KU Jayhawks get another transfer commitment, this time from former Iowa State guard
After losing sophomore wing Tristan Enaruna to Iowa State via transfer this offseason, the Kansas Jayhawks have added a Cyclones player to their 2021-22 men’s basketball roster.
Jalen Coleman-Lands, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard who played for the Cyclones in 2020-21 after prior stops at DePaul and Illinois, on Wednesday announced plans to play his Super Senior season at KU.
He had placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal on April 9.
“I’m very excited,” Coleman-Lands, who scored 20 points against KU in a loss in Lawrence and 20 more in a loss to KU in Ames, Iowa last season said of committing to KU. “Honestly with COVID, I was not able to see it (Allen Fieldhouse) full throttle. Watching them (Jayhawks) through my college years, this is something I’m looking forward to, seeing how they operate, how the coaching staff is, the players, and the overall experience.”
KU has added nine scholarship players to the 2021-22 roster this offseason.
From the transfer portal, KU has added Coleman-Lands, Remy Martin, Cam Martin and Joseph Yesufu. KU has signed high school players KJ Adams, Zach Clemence, Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Bobby Pettiford.
KU also has added junior college player Sydney Curry. A 10th newcomer is walk-on Dillon Wilhite.
Leaving the Jayhawks’ program via the transfer portal: Tyon Grant-Foster (DePaul), Enaruna (Iowa State), Latrell Jossell (Stephen F. Austin), Gethro Muscadin (New Mexico) and Bryce Thompson (Oklahoma State).
KU currently is one over the scholarship limit of 13. Senior-to-be Ochai Agbaji and sophomore-to-be Jalen Wilson currently have their names in the 2021 NBA Draft pool. If both were to return to KU, a player would need to leave the program for Kansas to have 13 scholarship players.
Coleman-Lands averaged 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23 games (22 starts) last season for the 2-22 Cyclones.
Of playing against ISU at least twice next season, he said: “Mutual respect ... with the players, coaches. It’ll be competitive as expected. I’m sure they’ll be looking forward to it as well. I enjoyed my time at Iowa State. I made some great relationships at Iowa State.”
He hit 120 of 276 shots for 43.5% in his one season in Ames, Iowa. He made 58 of 147 threes for 39.5% and 31 of 36 free throws for 86.1%. Coleman-Lands dished 27 assists to 46 turnovers with 19 steals.
Asked about the fact he’s known for his shooting, he told The Star: “That’s my ace. A lot of people have different strengths, that’s one of mine, to make shots and do it in different areas and variations.
“With my size,” he added, “we’ve got some smaller guys. I’ll play wherever the team needs me — offense, defense, being able to guard smaller guards. (I’ll) play all different positions if it’ll help me get on the court more. I’m not set on a certain position, just helping the team win. I’m not locked into a certain spot.”
Coleman-Lands had a pair of productive games versus the Jayhawks in 2020-21.
First he scored 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-7 from three and 5-of-5 from the line) with three rebounds, no assists and two turnovers in KU’s 97-64 rout of the Cyclones on Feb. 11 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Two days later in Ames, he scored 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting (3-of-7 threes and 5-of-5 from line) with five rebounds, no assists and four turnovers in ISU’s 64-50 loss to KU at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
Coleman-Lands scored in double figures in 21 games. He had four 20-point games and four games with at least four three-pointers made.
His season high in scoring came via a 22-point outing on 9-of-16 shooting (4-of-7 threes) against Texas on March 2 in Ames. He hit four threes in six tries and scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a 76-72 loss to TCU on Feb. 27 in Ames.
He had 13 points, five assists and five rebounds in a 66-56 loss to Oklahoma on Feb. 20 in Ames.
He hit five threes in seven tries at Iowa, scoring 17 points in a 105-77 loss on Dec. 11, 2020. In his college career, he’s played in 133 games, making 102 starts and scoring 1,401 points.
At DePaul in 2019-20, he averaged 11.1 points a game while making 32.1% of his threes. He played in just nine games at DePaul in 2018-19, suffering a broken left hand which forced him to miss the final 27 games. He received a medical redshirt for that season.
He redshirted at DePaul in 2017-18 after transferring from Illinois, where he averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 35 games in 2016-17. He averaged 10.3 points a game his freshman year with the Illini.
The 2021-22 season will mark his seventh season as a college basketball player. He’s about to complete work on a masters degree at ISU and will also enroll in classes toward a certificate program in sports management at KU, he said.
Coleman-Lands, who turns 25 on July 15, played high school ball at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He was ranked No. 34 in the recruiting Class of 2015 by ESPN.com, No. 37 by 247sports.com and No. 39 by Rivals.com.
He was recruited by KU while in high school. He did not list any contenders this time around.
“I didn’t have a list. KU was definitely my go-to option,” he said.
Asked what Kansas coach Bill Self said when he committed, Coleman-Lands said: “He was ecstatic. He said he didn’t know the likelihood of getting me this late.”
Coleman-Lands said he would report to KU’s campus in June.
“I want to be fully part of what KU has to offer on the court, off the court, in the community,” he said.
He is the fifth ISU player to enter the transfer portal since T.J. Otzelberger took over as head coach. The others: Rasir Bolton, Tyler Harris, Dudley Blackwell and Darlinstone Dubar.
ISU has added Enaruna and five others from the transfer portal: Izaiah Brockington (Penn State), Aljaz Kunc (Washington State), Gabe Kalscheur (Minnesota), Robert Jones (Denver) and Caleb Grill (UNLV).
