Kansas Basketball: Analyzing Jayhawks 2021 incoming recruiting class
How good is Kansas Basketball 2021 recruiting class?
The Kansas Jayhawks are one of college basketball bluebloods and they have been very good under current head coach Bill Self. KU has earned the second-most wins (320) in college basketball since 2010, only behind Gonzaga.
While Bill Self is an outstanding coach, a big reason that the 58-year-old has the second-most victories in program history is because of his staff’s recruiting ability. 10 of the Jayhawks 12 recruiting class has been ranked in 247Sports top 20, including their incoming 2021 class — which is slotted No. 11 in the rankings.
Kansas has brought in eight newcomers this year with four incoming freshmen and four transfers. Who is KU’s best recruit in this year’s class and what role will they have?
8. Kyle Cuffie Jr.
The 6-2 combo guard a 3-+star recruit, who reclassified from 2022, is an explosive athlete that plays both ends of the court. He is more of a slasher than shooter but he does have plenty of range on his smooth-looking jumper.
Cuffie probably won’t see much action besides mop-up duty this year. But he has a chance to gain experience against quality competition and be productive for the Jayhawks in the future.
7. Bobby Pettiford Jr.
The 6-1 consensus 3+-star point, who de-committed from Louisville on March 20, signed with KU on April 16. Pettiford averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in his senior year for South Granville high school. He is the school’s all-time leader in scoring (1,944), assists (615), and steals (144).
“We were very fortunate when Bobby opened up his recruitment last month. He became a priority immediately,” Self said. “We feel Bobby has a tremendous future, great upside, and will make an immediate impact for us. His work ethic and drive are something I think every program hopes every player has.”
Pettiford has a small chance to get on the floor 5-to-10 minutes as the team’s third point guard but he should spend most of the time learning from Martin and Coleman-Lands.