Recruiting season is in full force and Kansas basketball has found two players strongly considering becoming a Jayhawk.
Johnny Juzang-Small Forward
Johnny Juzang, the No. 19 player in ESPN’s recruiting rankings, announced his final four list of schools via Instagram on Sunday, the Virginia Cavaliers, Kentucky Wildcats, Oregon Ducks and Kansas Jayhawks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw0OpdinhJy/
Juzang reclassified to the 2019 class on Wednesday, April 25.
I will be reclassifying to the class of 2019! pic.twitter.com/iW9GdGtNc0
— Johnny Juzang (@JohnnyJuzang) April 24, 2019
Juzang is a 6-foot-6 wing from Harvard Westlake high school in North Hollywood, California. During his junior season at Harvard Westlake, he averaged 23.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Juzang’s skillset would transition well to a Kansas team that lacks shooters. With the departure of guard Quentin Grimes and potential departure of point guard Devon Dotson, the Jayhawks will need to bring in players who can spread the floor.
Many experts believe Juzang is one of the top shooters in the country and his game would be a perfect fit for the Jayhawks. He has size and athleticism, both of which are things coach Bill Self has become accustomed to recruiting for his backcourt.
The heavy favorites to win the Juzang sweepstakes are the Wildcats, who he will be taking a visit to on Monday, April 29. Closely behind Kentucky sits the Cavaliers, who have the second-best odds to land the prospect.
So far, Kansas’ recruiting class is rather weak, having only two four-star recruits in it, point guard Isaac McBride and small forward Christian Braun. Many expected Self to tackle the transfer portal hard, but thus far the team has not landed any transfers.
Juzang could bring flare to Self’s class and help prevent the team from following up its notoriously bad season with an even worse year.
Tristan Enaruna-Power Forward
Tristan Enaruna, the No. 94 player on ESPN’s 100 list, took an official visit to Kansas on Sunday. The power forward is listed at 6-foot-8 on ESPN, but his high school listed him as a 6-foot-10 forward.
According to the Kansas City Star, Enaruna’s high school coach confirmed his height at 6-foot-10.
Enaruna may be the biggest mystery among the top-100 players. From the Netherlands-his mother is from Netherland while his father is from Nigeria-Enaruna has not made many team’s radars but, after a terrific showing at a Basketball Without Borders event, Enaruna could make noise in the recruiting season.
Enaruna played high school basketball at Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. He arrived in America during his junior season.
He is listed as a power forward but played each of the five positions during his high school years. He can stretch the floor, which is an area the Jayhawks strongly need.
The forward named Creighton, Miami and Kansas has his final three schools. However, he is receiving looks from universities such as Duke, Texas and Kentucky as well.
Enaruna could be the best option to replace forward Dedric Lawson, as he can score from seemingly anywhere on the court. He will need to work on getting rebounds at a high level, but with coaching from one of the greatest in the game, there is no reason he could not learn to hustle to boards.
The Jayhawks have a limited number of scholarships to give out and will need to make smart choices in who they decide to recruit. If Kansas misses out on both players, 2020 could be an even tougher season than 2019.