Kansas basketball: Tyon Grant-Foster’s versatility is a valuable asset

Kansas basketball will be joined by incoming four-star JUCO transfer Tyon Grant-Foster who can play anywhere on the floor.

Going the JUCO route isn’t the most common thing for Bill Self and Kansas basketball, but an exception was made for Tyon Grant-Foster from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Grant-Foster is actually a Kansas native though, attending Schlagle High School in Kansas City.

Rated by Rivals as a four-star recruit, Grant Foster committed to the Kansas Jayhawks over other schools like Oregon, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, LSU, Arkansas, and St. John’s. Grant-Foster made it official by signing on November 13, 2019.

Standing at six-foot-six, Grant-Foster will bring size, athleticism, and versatility to Kansas basketball next season. Here’s what Bill Self had to say about Grant-Foster:

"“Tyon is very long and extremely skilled. He can play basically anywhere on the floor, one through four. He’s good with the ball, has great vision and is a terrific athlete. His motor is always running.”"

Given how positionless basketball has become recently, Grant-Foster doesn’t fill an exact “position” based on his size and skill set, which is evidenced by Rivals and 247 Sports.

Rivals lists Grant-Foster as a small forward while 247 Sports records him as a shooting guard, but if he can handle the ball then he could easily be in the rotation or even crack the starting lineup. It’s really simple to envision a lineup with Marcus Garrett and Bryce Thompson as the two guards, Grant-Foster and Ochai Agbaji as the forwards, and David McCormack at the center position.

Even if he’s not starting, Grant-Foster will surely provide some valuable minutes off the bench since he’s got so much utility.

While five-star Bryce Thompson is the headliner for the Jayhawks’ 2020 recruiting class, Tyon-Grant Foster could be a really fun player to watch. He’s extremely valuable, and Grant-Foster will almost certainly help Kansas basketball win games next season.