Bill Self and Kansas kicked off Easter Sunday with a bang. A little before 1:00 PM (CST), Riley Kugel, the 6-foot-5, 207-pound guard from Orlando, Fla., committed to the Jayhawks. Kugel spent his first two years at Florida, but recently decided to hit the transfer portal and, from the very beginning, had Kansas at the top of his list.
During his sophomore year at Florida, Kugel averaged 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Offensively, he shot 39.7 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from behind the arc, and 64.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Kugel, during his freshman year, appeared in 32 games and averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Overall, he shot 45.6 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from behind the arc, and 66.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Now, I can tell you that this is a player that the Kansas staff wanted from the very beginning. Early on, I thought Bill Self and his staff would take somewhat of a slow approach in the transfer portal, but that simply wasn’t the case.
I’ve reached out to Kugel and hope to have a complete update, but it became clear early on that he was a priority. I was told late last week that a visit would take place before any decision was made, but that clearly wasn’t the case.
I firmly believe that the staff saw something in Kugel that they simply couldn’t pass up on. Obviously, he’s the type of player that can get to the basket and make tough shots, but he’s also a career 34.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. Should Hunter Dickinson return and knowing the talent around Kugel will be at an all-time high (I’m guessing), that number should improve.
I know the plan now is to bring Zeke Mayo early next week for an unofficial visit. This is obviously a big day for the staff, but the picture to me, at least for now, still isn’t as clear as I’d like.
Hunter Dickinson, Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson, and Zach Clemence still have decisions to make. As far as when those decisions will be made, I’ve got idea.
During his sophomore year at Florida, Kugel averaged 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Offensively, he shot 39.7 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from behind the arc, and 64.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Kugel, during his freshman year, appeared in 32 games and averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Overall, he shot 45.6 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from behind the arc, and 66.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Now, I can tell you that this is a player that the Kansas staff wanted from the very beginning. Early on, I thought Bill Self and his staff would take somewhat of a slow approach in the transfer portal, but that simply wasn’t the case.
I’ve reached out to Kugel and hope to have a complete update, but it became clear early on that he was a priority. I was told late last week that a visit would take place before any decision was made, but that clearly wasn’t the case.
I firmly believe that the staff saw something in Kugel that they simply couldn’t pass up on. Obviously, he’s the type of player that can get to the basket and make tough shots, but he’s also a career 34.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. Should Hunter Dickinson return and knowing the talent around Kugel will be at an all-time high (I’m guessing), that number should improve.
I know the plan now is to bring Zeke Mayo early next week for an unofficial visit. This is obviously a big day for the staff, but the picture to me, at least for now, still isn’t as clear as I’d like.
Hunter Dickinson, Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson, and Zach Clemence still have decisions to make. As far as when those decisions will be made, I’ve got idea.
