Kansas basketball eyeing transfer portal guard who could be Jayhawks final addition

The Kansas basketball program has added four players from the transfer portal during the offseason, but HC Bill Self might look to fill the 13th and final scholarship after high school signee Labaron Philon decommitted from the Jayhawks. He will have to do that through the use of the portal.

If the Jayhawks are indeed searching for a player to fill out the roster, the coaching staff might have found its guy. Former UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry backed out of his commitment to Virginia Tech and re-opened his recruitment. Since doing so, Kansas has been one of the top schools to pursue him.

Kansas basketball reaches out to UTSA guard transfer

Ivy-Curry surprisingly asked out of his commitment to Virginia Tech this week after a career year with the Roadrunners. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 21 games off the bench. Kansas has targeted guards throughout the entire transfer portal cycle, so it makes sense why Self might like his game.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard is a graduate transfer entering his final season of eligibility. He has served on the second unit for most of his collegiate career but still posts prolific scoring numbers. Ivy-Curry might not be the best shooter in the portal — still, he shot 38.7% from beyond the arc on 5.7 attempts per game in the 2023-24 campaign.

In the list of schools that contacted him, Kansas is clearly the most influential program. Texas A&M, TCU, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma are other universities that have shown interest, among others. However, the Jayhawks and Coach Self could likely land a commitment from him if they really pursued him.

Ivy-Curry would join a backcourt consisting of Dajuan Harris, Zeke Mayo, and incoming sophomores Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell. Playing time would be difficult to come by if he decided to take his talents to Lawrence, but he might be a player who is willing to take on fewer minutes in order to help the team win.

He was expected to take on a significant role in the Hokies' starting lineup, which makes the sudden change of plans even more unusual. Perhaps a Hall of Fame coach gave him a call and changed his mind.