Kansas basketball point guard recruit Antonio Pemberton's decision coming Friday

The Kansa basketball team has yet to land a committment for the 2027-28 since Javon Bardwell reclassifield into the 2026 class and decided not to attend Kansas. Surprisingly, Bardwell chose Providence instead.

The Jayhawks have scheduled several visits with recruits, including international small forward Fabian Kayser, small forward Malachi Jordan, forward Zion Green, and Antonio Pemberton. The latter visited in late August and is going to announce his decision Friday, according to Sam Kayser, recruiting analyst for League Ready.

The Jayhawks may be out of luck with Pemberton. The 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction has him locked in with the Michigan State Spartans after his recent visit there.

Would Antonio Pemberton be a good fit for Kansas?

Head coach Bill Self has a terrific history of developing point guards into stars, so someone like Pemberton would be a fit at Kansas.

247Sports has Pemberton ranked 20th in his class and the fifth-best point guard prospect. Adam Finkelstein's scouting report for 247Sports makes it obvious why Self was recruiting him. Pemberton appears to be the dual-threat point guard the Kansas Hall-of-Fame coach loves.

“Pemberton is a scoring guard and tough shot-maker who averaged 24 points per game in the 3SSB season. While he also put up 4.3 assists, he plays with a distinct scoring mentality that requires a significant amount of freedom and volume...He loves his pull-up game, both from the mid-range and three, has good lift into his release, the type of natural fade that requires very little separation, and yet still soft touch on the rim. While he lacks overwhelming muscle mass, he can be physical off the bounce, and create space through initiating little bumps. He’s also tight with his handle, capable of stringing together multiple moves to shake his defender, and very proficient at changing speeds with hang dribbles...Defensively, he moves his feet well, is active with his hands, and has a good early understanding of verticality, but will nonetheless still be targeted in certain match-ups at the next level because of his lack of size. For whatever he may lack in physical measurables, he compensates for not just with his deep bag of individual offense, but with some deep-rooted competitiveness. He plays with a real intensity and fire.”

Those notes indicate Pemberton can play with fire and has the ability to score. Self has never been afraid of smaller guards. Think about Sherron Collins, Frank Mason III, Devon Dotson, and Dejuan Harris, Jr.

Unfortunately, Kansas has two young point guards with similar skill sets already on the roster. Freshman Taylen Kinney and sophomore Leroy Blyden Jr. are sure to impact the team this year and have several years of eligibility left.

With the state of college basketball today, it makes it hard for both the coaching staff and the athlete to know where the best place might be. For someone like Pemberton, he could look at the KU roster and see that he might not have much playing time for a year or two. On the other hand, no one knows what will happen over the next year. Kinney and Blyden could both decide to move on, leaving a massive vacancy.

If Pemberton does indeed choose the Spartans, Self and the Jayhawks will just need to move on to the next recruit. Hopefully, the staff can start getting some players to commit.

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