Former five-star guard and elite defensive presence to visit Kansas basketball on Tuesday

A former Texas Longhorn scheduled an official visit with Kansas basketball for tomorrow. He is one of the best defensive players in the transfer portal and offers a colossal upside.

Arterio Morris did not have the ideal freshman season at Texas. At one point, he was considered an NBA-level prospect — he now is in the transfer portal after averaging just 4.6 points per game. Additionally, he ran into legal trouble and is still facing a misdemeanor charge.

His profile might not sound appealing, but the Jayhawks seem open to giving him a second chance. He scheduled a visit with KU sometime tomorrow.

Morris is an extraordinary defensive player. Pairing him alongside Dajuan Harris would immediately assemble one of the best defensive tandems in college hoops. Scoring would be scarce if the two played together, but acquiring Hunter Dickinson and Harrison Ingram would fix that.

Although he is not the best jump shooter, he made 0.8 threes per game on a 33.3 percent clip. The ability to hit the three while maintaining his defensive presence would be a boon to KU’s squad. He shot 74% at the basket this season, so he is a capable finisher at 6’3″ and 190 pounds.

Many Kansas fans will want to stay away from Morris, and understandably so. The program should hold itself to a certain standard. He made a terrible mistake, but if they are interested in bringing him on board, they must think he has thoroughly changed.

Whether as the first guard off the bench or in the starting lineup, Morris would offer plenty of upside to Kansas basketball. He is a former five-star recruit that could blossom into a terrific player in a year or two. However, with how the college basketball landscape has become, it is hard to imagine Morris committing without a set-in-stone spot as a starter.

Other Kansas news

In addition to Morris, transfer guard Primo Spears will visit the campus on April 25th. Kansas was included in his final four list of schools. He averaged 16.0 points as a sophomore with Georgetown.