Kansas Recruiting: Prospects to watch for as recruiting season dies down
By Logan Fricks
With the 2019-20 season around the corner, recruiting is beginning to reach its endpoint. But with months before tipoff, there are still recruits the Kansas Jayhawks will keep an eye on.
The Kansas Jayhawks faced a lot of adversity over the last two months with the departures of point guard Charlie Moore, forward KJ Lawson, forward Dedric Lawson and guard Quentin Grimes.
Three players transferred out of the program with Dedric Lawson being the lone departure for the NBA.
However, despite the losses, Kansas still has three incoming recruits and returns a crop of players that will make for an interesting team.
The biggest targets remaining on the Jayhawks radar consist of small forward Jalen Wilson and power forward Josaphat Bilau. However, 2020 five-star recruit Kyree Walker made an interesting tweet on Thursday, May 30.
https://twitter.com/kyreewalker1/status/1134198801651064832
The tweet was in response to a poll created by point guard Devon Dotson, asking if he should wear No. 11 or No. 1 next season.
However, Walker’s tweet is only speculation and could mean absolutely nothing other than telling Dotson to keep 11.
Thus, Kansas must focus attention on Wilson and Bilau.
Wilson is a 6-foot-8, 215-pound small forward who formerly signed to Michigan before Juwan Howard took over as head coach.
His biggest strength might be his shooting mechanics. Wilson is a terrific shooter for his position, shooting 39% from the three-point line his senior season at Guyer High School.
Wilson is also a terrific playmaker for his size and could help Kansas move the ball if he were to commit to the Jayhawks.
Kansas currently lacks three-point shooting and adding Wilson will go a long way to solving that issue. His ability to catch and shoot would open up the floor for the Jayhawks and would allow players to create more space.
However, there is a reason Wilson is rated as 247Sports’ 44th best recruit.
Ball-handling is an area Wilson struggles, having a hard time to take the ball down low. When he gets below the basket, Wilson is effective, but it is simply about the ability to getting in that position.
He is also not a pull-up shooter, which hurts Kansas in transition. The Jayhawks do not possess any pull-up shooters and if Wilson is the best three-point shooter on the team, it could present a problem for Kansas in transition.
Overall, Wilson would be a major addition to the roster, in a sense, he is like the Golden State Warriors’ shooting guard Klay Thompson. He is big, can play solid defense, is an effective three-point shooter, consistent when he has the ball below the basket and can move the ball with poise.
As for Bilau, he is a bit more of a mystery. The 6-foot-10 power forward from Spire Academy has only recently made coaching radars.
Bilau can develop into a solid player, but it will take some time.
The biggest positive of his game is the confidence he has in his shooting. He is not afraid of shooting the three ball or a mid-range jumper.
He is also a productive offensive rebounder and is great at putting those rebounds directly back into the basket. At times however, he is easily bodied up and struggles getting out of those positions.
Bilau also has confidence with the ball in his hand, but there is still work to be done as his dribbling is a bit crazy. Because he is so big, the ball seems to move around a lot when he runs up the floor.
Altogether, he has signs of becoming a legitimate starter down the road, but he still has some work to be done.
According to the Kansas City Star, Bilau is looking to make an official visit to Kansas in the near future.
As of right now, the starting lineup for the Jayhawks looks to be Dotson, guards Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett, forward Silvio De Sousa (or potentially forward David McCormack) and center Udoka Azubuike.
On top of that, forward Mitch Lightfoot returns for his senior season and recruits Isaac McBride, Christian Braun and Tristan Enaruna will look to make an impact off the bench.
With three scholarships left, Kansas has room to make its team even better. The additions of any one of the aforementioned recruits could make the Jayhawks one of the best teams in the country.