KU target Trae Young hoping to travel to Lawrence this weekend

By Matt Tait     Jan 13, 2017

Weather permitting — and, at this point, that’s a fairly big question mark — the Kansas men’s basketball team will have an important visitor in the building this weekend when they take on Oklahoma State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

With Trae Young, the No. 14-ranked player and one of the top point guards in the 2017 recruiting class, potentially closing in on a decision about where he will play his college basketball the Jayhawks have turned up their recruitment of the star guard, who officially visited KU’s campus in October.

Trae’s father, Rayford Young, told Matt Scott of TheShiver.com that the family would make the trip to Lawrence this weekend as long as travel conditions allow them to do so.

Kansas, which has always been at or near the top of Young’s list, remains very much in the running and many recruiting analysts believe that the battle to land the Norman, Oklahoma, native is a two-school contest between KU and Oklahoma.

Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi said Monday night that he did not expect a decision real soon and also recently added that, in his opinion, KU has at least pulled even with the Sooners in pursuit of the talented point guard.

Young was not in attendance at the KU-OU game in Norman on Tuesday night, but KU’s coaches have maintained tight contact with the 6-foot-2, 170-pound, five-star prospect throughout the winter. KU coach Bill Self traveled south a couple of weeks ago to watch Young light up an opponent for 40 points, 5 assists and 11 steals. And assistant coach Norm Roberts was in attendance on Monday night, when Young went for 43 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals in a win.

Young said last Fall that he was eyeing a January decision date, which leaves him still almost three weeks to make a decision. Of course, should he need it, Young has every right to take as much time as necessary and, although it’s not likely, the possibility exists that he could take this thing well into March or April as the spring signing period does not open until April 12.

It’s looking more like a decision could come in late-January or early February and Young’s visit to KU’s campus this weekend, should he be able to travel, or at a later date if a reschedule is necessary, could play a huge role in the timing of Young announcing his decision.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.