Kansas Jayhawks basketball pursuing standout mid-major transfer Jacob Crews

The Kansas basketball coaching staff continues to prepare for the upcoming March Madness tournament, but recruiting never stops in the new age of the NCAA.

This past offseason, head coach Bill Self went all in on transfer portal additions. The Jayhawks added prized Michigan departure Hunter Dickinson, Nick Timberlake, Parker Braun, and Arterio Morris before he was dismissed from the team. Now, KU might have eyes on a new player who recently went portaling.

According to Joe Tipton of On3.com, former UT-Martin guard Jacob Crews has heard from Kansas since entering the transfer portal. The 6-foot-7 hybrid is garnering interest from some of the best programs in the country just a few days after entering the open market.

The mid-major star initially spent two seasons at North Florida before transferring to Dayton State College in Florida. He would transfer to UT-Martin and enjoyed a terrific campaign in 2023-24, where he would average 19.1 points and 8.2 rebounds on 48.5%/41.4%/81.6% shooting.

Crews wrapped up his junior year early after No. 1 seed UT-Martin bowed out of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament early. He improved gradually as the season progressed, tallying three 30+ point games in the Skyhawks' final seven contests.

There are very few big guards with the skill set Crews possesses. In addition to his solid rebounding ability, he shot above 40% from beyond the arc and connected on four or more threes in 11 of 32 games this year. That would be beneficial to a Kansas team that struggles vastly with shooting the ball.

With Kevin McCullar and Nick Timberlake graduating and potential departures from all three of Kansas' freshman guards, Coach Self will likely pursue combo guards or big guards who can shoot it to pair alongside Dajuan Harris. KU is also one of the teams in on graduate transfer Clark Slajchert.

Crews is a player that could greatly enhance KU's squad next year. The Jayhawks will be linked to countless other transfers in the process, but it is encouraging to see the coaching staff already getting involved with high-profile players.