Kansas basketball freshmen starting to make their way to Lawrence for summer workouts

By Matt Tait     Jun 3, 2022

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The Kansas Jayhawks logo as seen at center court at Allen Fieldhouse on March 6, 2022.

Now that June has arrived, there’s more to watch than just the NBA decisions by Kansas forward Jalen Wilson and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr.

It’s also time for the next crop of Jayhawks to start making their way toward Lawrence for the beginning of summer school and summer workouts.

The first summer school session beings Tuesday and it looks as if half of KU’s incoming class of freshman will be on campus in time for the beginning.

Gradey Dick, a 6-foot-7 wing from Sunrise Christian, is slated to arrive this weekend, in time for the start of summer school and KU’s first team workout on Monday.

Big man Ernest Udeh, a 6-10 forward from Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, is also expected in this weekend.

MJ Rice, a 6-5 guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, and Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-8 forward from Garland, Texas, are both awaiting graduation and are expected to arrive late next week.

All four freshmen will have a chance to show they belong in the rotation in Year 1. But it’s hard to envision all four of them actually being in the rotation. Dick and Rice almost certainly will. And then it seems as if Udeh and Ejiofor could be battling for one spot that gets minutes and one spot as a deep reserve.

Kansas coach Bill Self is hosting his first camp of the summer next week, which should give us a chance to talk to some of these guys and get a look at how guys might fit into the 2022-23 rotation.

It’s still way early, though, and there’s no doubt that putting together the rotation will be a work in progress that runs into November.

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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.