Kansas Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Jayhawks

Key Reserves

Billy Preston

Preston is an Oak Hill Academy product with a big personality. Preston was a decorated high school basketball player, playing in the McDonald’s All-America game, the Pango’s All America camp, and Nike Elite. Preston is a player who can protect the rim, shoot, and rebound. He is also one of the top NBA prospects coming into the year. If Preston lives up to the hype, the Jayhawk fans will only be seeing him for one year.

Sam Cunliffe

Cunliffe will be eligible to play at the beginning of the fall semester in December after transferring midyear from Arizona State. Cunliffe is a guard who does a little bit of everything. He is a really good shooter from long range. He is another player who is hard to gauge as to how good he will be. Cunliffe only played 10 games at Arizona State before deciding to transfer. In those 10 games with the Sun Devils, he averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game. How Cunliffe will fit into Kansas’s rotation when he is eligible will be an interesting story to monitor. Will Kansas go with a short bench until December or will a walk-on get some time?

Mitch Lightfoot

Lightfoot experienced some growing pains last year as a freshman. While Lightfoot did see time in 26 games, he only averaged four minutes per game. Lightfoot is the Kansas player who is poised for a breakout season. The talent is there and he plays with a lot of energy. Lightfoot seems to always be in the right place on the floor and makes the right play. Players who have a high motor and make the right play always seem to find themselves on the floor in key situations. If Lightfoot is able to get extended run until Cunliffe is eligible, he could gain some confidence and then the sky is the limit.

Marcus Garrett

Garrett was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas last year. Garrett will be the backup point guard for Kansas going into the season and should fill in nicely when Malik Newman needs a breather. Garrett averaged a near triple-double last season at Skyline High School. Garrett can score and he is a 6’7” point guard. If Newman struggles or gets injured, Kansas will be in good hands with Garrett as their starter.

Kansas has three players on their roster who are not eligible to play due to transfers. Dedric Lawson and K.J. Lawson, who transferred from Memphis, and Charlie Moore from California.