Former Kansas Jayhawks basketball player snagged by fellow Big 12 school in portal

The Kansas basketball program was one of the few Power 4 schools to not lose a player to the transfer portal this offseason. However, HC Bill Self did not have similar player retention rates one year prior. Seven Jayhawks transferred out of the team and found new homes, which resulted in an extremely thin roster lacking in depth.

One of those portal entries was Joseph Yesufu, a transfer from Drake University. He went on the open market for the second time in his collegiate career, only to find himself back in the portal one year later. Now, he has committed to one of the Jayhawks' rivals in the Big 12 Conference.

Former Kansas basketball guard Joseph Yesufu commits to WVU

Jayhawk fans will see this familiar face at least once during the upcoming campaign. Newly hired HC Darian DeVries will give the sixth-year senior significant minutes on a Mountaineers team that finished 13th in the conference last year. This is his second stint in the Big 12.

WVU's new coach has close ties with the 6-foot guard. Yesufu played for him at Drake for two seasons, having his most productive campaign as a sophomore. He put himself on the map with a strong performance in the NCAA Tournament and eventually committed to the Jayhawks. 

Yesufu spent two years at Kansas before taking his talents to Washington State. While he opened the season as a starting player, a hip injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. It was supposed to be his final year of eligibility, but the NCAA granted him a medical redshirt and allowed him to peruse his options in the portal for the third time.

In his first season at KU, Yesufu played 34 games off the bench to help the team capture a National Championship. Across a two-year span in Lawrence, he appeared in 69 contests and averaged 3.1 points and 1.0 rebounds. His game never fully translated under Coach Self, but he now has the experience to become a solid player in the league.