Kansas basketball: KU big man David McCormack poised for dominant season

As Late Night in the Phog approaches to mark the official start of basketball season, it’s time to figure out what each Kansas basketball player – both old and new – might look like when it comes time to take the court.

It’s no secret that one player who will have a significant role to play as he reaches upperclassmen status is forward David McCormack.

McCormack has done it all for Kansas in the past year, between his game-sealing jumper against Oklahoma, emphatic block against then No. 1 Baylor, or a dribble-drive and-one in virtually any game.

So, what should we expect from the big man this upcoming season? If last season was even the slightest indication, Jayhawk fans should be excited to see him set foot on the court.

After playing backup to Udoka Azubuike, McCormack showed out for Kansas last season.

While he was slow to start the 2020-2021 season and was met with some criticism from those who thought he should be playing at a higher level, he was able to turn it up as the new year rolled in.

After averaging 3.9 and 6.9 points per game his first two seasons, he finished with 13.4 points per game last season.

McCormack also showed his ability to bounce back as he led his team to victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after immediately coming off a Covid-19 quarantine and not playing for nearly two weeks.

In addition to end-of-season Covid-19 issues, McCormack also had to take some time off over the summer for surgery to repair a broken foot. This, of course, forced him to slow down and take a bit of time off.

This year, he’ll no doubt get a chance to start and build off of what he was able to do last year.

He also hopes to build on his skills such as “spacing the floor, defending, just being an all-around athlete and leader on the court,” he told KUSports.com over the summer.

If McCormack can stay healthy off the court and stay out of foul trouble on the court, he should be able to put himself in a solid position for a double-double nearly every game.

Stay posted at ThroughThePhog.com as we take a look at roles and predictions of other key rotation Jayhawks as we lead up to the season.