Self, Kruger watch Oklahoma prep guard Trae Young score 44 points on Tuesday

Kansas coach Bill Self and Oklahoma’s Lon Kruger sat together in the Norman (Okla.) North gymnasium stands Tuesday night, watching prize point-guard prospect Trae Young put on yet another dazzling scoring display.

Young, a 6-foot-2 senior who is ranked No. 14 in the recruiting class of 2017 by Rivals.com, scored 44 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists in North’s 99-65 victory over Moore High.

KU and Oklahoma are two of the three finalists — Oklahoma State is believed to be the other — for Young, who averages 43.1 points, 8.1 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 steals a game for the 13-3 Timberwolves. Young will announce his college choice at noon Feb. 16 in Norman North’s gym.

“It’s been a long process. I’ve been at this since my freshman year. Now that this is near the end, it’s really stressful, but I’m excited for the next chapter,” Young told Oklahoma’s news9.com.

Young will play in the McDonald’s All-America game March 29 at Chicago’s United Center. He recently was chosen one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith boys high school player of the year award. The list will be trimmed to five on Feb. 22.

Other semifinalists: Duke commits Wendell Carter and Gary Trent, Washington commit Michael Porter, Arizona commit DeAndre Ayton, Alabama commit Collin Sexton, and uncommitted players Mohamed Bamba, Brian Bowen, Kevin Knox and Trevon Duval.

Duval, a 6-2 senior point guard from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., who is ranked No. 3 nationally by Rivals.com, has a final list of KU, Baylor, Duke, Arizona and Seton Hall.

Duval, who is originally from Delaware, attended St. Benedict’s High in New Jersey his sophomore season before heading to Dallas Advanced Prep his junior year and now IMG Academy. He returned to New Jersey for a pair of games last weekend.

According to Zagsblog.com, about 150 Seton Hall fans attended, as well as the entire Seton Hall coaching staff and several Pirates players.

“Man, I was really really surprised by (the fans),” Duval told Zagsblog.com after scoring 24 points in IMG Academy’s 75-66 win over The Patrick School in the Richel Memorial Hoopfest at Roselle (N.J.) Catholic High’s gym.

“I walked in and saw two stands full of Seton Hall fans. I’m glad that they showed love to me and came out and supported. There were a lot of fans, the energy was amazing so I really just fed off of it.”

Duval will attend Thursday’s Duke-North Carolina game in Durham, N.C., as part of an official visit.

KU recruiting Mark Smith

Mark Smith, a 6-4 senior shooting guard from Edwardsville (Ill.) High School, who once was committed to play baseball at Missouri, has now decided to play basketball in college.

Smith, who is ranked No. 78 in the recruiting class of 2017 by Rivals.com, recently was scouted by coaches from KU, California and Auburn. Rivals.com says he’s received basketball scholarship offers from Missouri, Kansas State, Butler, Northwestern, Boston College, Indiana, Illinois and DePaul. He has visited Wright State, Northern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville.

“I am interested in Kansas and blessed to be recruited by a school like that. If Kansas decides to offer me a scholarship, I would like to go down a take a look at the school,” Smith told Jayhawkslant.com. “Kansas is a very prestigious program and to get an offer from them would be great. It would be great to see all of my hard work paying off.”　　

Mason, Jackson on Wooden list

KU’s Frank Mason and Josh Jackson on Wednesday were named to the Wooden Award “Late Season Top 20 list.”

The final 15-player ballot will be released in early March with the winner of the Wooden Award announced on April 7. Other players on the late season list: Dwayne Bacon, Florida State; Lonzo Ball, UCLA; Joel Berry, North Carolina; Dillon Brooks, Oregon; Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame; De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky; Markelle Fultz, Washington; Ethan Happ, Wisconsin; Josh Hart, Villanova; Justin Jackson, North Carolina; Marcus Keene, Central Michigan; Luke Kennard, Duke; Lauri Markkanen, Arizona; Malik Monk, Kentucky; Johnathan Motley, Baylor; Caleb Swanigan, Purdue; Melo Trimble, Maryland and Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga.

Mason odds-on favorite

Gambling site Bovada lists KU’s Mason as odds-on favorite to win college basketball’s player of the year award. Mason is listed at 5-2, followed by Hart at 4-1, Ball 6-1, Monk 7-1, Justin Jackson 15-2, Kennard 12-1, Colson 16-1, Happ 16-1, Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett 18-1, Markkanen 20-1, North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith 20-1, Motley 22-1 and Butler’s Kelan Martin 33-1.

KU, Cal never had dates set for series

KU will not be playing Cal, UCLA or any other California public colleges in any sports in Lawrence in the near future.

An new antidiscrimination law in California prevents California state schools from playing in states that California’s attorney general says allows discrimination against the LGBT community. There is a religious freedom law in Kansas that allows student groups on campuses to restrict membership based on the group’s beliefs.

KU has a series with Stanford that will bring the Cardinal to Lawrence in 2018-19. Stanford is a private school.

Cal-Berkeley and KU had held preliminary talks about a series in basketball, KU schedule maker Larry Keating said Wednesday.

“We never had one (home-and-home series) scheduled. We have talked to them in the past. We never had a contract or dates (for potential games),” Keating said.

KU will travel to Nebraska and play Stanford in Sacramento, Calif., next season. The Jayhawks also will play host to a game in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

The Jayhawks will meet Syracuse in the one-day Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 2 in Miami. KU will play three games in Allen Fieldhouse in the Hall of Fame event. Kansas is looking for another marquee home game that would be part of a home-and-home series.

Jayhawks fifth in Bilas Index

ESPN’s Jay Bilas this week ranked the top 68 teams in the country in his “Bilas Index.” KU placed fifth behind Villanova, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Oregon.

West Virginia was ninth, Baylor 11th, Iowa State 23rd, Kansas State 30th, Oklahoma State 34th, TCU 40th and Texas Tech 52nd. Wichita State was ranked No. 31.

Of KU, Bilas wrote: “When one looks at the Kansas frontcourt, it seems difficult to believe that this is a Final Four team. When one looks over and sees Bill Self on the bench, the Jayhawks cannot be counted out. Frank Mason III is averaging 20.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. He could become the first player in Big 12 history to average 20 points and five assists per game for a season. Kansas has made 41.7 percent of its 3-point attempts, best in the Big 12 and fifth in the nation. Mason shoots a Big-12-best 51.9 percent from 3, second in the nation and on pace to break the Kansas single-season record (Kirk Hinrich shot 50.5 percent in 2000-01).”

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 8:14 PM with the headline "Self, Kruger watch Oklahoma prep guard Trae Young score 44 points on Tuesday."