Well, the news of Ernest Udeh, Jr., hitting the portal this morning came as a complete surprise to me. I'd been doing some checking, and the last I heard was he had planned to remain at Kansas. Well, that obviously wasn't the case. So, now that Kansas has three open scholarships, what's the next move for Bill Self and the Jayhawks? First and foremost, and I'm not saying this is going to happen, but Hunter Dickinson has two years remaining on his clock. From what I've been told, he could very well be a two-year starter at Kansas.
Also, I know they play different positions, but I've been clear that I expect Mackenzie Mgbako to commit to Kansas tomorrow. He's gonna play significant minutes, in my opinion, and has the ability to play a number of roles on the court. Anytime you see another five-star player getting ready to commit, even though they play different minutes, you begin to question where the minutes are going to come from. I'm just not sure that Ernest, in his mind, was going to play the number of minutes he wanted to play next year.
As far as where Kansas goes from here, I've got no idea. The portal closes tonight and if Mgbako does commit to Kansas tomorrow, Self will have two open scholarships. Be mindful when thinking about this, but how many guys are gonna be willing to come in and be willing to play a certain role before playing the type of minutes everybody wants to play? Look at KU's roster now and understand, especially if Mgbako commits tomorrow, there will be limited minutes moving forward. There are a couple of guys that Kansas has reached out to in the portal that has already transferred once, so any player that has already transferred will likely have to sit a year.
Also, I know they play different positions, but I've been clear that I expect Mackenzie Mgbako to commit to Kansas tomorrow. He's gonna play significant minutes, in my opinion, and has the ability to play a number of roles on the court. Anytime you see another five-star player getting ready to commit, even though they play different minutes, you begin to question where the minutes are going to come from. I'm just not sure that Ernest, in his mind, was going to play the number of minutes he wanted to play next year.
As far as where Kansas goes from here, I've got no idea. The portal closes tonight and if Mgbako does commit to Kansas tomorrow, Self will have two open scholarships. Be mindful when thinking about this, but how many guys are gonna be willing to come in and be willing to play a certain role before playing the type of minutes everybody wants to play? Look at KU's roster now and understand, especially if Mgbako commits tomorrow, there will be limited minutes moving forward. There are a couple of guys that Kansas has reached out to in the portal that has already transferred once, so any player that has already transferred will likely have to sit a year.
