Khaman Maluach gaining interest from Kansas basketball, other blue blood programs

This summer, Bill Self and Kansas basketball reeled in Australian recruit Johnny Furphy, who made a name for himself at the NBA Academy Games. It seems that the coaching staff has eyes on another international prospect.

Khaman Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center out of the NBA Africa Academy, is skyrocketing recruiting boards. The South Sudan native is ranked No. 10 in On3.com's rankings and is receiving interest from some of the best programs in the country, such as Duke, Kentucky, and UCLA.

Travis Branham of 247 Sports wrote up about the highly coveted player yesterday and mentioned that a Kansas assistant was present to watch his game on Friday. He also noted that: "Kansas is a new program that is likely to jump into the mix for Maluach." There had not been any reports of KU being linked to Maluach prior to this article.

While watching his tape, Kansas basketball fans might be reminded of Jayhawk commit Flory Bidunga. He is an inside-out big man who can block shots and run the floor with tremendous athleticism. In some clips, he even steps outside the 3-point line and connects on a trifecta. Like Bidunga, he is a very raw talent.

When asked about what appeals to him in a school, he said: "I am looking for a place that has a feeling like a family, where I fit in and play well, where we have a bond, win championships and a place that will develop me for the next step," he said. Needless to say, Kansas fits that bill.

Maluach also spoke about the possibility of reclassing to the 2024 class. If he were to do so, Kansas would likely be ruled out as a suitor considering Bidunga has already signed his letter of intent and Hunter Dickinson could still return to the Jayhawks for another year. However, we now know that they are at least monitoring the situation with the international big man.