If perimeter shooting is a weakness for Kansas men’s basketball ahead of the 2023-24 season — and Bill Self had told reporters as much entering the Jayhawks’ summer trip to Puerto Rico — then the first exhibition game on the trip meant a small step toward assuaging that concern.
Facing off against a Puerto Rico Select team Thursday afternoon, KU shot 13-for-31 (42%) from long distance at the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez in Bayamón. Newcomer guards Arterio Morris and Elmarko Jackson hit three 3-pointers each, and seven of 10 scholarship players converted at least once from beyond the arc, as KU built a steady lead and won 106-71.
“It came from everybody today,” head coach Bill Self said on the broadcast postgame. Indeed, at one point in the third quarter, 15 straight KU points comprised five 3s from Morris, Zach Clemence twice, Jamari McDowell and then Jackson. Even KJ Adams Jr., the development of whose jump shot has been a recurring storyline throughout the offseason, got in on the act, connecting from the corner at the shot-clock buzzer in the first quarter.
Adams, who is 0-for-4 from deep in his KU career, said he plans to keep firing “if I’m open, yes, but I like to get it to a lot of people that can make better-percentage 3s than I can.”
As impressive as the Jayhawks were from deep — against pros, but admittedly lesser competition than they’ll face when they take on the Bahamas this weekend — they may have made an even stronger impression in close. The two leading scorers for KU, Morris (20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, five rebounds, five assists) and Adams (19 points), dazzled with an array of strong dunks.
“Just got to watch your heads,” Morris said on the broadcast. “That’s the best thing I can say because everybody can catch lobs, everybody got a lot of athleticism, so I feel like (you) just got to watch your heads. You never know what angle we coming from.”
Morris came off the bench for Nick Timberlake, the sixth-year transfer from Towson who had gotten the start at shooting guard. The two finished with nearly identical minutes, though Timberlake posted just 8 points.
Jackson and highly touted transfer center Hunter Dickinson finished with 13 points apiece, though Dickinson struggled from the field early.
“Hunter missed more easy shots than we’ve seen him miss since he’s been here,” Self said, “and he still gets 13 points in 20 minutes.”
Puerto Rico Select, composed of professional players in the territory, kept pace with KU for much of the second and third quarters, particularly due to the outside shooting of Luis Rivera, who showed no fear pulling up from long range and finished with 20 to equal Morris’ game-high total. Bryan González and Xavier Zambrana, who was particularly effective in the first half, put up 14 points each, while Owen Pérez added 10.
The Jayhawks, whom Self said haven’t focused on defense much yet this offseason, held their opponents to 7 points in the first quarter, but then allowed 27, 20 and 17 in the remaining three frames. (The game was played with some international rules.)
“I actually thought we played pretty well, obviously, early,” Self said. “We got out and they couldn’t get a shot off, and we did a good job in a lot of respects defensively early. Then after that we didn’t really guard anybody.”
Puerto Rico Select made up some ground early in the second quarter, but KU extended its lead back to 18 points, its largest margin, on a 3-pointer from Kevin McCullar Jr. with less than three minutes remaining. McCullar tallied all 9 of his points in the first half.
Adams began the third quarter in dominant fashion with a dunk through contact and an eventual three-point play on the first possession. Rivera drew Puerto Rico Select closer again with a couple of deep 3s, and the Jayhawks got a bit sloppy on the glass, but eventually used the three-point barrage to build back to a 25-point margin to end the third quarter.
With equal contributions from Adams, Dickinson, Jackson and Morris, KU extended its lead far enough to allow four walk-ons to come in. Dillon Wilhite and former manager Patrick Cassidy scored 2 points apiece before the final whistle blew.
The Jayhawks will take on the Bahamian national team in two games, one Saturday at 4 p.m. and one Monday at 11 a.m. Self said on the broadcast that according to the roster, his team will be “positively playing” against talent like Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield, Kai Jones and Mychel Thompson.
“This could be a long night in a lot of ways, but it’ll be good for us,” he said.
— Journal-World sports reporter Conner Becker contributed to this story.
Final stats
Kansas: Morris 20, Adams 19, Dickinson 13, Jackson 13, McCullar 9, Clemence 8, Timberlake 8, McDowell 7, Braun 3, Cassidy 2, Harris 2, Wilhite 2
Puerto Rico Select: Rivera 20, González 14, Zambrana 14, Pérez 10, Román 6, Ramos 4, Ebube 3
The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team during the game between Kansas and the Puerto Rico Select team in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 3, 2023.
Guard Arterio Morris of the Kansas Jayhawks during the game between Kansas and the Puerto Rico Select team in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 3, 2023.
Guard Dajuan Harris Jr. of the Kansas Jayhawks during the game between Kansas and the Puerto Rico Select team in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 3, 2023.