Two players slated to sign with KU basketball on first day of early-signing period
Kansas figures to secure at least two signed national college basketball letters-of-intent on Wednesday, the first day of the week-long early signing period.
Issac McBride, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior point guard/shooting guard from Baptist Prep in Little Rock, Ark., who orally committed to KU on Oct. 1, reports on Twitter he will sign his letter at noon Wednesday in the Baptist Prep gym.
Christian Braun, a 6-6 senior guard/forward from Blue Valley Northwest High School, who committed to KU on Sept. 17, is planning on sending in his official papers to KU in the morning and also taking part in a signing ceremony at 3 p.m. at the high school, according to BV Northwest coach Ed Fritz.
Braun is ranked No. 112 and McBride No. 109 in the recruiting Class of 2019 according to Rivals.com.
McBride — he first emerged as a major college prospect after averaging 24.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals as a junior at Baptist Prep — earned a scholarship offer from KU after his strong performance at the Fab 48 tournament in July in Las Vegas. That’s also when Tennessee, Arkansas, TCU, Oklahoma State and SMU expressed interest. He officially chose KU over finalists Auburn and Virginia. He also heard from Georgia Tech, Loyola, Mississippi, Wichita State, Western Kentucky and others.
“Coach (Bill) Self happened to be there with a lot of other schools. They went to three or four games, told me I had good outings and offered a scholarship after that tournament,” McBride, said after committing to KU. He has heard some similarities between his game and that of former KU guard Frank Mason, who like McBride, was a late bloomer in the eyes of recruiting analysts.
“Coach Self really compared me to him. In a way there were similar stories to how they found Frank Mason also in the same gym in Las Vegas at Gorman (High School),” McBride added of KU coaches also noticing Mason at the Fab 48 while in the building scouting higher ranked players.
“Coach Self said I was definitely not there yet, but said if I was to come to the university he’d push me to the point where I had some of the same success he had there. I feel coach Self knows what it’s like to take a guard that most people might have passed on, or not seen as great at first, one who’s still developing.”
Braun, brother of Missouri freshman forward/BV Northwest graduate Parker Braun, chose the Jayhawks over Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Creighton, Wake Forest and others. He averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a junior at two-time defending state champion BV Northwest.
“It feels right for me and my family. KU has always been a place I wanted to go. I grew up in a small town in Kansas (Burlington). It’s always been a dream for me,” Braun said in an interview with The Star after offering his commitment. “I’m pretty excited for the opportunity when I got it. I figured I should take it and go from there,” Braun added.
“Talking to coach Self and Roberts … it seems the right fit for me and my family,” Christian Braun added. “I really like the coaching staff. I met the players. I really like them. Obviously I’ve been a KU fan a long time. It seemed to be the right place for me. I can help the program. I think it’s going to be special.”
KU has filled its allotment of scholarships, but plans on signing additional players because several non-seniors are likely to consider entering the 2019 NBA Draft.
Blue-chip players expected to decide soon that are considering KU include Cassius Stanley and Zeke Nnaji. Prospects Matthew Hurt and James Wiseman are expected to make their college choices in the spring.
KU is no longer in the running for Chandler Lawson, a 6-8, 200-pound senior forward from Memphis’ Wooddale High School. Lawson, who is ranked No 87 nationally by Rivals.com, has a final three of Georgia Tech, Mississippi and Oregon, Lawson’s dad, Keelon, told The Star. Zagsblog.com and 247sports.com believe Oregon is the leader. Georgia Tech has been mentioned as a strong possibility.
Lawson, brother of KU’s Lawson brothers, visited KU, but the Jayhawks have been targeting other forwards in recruiting.
Stanley, a 6-5 senior combo guard from Sierra Canyon High in Chatsworth, Calif., is ranked No. 31 in the Class of 2019 by Rivals.com. He has a final three of KU, UCLA and Oregon.
“Thought for a while had been that UCLA could end up the most likely landing spot. However, over the last week or so more talk about Oregon or Kansas being his destination has popped up. Somehow pulling Stanley off of the West Coast would be a pretty big score for the Jayhawks,” writes Eric Bossi of Rivals.com. Stanley has not yet set a date to announce for a college.
Nnaji, a 6-10, 215-pound senior forward from Hopkins (Minn.) High, will announce for either KU, Arizona, UCLA, Baylor, Purdue or North Carolina on Nov. 23 after practice at noon at his high school, his dad, Apham, told Zagsblog.com. Nnaji, Rivals.com’s No. 37-rated player nationally, will visit North Carolina for the UNC-Tennessee Tech game on Friday.
Hurt, a 6-9 senior forward from John Marshall High in Rochester, Minn., ranked No. 6 nationally by Rivals.com, has yet to make a campus visit. Wiseman, 7-foot, from Memphis East who is ranked No. 2 by Rivals.com, is said to be favoring Kentucky and Memphis over KU, Vanderbilt and Florida State.
“Hurt seems to be far from a decision. He has yet to narrow his list or schedule any official visits but if I had to make a prediction right now on where he lands, I would pick Kansas,” writes Corey Evans of Rivals.com. “The Jayhawks have been a heavy presence throughout his recruitment dating back to his freshman year and while Duke, Memphis, Minnesota and North Carolina may be difficult to beat, I will stick with Kansas.
“Nnaji is about ready to call it a day, but not before he visits North Carolina. Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Purdue and UCLA make up his final five, but this one is a total toss-up. I would not be surprised one bit if he were to end up at any of his finalists. Nnaji is set to commit on Nov. 23 and my expectation is that he won’t end up in Lawrence,” Evans writes.
Another big man, Precious Achiuwa, a 6-9 forward from Montverde (Fla.) Academy, will sign in the spring.
“Of the programs that we know are involved, Florida State, Kansas, Memphis, St. John’s, UCLA and UConn should each have a chance with him,” writes Evans. “It is still a bit too early to identify a front-runner, but the Huskies have a good connection with Achiuwa as UConn assistant Kimani Young once was a member of Achiuwa’s New Heights travel program. Beyond that, and not many programs have made Achiuwa more of a priority than UConn. Look for the Huskies to remain involved but also for other programs to jump into the mix in the coming weeks.”
Gary Bedore
Gary Bedore covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 5:09 PM.