Kansas basketball: Trio of key Jayhawks returning next season
Despite losing a pair of All-Americans, Kansas basketball is returning a lot of talent from last season’s Jayhawks including senior Marcus Garrett.
Losing your best players either to graduation or the NBA Draft is never is easy, and it doesn’t get any better when they’re All-Americans. The good news is that Kansas basketball has enough talent returning to keep the Jayhawks in contention for the Big 12 title and a Final Four.
Three of the most notable returnees include Marcus Garrett, Ochai Agbaji, and David McCormack. All three have confirmed that they’ll be back for the 2020-21 season, and one phrase keeps popping up: “unfinished business.”
When March Madness was called off, the Jayhawks were the AP No. 1 team in the nation and a virtual lock for the No. 1 overall seed. Given how Kansas never got the chance to prove themselves in March, it looks like next season’s team is going to feed off of that energy.
Senior guard Marcus Garrett will be the experienced leader of the team, and he should be set for a great season. If he can maintain his proficiency on the defensive end and raise his points per game average to around 14, he could end up becoming one of the most valuable players in the country.
Junior David McCormack could be in for a huge season as well. The six-foot-ten big man has been playing behind All-American Udoka Azubuike, but he showed last season on a few occasions that he’s ready to take the reins. His 28 point game against UMKC stands out, and McCormack also played some big minutes late in the season too.
High-flying Ochai Agbaji has also announced that he’ll be back. Agbaji had a decent season, but Kansas basketball fans are still waiting for him to put it all together. Agbaji has NBA-level athleticism, and if he can improve his basketball IQ, he could be really good for the Jayhawks.
Hot. Predicting next season's starting lineup. light
While some believe the Jayhawks are going to struggle next season, their roster indicates the opposite. With a talented recruiting class headlined by five-star guard Bryce Thompson coming in and the Jayhawks that are returning, Bill Self’s squad should be competing for another Big 12 title and an appearance in the Final Four.