KU signee Tyon Grant-Foster officially the top juco recruit in the country

By Matt Tait Dec 6, 2019

New Kansas commitment Tyon Grant-Foster on his official visit to KU

The Kansas men’s basketball program’s 2020 recruiting class now officially features the No. 1 juco recruit in the country.

Tyon Grant-Foster, a 6-foot-7, 187-pound guard from Indian Hills C.C. in Ottumwa, Iowa, has jumped into the top spot in the national junior college prospect ratings, [according to JucoRecruiting.com.][1]

Grant-Foster, a native of Kansas City, Kan., who committed to Kansas in mid-October and signed with the Jayhawks during the early signing period in November, has been on fire so far this season.

After finishing with averages of 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 32 games last season, Grant-Foster is averaging 18.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 26 minutes per outing through the first 10 games of the 2019-20 season.

Those averages include three games of 24 or more points, including a 35-point explosion against State Fair Community College in early November.

Kansas coach Bill Self has been very complimentary of Grant-Foster’s game since the versatile wing signed with the Jayhawks, and many around the Kansas program believe they landed a steal of a player who will be ready to make an immediate impact on the program next season as a junior.

“Tyon is very long and extremely skilled,” Self said at the time of Grant-Foster’s signing. “He can play basically anywhere on the floor, 1 through 4. He’s good with the ball, has great vision and is a terrific athlete. His motor is always running. Playing for a great Indian Hills program will make Tyon’s transition to Kansas seamless. (KU assistant) Jerrance (Howard) did a great job recruiting Tyon and his family. One of the things that attracted us most to Tyon is his personality. He has a zest for the game and you could tell his teammates enjoy playing with him. He will have a big impact for us next year. We’re also excited to have his family close by.”

According to the web site, the JucoRecruiting.com rankings will be updated four more times before next summer — Jan. 15, Feb. 15, April 1 and June 1.

Grant-Foster’s team plays back-to-back games tonight and Saturday and will have three more games Dec. 10-14 before winter break.

[1]: https://www.jucorecruiting.com/2020-junior-college-basketball-player-rankings-top-100

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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.