As most of you know, Ernest Udeh, Jr., the 6-foot-10, 232-pound center from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla., is down to Kansas and UCLA. After considering scholarship offers from his two finalists, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Creighton, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Memphis, Miami (FL), Michigan, Mississippi, Mississippi State. Seton Hall, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and others, just two programs, Kansas and UCLA, are left standing.
Shortly after the visit, JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Udeh to get an update on how the visit went.
“I arrived for my visit on Friday and my whole family came with me,” Ernest Udeh told JayhawkSlant.com on Sunday evening. “I spent the most time with Ochai (Agbaji), Jalen (Wilson), and Joseph (Yesufu) on my visit, but I just met and spoke to different guys throughout the visit. The visit was really good.
“You can tell that their fan base really loves the players,” he added. “I mean highlights honestly were the great conversations that I had with the team over meals and just when we were hanging out. Getting back home and reviewing everything and deciding how I want to move forward with my recruitment process is all I’m doing as of this moment.”
For Udeh, the No. 29 ranked center in the 2022 class, his official visit to Kansas was, without question, a big one when it comes to his recruitment. With over 38 scholarship offers on the table, Udeh, the No. 5 ranked center in the class, is down to just two schools.
While Udeh enjoyed his time with the current players, he also took the opportunity to watch how Bill Self and his staff operate during practice. The elite big man also provided his thoughts on his view of the Kansas basketball program.
“I did watch the team practice, it was really great watching a practice at the next level,” said Udeh. “No, I didn’t scrimmage with the team. Honestly, Kansas is just a basketball place. Of course, it’s where the game was invented, but the culture that is there because of that is great.
During his time on campus, and before leaving on Sunday, Udeh was able to spend some quality time with Coach Self and his staff. Not surprisingly, Self, Kurtis Townsend, Norm Roberts, Jeremy Case, and company left a lasting impression on one of KU’s top prospects in the 2022 class.
“I talked with basically everyone on the staff,” he said. “Coach Self is an awesome standup guy, very genuine, and has a great personality. The visit was really good. Nothing negative to say about it, I enjoyed my stay there.”
With just two schools left standing, Kansas and UCLA, Udeh is ready to put an end to his recruitment. According to his Twitter page, the elite big man will go public with his decision on October 20.
After making several phone calls, I’m of the opinion that Kansas is clearly in the driver’s seat heading into the decision-making process. Every person I spoke to made it clear that Kansas is the team to beat. Of the handful of people that I talked to, all said they expect Udeh to give the nod to Bill Self and Kansas.
UCLA recently received a commitment from a big man, so the feeling is that this battle will be won by Kansas. Obviously, nothing is done yet, but as of today, things look very good for Kansas.
I logged my FutureCast for Kansas last week and I don’t plan on changing that before the decision is made. And if I do make a change, it will certainly be unexpected.
Now, this has the potential to be a huge win for Bill Self and his staff. First, with everything still going on with the NCAA and not knowing what’s going to happen in the future, the staff has managed to put together an amazing class.
M.J. Rice, Ernest Udeh (if he commits), Gradey Dick, and Zuby Ejiofor all have the ability to be difference makers in college. All of these guys have a chance to be very, very, very good college players in the near future.
Also, when it comes to Udeh, this is the type of player that the staff would take this season and gladly add him to the roster. That’s the type of talent he has, and he’s only getting better. I talked to a few people in Florida that know the high school basketball scene very well, and they all raved about Udeh. Offensively, defensively, blocking shots, and rebounding the basketball, his best days are very much in front of him.
One guy I talked to, also from Florida, told me that Udeh would play a role for Kansas this season, despite being a senior and still a year away from making his college basketball debut
I really do have a good feeling about Ernest Udeh, Jr.
Now, when it comes to Jordan Walsh, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Link Year in Branson, Mo., I don’t expect good news for Kansas today. Here’s just a little information that I want to share with you.
When I first reached out to Walsh, the No. 31 ranked player in the 2022 class, it was on the day that college coaches were permitted to officially contact players in the 2022 class. This was longer than a year ago, but I don’t remember the exact month.
So, at the time, Walsh told me that he was really disappointed that Kansas hadn’t reached out. Growing up, the four-star prospect dreamed of playing for the Jayhawks, so he was really hurt at the time.
While Kansas waited to extend a scholarship offer, other programs made Walsh a priority and made a strong push for the elite small forward. While he was honored when Kansas offered, I’m of the opinion that it was simply too late.
Arkansas, from the very beginning, did an amazing job recruiting Walsh, and Texas is also right near the top of his list. My guess is, and while I don’t know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that Arkansas will be the pick later today.
The staff, while late, gave Walsh every opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Jayhawk, but he ultimately decided to remain loyal to those programs that showed interest from the very beginning.
Lastly, after exchanging a few messages with the father of Brandon Miller, the 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward from Cane Ridge High School in Nashville, Tenn., I’m of the opinion that Kansas is a serious option for the No. 12 ranked player in the class of 2022.
Not long ago, Miller, a five-star prospect and No. 4 ranked small forward in the class, was down to Alabama, Tennessee State, NBL, and the G-League. However, Self and his staff continued to recruit Miller, and he recently decided to add Kansas back to his list.
In talking to a few people, I get the feeling that Miller wouldn’t just add Kansas back to his list of schools and schedule a visit if he wasn’t serious about potentially signing with Kansas.
It sounds like the entire family is coming to Lawrence this weekend.
"Yes, it is true that we are taking an official visit to Kansas," said Darrell Miller Sr., the father of five-star small forward Brandon Miller. "We going to visit Kansas from 10/15-10/17. Yes, we are all excited about the visit."
Shortly after the visit, JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Udeh to get an update on how the visit went.
“I arrived for my visit on Friday and my whole family came with me,” Ernest Udeh told JayhawkSlant.com on Sunday evening. “I spent the most time with Ochai (Agbaji), Jalen (Wilson), and Joseph (Yesufu) on my visit, but I just met and spoke to different guys throughout the visit. The visit was really good.
“You can tell that their fan base really loves the players,” he added. “I mean highlights honestly were the great conversations that I had with the team over meals and just when we were hanging out. Getting back home and reviewing everything and deciding how I want to move forward with my recruitment process is all I’m doing as of this moment.”
For Udeh, the No. 29 ranked center in the 2022 class, his official visit to Kansas was, without question, a big one when it comes to his recruitment. With over 38 scholarship offers on the table, Udeh, the No. 5 ranked center in the class, is down to just two schools.
While Udeh enjoyed his time with the current players, he also took the opportunity to watch how Bill Self and his staff operate during practice. The elite big man also provided his thoughts on his view of the Kansas basketball program.
“I did watch the team practice, it was really great watching a practice at the next level,” said Udeh. “No, I didn’t scrimmage with the team. Honestly, Kansas is just a basketball place. Of course, it’s where the game was invented, but the culture that is there because of that is great.
During his time on campus, and before leaving on Sunday, Udeh was able to spend some quality time with Coach Self and his staff. Not surprisingly, Self, Kurtis Townsend, Norm Roberts, Jeremy Case, and company left a lasting impression on one of KU’s top prospects in the 2022 class.
“I talked with basically everyone on the staff,” he said. “Coach Self is an awesome standup guy, very genuine, and has a great personality. The visit was really good. Nothing negative to say about it, I enjoyed my stay there.”
With just two schools left standing, Kansas and UCLA, Udeh is ready to put an end to his recruitment. According to his Twitter page, the elite big man will go public with his decision on October 20.
After making several phone calls, I’m of the opinion that Kansas is clearly in the driver’s seat heading into the decision-making process. Every person I spoke to made it clear that Kansas is the team to beat. Of the handful of people that I talked to, all said they expect Udeh to give the nod to Bill Self and Kansas.
UCLA recently received a commitment from a big man, so the feeling is that this battle will be won by Kansas. Obviously, nothing is done yet, but as of today, things look very good for Kansas.
I logged my FutureCast for Kansas last week and I don’t plan on changing that before the decision is made. And if I do make a change, it will certainly be unexpected.
Now, this has the potential to be a huge win for Bill Self and his staff. First, with everything still going on with the NCAA and not knowing what’s going to happen in the future, the staff has managed to put together an amazing class.
M.J. Rice, Ernest Udeh (if he commits), Gradey Dick, and Zuby Ejiofor all have the ability to be difference makers in college. All of these guys have a chance to be very, very, very good college players in the near future.
Also, when it comes to Udeh, this is the type of player that the staff would take this season and gladly add him to the roster. That’s the type of talent he has, and he’s only getting better. I talked to a few people in Florida that know the high school basketball scene very well, and they all raved about Udeh. Offensively, defensively, blocking shots, and rebounding the basketball, his best days are very much in front of him.
One guy I talked to, also from Florida, told me that Udeh would play a role for Kansas this season, despite being a senior and still a year away from making his college basketball debut
I really do have a good feeling about Ernest Udeh, Jr.
Now, when it comes to Jordan Walsh, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Link Year in Branson, Mo., I don’t expect good news for Kansas today. Here’s just a little information that I want to share with you.
When I first reached out to Walsh, the No. 31 ranked player in the 2022 class, it was on the day that college coaches were permitted to officially contact players in the 2022 class. This was longer than a year ago, but I don’t remember the exact month.
So, at the time, Walsh told me that he was really disappointed that Kansas hadn’t reached out. Growing up, the four-star prospect dreamed of playing for the Jayhawks, so he was really hurt at the time.
While Kansas waited to extend a scholarship offer, other programs made Walsh a priority and made a strong push for the elite small forward. While he was honored when Kansas offered, I’m of the opinion that it was simply too late.
Arkansas, from the very beginning, did an amazing job recruiting Walsh, and Texas is also right near the top of his list. My guess is, and while I don’t know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that Arkansas will be the pick later today.
The staff, while late, gave Walsh every opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a Jayhawk, but he ultimately decided to remain loyal to those programs that showed interest from the very beginning.
Lastly, after exchanging a few messages with the father of Brandon Miller, the 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward from Cane Ridge High School in Nashville, Tenn., I’m of the opinion that Kansas is a serious option for the No. 12 ranked player in the class of 2022.
Not long ago, Miller, a five-star prospect and No. 4 ranked small forward in the class, was down to Alabama, Tennessee State, NBL, and the G-League. However, Self and his staff continued to recruit Miller, and he recently decided to add Kansas back to his list.
In talking to a few people, I get the feeling that Miller wouldn’t just add Kansas back to his list of schools and schedule a visit if he wasn’t serious about potentially signing with Kansas.
It sounds like the entire family is coming to Lawrence this weekend.
"Yes, it is true that we are taking an official visit to Kansas," said Darrell Miller Sr., the father of five-star small forward Brandon Miller. "We going to visit Kansas from 10/15-10/17. Yes, we are all excited about the visit."
