One of the more popular questions surrounding KU’s annual season tipoff event Late Night in the Phog centers on which recruits will be in attendance.
Below is a quick look at the prospects who are expected to attend this year’s festivities on Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
While Late Night has long been one of the Jayhawks’ top recruiting tools, Kansas coach Bill Self said this week that his program has changed its approach ever so slightly in recent years.
It used to be looked at with the the-more-the-merrier mindset. But Self said they now try to limit the number of Late Night visitors so the staff can spend more quality time with the individuals who attend.
“I do think it’s the same type of event it’s always been,” Self said Tuesday. “But we’re not putting all our eggs in that basket maybe as much as we used to. It used to be we would bring in a lot of guys, and that’s not necessarily the case as much right now.”
He continued: “It’s hard to have that many kids in and give them all the proper attention they deserve. We found it better to spread it out so that way families and individuals can get individual attention as opposed to just dealing with everybody as a group. And we think families actually enjoy that more, as well.”
Here’s a look at the list of Friday’s expected visitors. There may, of course, be a smattering of other unofficial visitors or last-minute additions.
Doors to Allen Fieldhouse open at 4:30 p.m. for students and 5 p.m. for the general public. Admission is free and the event itself starts at 6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring food donations for Just Food and mask wearing will be required at all times unless eating or drinking.
Mark Mitchell – 6-8, 210-pound Small Forward
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**SUNRISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY**
Ranked No. 11 overall by Rivals.com, the former Bishop Miege standout who will play his final season of prep ball with KU commitment Gradey Dick at Sunrise Christian has made plenty of visits to KU in the past.
But coming for Late Night, where, as an official visitor, he’ll be one of the primary focal points for the KU coaching staff, will be another experience altogether.
A smooth athlete with elite all-around skills on both ends of the court, Mitchell is down to a final four of KU, Missouri, Duke and UCLA.
He recently visited UCLA and has official visits set up for Duke and MU after his trip to Kansas for Late Night.
Yohan Traore – 6-11, 227-pound Power Forward
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**GLENDALE, ARIZ.**
The No. 4-ranked player in the 2022 class per Rivals.com, Traore is also considering Michigan, Texas Tech, LSU, UCLA, Utah, Tennessee, Louisville, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and the NBL.
He earned first-team all-Adidas Circuit honors this summer while averaging 19.5 points 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for Dream Vision of California.
Known primarily as a shot blocker and interior defender who also can guard on the perimeter, the athletic big man who is originally from France and will be at Late Night on an official visit does most of his scoring on dunks and put-backs.
Traore recently told On3.com that he was as much intrigued by the idea of skipping college as picking a school.
“The professional option is very interesting because you’re going to learn a lot (as in) how to be disciplined, play the right way and you get to play against pros,” he told the site. “So you’re going to get a lot of experience. It can be a good thing. But it can also be a bad thing because you can get lost.”
Traore’s visit is expected to be of the official variety. He is one of just two prospects in the current Rivals.com top-10 in the 2022 class who has not yet committed.
Chandler Jackson – 6-4, 200-pound Point Guard
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**MEMPHIS, TENN.**
The talented point guard ranked No. 90 in the Rivals.com rankings — and No. 51 by 247 Sports — recently completed a visit to Virginia Tech.
According to a report from Zagsblog.com, he also is considering a visit to Tennessee on Oct. 7 and is slated to visit Alabama Oct. 22-24.
In late August, Jackson trimmed his list to a top 10, which included KU, Vriginia Tech, Tennessee, Alabama, NC State, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Florida State, Missouri, Texas and Mississippi.
Jackson already has made official visits to Missouri and Auburn and taken an unofficial visit to Ole Miss. His visit to KU this week is of the unofficial variety.
Gradey Dick – 6-7, 195-pound Small Forward
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**SUNRISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY**
One of two KU commitments who will be joining in on the fun this year, Dick committed to Kansas in early March and has been working on recruiting others in the Class of 2022 to join him.
After a strong junior season at Sunrise, where he came off the bench for a team loaded with Division I prospects, Dick is slated to be one of the program’s main scorers as a senior. And his game continues to make major strides week after week.
In addition to being a pure shooter, Dick is a smooth athlete with the ability to play above the rim and attack the basket, both in transition and in traffic.
He currently is ranked No. 37 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals.com and No. 35 by 247 Sports.
Zuby Ejiofor – 6-8, 220-pound Forward
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**GARLAND, TEXAS**
Ranked No. 47 in the 2022 class by Rivals.com, Ejiofor’s visit to KU’s campus will be his first as a future Jayhawk.
The athletic forward/center committed to Kansas on July 1 after visiting several schools and fielding offers from more than a dozen.
He said at the time that he valued KU’s NCAA Tournament streak of 31 consecutive tournaments and that the opportunity to play for Self was too good to pass up.
He is one of three current KU commitments in the 2022 class, with Dick and guard M.J. Rice being the others. Rice is not expected to attend Late Night and Ejiofor’s trip will count as his official visit.
Brandon Garrison – 6-8, 200-pound Power Forward
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**DEL CITY, OKLA.**
According to the Rivals database, KU is currently the only school not in Texas or Oklahoma showing serious interest in the athletic power forward from just outside of Oklahoma City.
Ranked No. 71 in the Class of 2023 by Rivals.com, Garrison has offers from Houston, SMU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech in the Lone Star State and from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa in his home state.
David Castillo – 6-1, 165-pound Point Guard
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**BARTLESVILLE, OKLA.**
One of the top shooters in the Class of 2024, Castillo is coming to KU on an unofficial visit.
Castillo already has 10 high-major Division I offers and all kinds of time remaining in his recruitment.
Those schools that have offered include Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Tulsa and UNLV.
