One week removed from one of the biggest recruiting nights of any calendar year — Late Night in the Phog — the Kansas men’s basketball program is set to host a couple of notable Class of 2022 prospects this weekend.
Jordan Walsh, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward originally from the Dallas area, and big man Ernest Udeh Jr., a 6-10, 230-pound center from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla., are both expected to get a closer look at KU over the weekend.
Walsh is ranked No. 31 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals.com and Udeh Jr. is ranked No. 29.
Udeh Jr., recently completed a visit to UCLA and his list of schools includes the Jayhawks and Bruins, along with Baylor, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Miami, Michigan and Florida. It also has been reported that he is considering playing pro ball in the Overtime Elite League.
“He’s a strong, explosive athlete that both protects the rim on defense and tries to rip the rim down with dunks every time he’s in the paint on offense,” wrote Rivals.com’s Dan McDonald of Udeh Jr. “His aggressive disposition and his willingness to work on his game and be coachable will take him a long way.”
Walsh, who early in his recruiting dubbed KU as his “dream school,” already has made visits to Texas, TCU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona State and Memphis. He recently told 247 Sports that he was eyeing Oct. 24 or 25 as the date to announce his decision.
KU currently has three commitments in the 2022 class — five-star wing Gradey Dick, four-star center Zuby Ejiofor and four-star small forward M.J. Rice. Dick and Ejiofor both visited KU for Late Night in the Phog last week.
It is not yet known how many players Kansas can or will sign in the 2022 recruiting class. But the Jayhawks remain in pursuit of some of the top talents in the class.
Miller visiting Kansas?
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Another highly ranked prospect in the 2022 class appears to have had a change of heart about the Jayhawks. At least temporarily
Brandon Miller, the No. 12-ranked player in his class per Rivals.com, recently told 247 Sports and On3.com that he plans to visit Kansas the weekend of Oct. 15.
In early September, the 6-foot-7, 190-pound wing cut KU from his group of finalists while narrowing his list to a final four — Alabama, Tennessee State, the NBA’s G League and Australia’s NBL.
At the time, Miller cut KU, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida from his final eight.
Now, however, he’s back to a final five that is made up of three schools (KU, Alabama and TSU) and the two professional leagues.
Asked by 247 Sports for his impressions of Kansas, Miller recently said: “I’ve got a visit with them coming up the week after this week so I will have to describe that after the visit, because I have only seen their campus on Zoom. Zoom can’t tell it all.”
As a junior at Cane Ridge High in Antioch, Tenn., Miller averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals per game while making 47% of his 3-point attempts.
Bona update
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Shay Wildeboor, of JayhawkSlant.com, reported this week that four-star big man Adem Bona, who visited KU last month, is down to KU, Kentucky and UCLA, with Australia’s NBL also in the mix.
Wildeboor noted that KU is still very much in the hunt for the 6-foot-10, 233-pound big man from Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif.
According to Wildeboor’s report, Bona will visit UCLA the weekend of Oct. 22 and then make a decision in the weeks that follow.
The big man prospect who is ranked No. 33 in the 2022 class by Rivals.com visited Kentucky last weekend.
