Bill Self and the Kansas basketball program have made a splash in the transfer portal over the past few days, adding guards Riley Kugel and Zeke Mayo to enhance KU's roster for the upcoming season. Jayhawk fans knew improved guard play would be a priority this offseason, but the coaches are still looking at new players to use alongside Dajuan Harris.
According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Stetson transfer Jalen Blackmon declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining college eligibility. He has heard from some of the best basketball schools in the country since departing from his former team, one of them being Kansas. Could Blackmon be the third high-quality guard KU adds during this portal cycle?
Stetson transfer Jalen Blackmon will go through the NBA draft process while in the portal and is signing with Scott Nichols of Rize Management. All-ASUN guard heard from:
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 3, 2024
Kansas
Kentucky
Indiana
Northwestern
Xavier
UCLA
Butler
Mississippi St.
Colorado
Cal
Texas
BYU
Utah St.
LMU pic.twitter.com/yb9PCHE9hB
Kansas Jayhawks make contact with transfer who was a top-15 scorer in the nation
Many Kansas supporters believed Mayo would be the final piece of the puzzle in the guard room, but that might not be the case. Blackmon was one of the most prolific scoring guards in the country during his junior year, averaging 21.3 points. That mark ranked him 14th nationally in points per game.
In addition to his scoring, Blackmon averaged 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 steals. He was not particularly efficient from the field, shooting 42.8% overall, but he did hit threes at a 38.1% clip on 8.3 attempts per game. His 90.7% free throw percentage also ranked 13th in the country.
Blackmon constantly displayed his scoring prowess throughout the season, including a jaw-dropping 43-point performance in the A-Sun Conference Championship game to lead the Hatters to a thrilling victory. Stetson was later eliminated by UConn in the Round of 64, but Blackmon was the catalyst for the school's first-ever March Madness appearance.
Kansas basketball fans might be familiar with the Blackmon name, primarily because Jalen's brother, James, played at Indiana for three years and shined in a 26-point performance to defeat the Jayhawks in the 2016-17 season-opener. His younger brother shares plenty of the same traits he did multiple years ago.
The Jayhawks already must disperse minutes to several guards on the team. But if Elmarko Jackson or Jamari McDowell transfer out and Coach Self is interested in forming a stacked backcourt, the 6-foot-3 combo guard could wind up choosing Kansas.