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A Look Into KU Recruiting: 2016 Updates (Part 1)

Daniel Cunningham

With recruiting being so popular in today’s era of college sports, KU fans are always eager to know who could be interested in becoming a future Jayhawk. Here’s a rundown of some of the recent things that have happened for Kansas basketball on the topic of recruiting, regarding potential members of Kansas’ 2016 class:

Jackson in The House:

This past weekend, the Kansas Jayhawks hosted the #3 ranked recruit in the county (per ESPN), shooting guard Josh Jackson. The 6’7″ guard from Southfield, Michigan seemed to have a great time while watching the Jayhawks take on Texas. In an interview with 1 Nation Elite (Jackson’s AAU organization), Jackson broke down several things he liked about Kansas. He was quoted saying that KU had the best fans and the loudest gym that he has ever been to. He also talked about the atmosphere of Lawrence, and how much he enjoyed the environment. Coach Self apparently talked with Jackson about the communications program at the university, and he said that he’d be able to get Jackson an internship with if he were to attend Kansas. [su_pullquote align=”right”]Jackson said, “I could really see myself at Kansas… I love Coach Self and he made me feel very comfortable.“[/su_pullquote] “(Coach Self) trusts me with the ball and said he would have no problem drawing up plays for me,” Jackson added. He also went on to talk about the success that Kansas had with putting players in the NBA, especially players of “his” caliber (Andrew Wiggins, another small forward).

Jackson is really down to three schools. In my opinion, Kansas did a decent job at making up some ground on the two frontrunners, Arizona and Michigan State. Will the visit make such an impact that it will springboard Jackson to Lawrence? Only time will tell, but I think they still have more ground to make up before Kansas fans start thinking about what number Jackson will wear at KU.

Bigs, bigs, & more bigs:

Almost two weeks ago, some “big” news was announced out of Florida. News broke that Udoka Azubuike, the 22nd ranked player in the ESPN 100, would be announcing between Kansas and North Carolina. Florida State was said to be the leader until it was reportedly eliminated from contention. Originally, Kansas was presumed to be the favorite after FSU dropped out. However, I am in belief that North Carolina is in the drivers seat on this one. Roy Williams is said to be attacking Azubuike harder than anyone at this point. I think Kansas is right there, but the work that Roy is putting in cannot be ignored. Azubuike will announce his college decision on Thursday, January 28, at 5:00 pm CDT on ESPNU.

Update: Azubuike committed to Kansas on January 28, 2016.

The Jayhawks still have three additional bigs on their radar, all of which are in the top 21. Thon Maker, Jarrett Allen, and Marques Bolden all have the Jayhawks very high on their lists. Kansas is losing Perry Ellis, as well as Hunter Mickelson and Jamari Traylor next year. It needs to get at least one other big to pair with recruit Mitch Lightfoot (Kansas’ lone commitment of the 2016 class). Maker is down to six schools, including Kansas, and has no current timetable for a decision. Kansas has been in on Maker for a long time, but Arizona State seems to be the favorite in his recruitment.

Jarrett Allen could be the name for KU fans to pay attention to. The center out of Austin, Texas is a guy who KU seems to be in good position to land. Right now, it seems to be a two horse race between Houston and Kansas. In my opinion, I would classify the Jayhawks as the favorite if he was to make his decision tomorrow. The other big on the radar is Marques Bolden out of DeSoto, Texas. Bolden is primarily focused on three schools at the moment: Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke. The race for Bolden has had several turns so far. Kansas was labeled the favorite at the beginning, then Duke took over, and now the Wildcats of Kentucky seem to be the front-runner. In my opinion, nobody really knows what is going on with Bolden. It wouldn’t shock me if he want to any of the three schools. However, I tend to lean with the latest trend of Kentucky. Unfortunately, when Cal turns up the heat for a recruit, it is definitely hard to bet against him.

New Name:

Kansas has been trending with SF Deshawn Corprew #98 on the ESPN Top 100. Corprew is a terrific athlete out of Norfolk, Virginia. He has a decent jump shot and is very solid physically, which allows him to finish well at the rim. Corprew to me is a three-to-four year level prospect for Coach Self. He is definitely a guy that can make a big impact at Kansas, but he’s also a guy who might take a little bit of time to get acclimated. He is certainly somebody that KU fans should be paying attention to, as he very well might be the last piece of a potential three-or-four man recruiting class for Kansas in 2016.

Click here to continue to part two, a look at Kansas’ 2017 targets.

Daniel Cunningham

Rock Chalk Blog recruiting expert. Co-host of the Inside the Paint podcast. twitter.com/dc4213

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