of-3, 12-of-15) against Texas, and 17 (7-of-13, 1-of-4) against Duke.
In all, McCullar had 16 games where he scored 10 points or more. In all, he had scoring games of 24, 12, 17, 10, 21, 14, 10, 11, 12, 19, 10, 12, 11, 10, 14, and 17. He pulled down five or more rebounds 15 times this past season and had three steals in a game five times.
Between 2/26/22 and 3/10/22, McCullar was sidelined with an ankle injury. According to this report, the injury to McCullar was somewhat of a "freak" accident.
LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech men’s basketball point guard Kevin McCullar left Saturday’s game against TCU with a sprained ankle, Head Coach Mark Adams said after the game.
McCullar got injured when he stepped on TCU Head Coach Jamie Dixon’s foot after missing a 3-pointer in the first half.
“That was just a freak accident,” Adams said. “My understanding is he backed up after his shot and actually fell into coach Dixon’s foot… Nothing’s broken. It looks like it’s going to be an ankle sprain right now.”
From what I've been told by a couple of sources, Kevin McCullar, in the eyes of Self and his staff, is going to play a major role this season. I know that his numbers might not necessarily stick out on paper, but he's going to give Kansas another elite defender in the backcourt and, without question, as one source told me, "he's a much better shooter than his numbers indicate."
Looking to next season, KU's roster, at this stage point, will likely look something like this: Bobby Pettiford, Joseph Yesufu, Dajuan Harris, Kyle Cuffe, Jalen Wilson, Charlie McCarthy, Dillon Wilhite, Michael Jankovich, Zach Clemence, KJ Adams, Cam Martin, Kevin McCullar, Gradey Dick, MJ Rice, Ernest Udeh, Zuby Ejiofor, and Wilder Evers.
On a number of occasions, I've tried to contact Tyrese Hunter, but he simply isn't talking to the media. From what I've gathered, Texas appears to be in the best position right now, but I'm still making calls and trying to determine how his visit went and when a decision might be made.
At any rate, I think the addition of Kevin McCullar is a big one, and one the staff absolutely wanted to make from the very beginning.
AWARDS
• All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2022)
• Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (2022)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2022)
• All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2021)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2021)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2020)
JUNIOR SEASON (2021-22)
McCullar averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and led Tech with 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game… He finished his third season playing for the Red Raiders by scoring 17 points against Duke in the Sweet 16 after going for 14 points in the win over Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament Second Round and 10 in the first round against Montana State… McCullar scored in double figures in 16 of 29 game played during the season, including scoring a career-high 24 points in a win over Grambling on November 12 and dropping 21 points on Arkansas State on December 14… He recorded one double-double, going for 14 points and 10 rebounds against Gonzaga at the Jerry Colangelo Classic on December 18 in Arizona… McCullar finished the year shooting 100-for-249 (40.2 percent) from the field and making 28 3-pointers… He had 89 assists which was second on the team and came with him having 18 games with three or more assists, including a career-high seven assists against Alabama State in non-conference play and then a five-assist game against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship final… McCullar had a steal in 19 of 24 games with a season-high three coming in games against Prairie View A&M, Alabama State, Baylor, Iowa State and TCU… Through three seasons and 78 games played at Tech, McCullar has now scored 676 points and has 351 rebounds, 151 assists and 110 steals.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2020-21)
McCullar earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in his second season playing for the Red Raiders where he averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game… He scored a season-high 16 points in the road win at Texas by going 6-for-7 from the field with two 3-pointers and also had two double-doubles with 15 points/11 rebounds at Iowa State and then 10 points/10 rebounds at home against Baylor… He led the Red Raiders with 34 steals for the season, averaging 1.7 steals per game with a season-high six steals in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals against Texas where he also had 11 rebounds… McCullar finished his season by going for 15 points, 8 rebounds and two steals in the NCAA Tournament second round loss against Arkansas… He helped lead Tech to the second round by having 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the NCAA Tournament first round win over Utah State… McCullar averaged 6.5 rebounds in Big 12 play which ranked eighth in the conference… He had two or more steals in 10 of 20 games played and scored in double figures in 14 games… He missed the first nine games of the season due to an injury suffered in the preseason but would play in the final 20 with 19 straight starts to end the year… McCullar has recorded 383 points, 218 rebounds, 62 assists and 69 steals through 49 games of his career… Along with his success on the court, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team for the second straight season.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON (2019-20)
McCullar started the final six games of the season and played in 29 during his redshirt freshman year where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game… He finished the season scoring in double figures in eight games, leading the team in scoring three times and topping the team in rebounding in six games… McCullar scored a career-high 15 points at Oklahoma State after going 6-for-8 from the field and 3 of 3 at the free-throw line in 29 minutes as a reserve… He started the remaining six games, beginning by scoring nine points and having six rebounds in a home win over Kansas State… McCullar had a career-high 11 rebounds and added six points in a road victory at Iowa State before scoring 13 at Oklahoma and Baylor… He led the Red Raiders with eight rebounds and also had seven points in the regular-season finale against Kansas with four of the rebounds coming on the offensive end… McCullar had his first double-figure scoring performance of his career with 10 points against Long Island and also dropped 10 against UTRGV in non-conference play before scoring in double figures for the first time in conference play at Kansas State… He finished the season with eight games of having five or more rebounds and was third on the team with 35 steals for the season with a career-high four steals against Kansas State and Oklahoma State… McCullar averaged 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in conference play and with 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in the final five games of the year… Along with his success on the court, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team.
2018-19: Redshirt season.
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH: McCullar helped lead Converse Wagner to the Class 6A title game as a sophomore before averaging 16.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last year. ESPN listed him as a top-30 national player and rivals.com lists him as a 4-Star prospect.
PERSONAL: Son of Kevin McCullar Sr. and Hether. Has one sibling, Katelyn. His father played football at Texas Tech and then with the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. Chose Texas Tech over Louisville, Kansas State and Houston… Signed with Texas Tech on Nov. 14, 2018.
