Kansas Basketball: Jayhawks take hit after losing out on Matthew Hurt

Kansas Basketball lost out on a big-time recruit in Matthew Hurt. Where do the Jayhawks go from here to solidify their frontcourt?

Recruiting battles can be extremely difficult for those on the losing end, with Kansas Basketball being the latest example. Along with Kentucky and North Carolina, the Jayhawks missed out on Matthew Hurt, a top-10 prospect to the 2019 recruiting class. He chose Duke for next season, giving the Blue Devils the power forward they needed to be a national title contender once again.

This is a big defeat on the recruiting trail for Bill Self and Kansas Basketball. At the end of 2018, the Jayhawks were viewed as the favorites to land Hurt, and by a pretty good margin in fact. However, momentum really came in Duke favor in the last couple of months. And with Tre Jones coming back and providing a veteran presence at the point guard position, it gave the Blue Devils the leg up in the battle.

Without Hurt coming aboard, Kansas will need to find other ways to provide frontcourt. Leading scorer and rebounder Dedric Lawson has entered the NBA Draft and has indicated that he plans to stay, leaving the team. His brother KJ Lawson has entered the transfer portal after playing just 10 minutes a game. And then there’s Silvio De Souza, a talented 6’9 forward who is suspended through all of next season after the NCAA found that his family committed violations on his behalf. He currently is appealing the decision in an effort to be eligible for next season.

It would be great if De Souza could play but if not, the Jayhawk’s frontcourt will largely depend on the development of rising sophomore David McCormack. The 6’10 big man got increased minutes once Udoka Azubuike went down for the season. He had a season-high 18 points in a game at Oklahoma in 21 minutes. Even if Azubuike comes back for his senior season, his injury history combined with overall limitations makes it a concern to primarily rely on him.

Other options the Jayhawks have include swiss army knife Mitch Lightfoot at the four-spot in extended minutes, or even going small with Ochai Agbaji, who can play and defend multiple positions on the court. They don’t have a true frontcourt player in their 2019 recruiting class but do have extra scholarships available, especially if either Devon Dotson or Quentin Grimes remains in the NBA Draft. There are plenty of good frontcourt players in the transfer portal but the Jayhawks will have to make a legit argument that minutes will be available for them.

Kansas is in a tricky spot, as there isn’t a player of Hurt’s caliber available to join the program this upcoming season (unless Kerry Blackshear of VT decides to come to Kansas). The cupboard certainly isn’t empty for the Jayhawks for next season, as they’ll likely be ranked in the top-20 at worst. But it’s a far cry from the beginning of 2018-19, where they were viewed as a national title contender. For now, it’ll be an effort to climb to the top again for this team.