Here’s the latest on Ochai Agbaji’s status for Kansas Jayhawks’ upcoming game vs. Baylor
No. 10-ranked Kansas was able to defeat No. 20 Iowa State, 70-61, on Tuesday night in Ames, Iowa without first-team All-America candidate Ochai Agbaji.
While thrilled by the productive fill-in performance of reserve guard Joseph Yesufu (seven points, five rebounds four assists, three steals, 23 minutes), the Jayhawks (18-3, 7-1 Big 12) would, of course, love to have senior guard Agbaji back from his bout with COVID for Saturday’s 3 p.m. home game against No. 8 Baylor (19-3, 7-2).
“We’ve talked to ‘Och’ quite a bit. He is actually feeling well,” coach Bill Self said Wednesday night on Self’s weekly Hawk Talk radio show. “He did have some symptoms right off the bat (last weekend). He is following the same COVID protocol every athlete in the Big 12 is following. He’s not getting anything special, not getting anything harsher.
“He is going to have to test out of the protocol with a negative test before he can actually play and participate,” Self added. “The timing of it is such that can happen before we play Baylor. He’s still got to do that. We’re just going along … I’m not going to comment in any more detail than that because we’re following the exact protocol that’s been put before our county, the Big 12 and everything else. We’re hoping we get a positive result. Most importantly we hope he feels he’s ready. If he doesn’t he can’t be out there.”
Big 12 rules state that individuals with a confirmed positive test must be isolated for five days. A negative test anywhere between days six to 10 allows for the return to activity. Self has said Agbaji tested positive sometime last weekend.
“The way this has worked for a lot of people,” Self said, “is even though many have symptoms, sometimes the symptoms aren’t major enough — especially with young people — that it can really derail them. We’re hopeful this is one case he is back to 100% in a very short period of time.”
With Agbaji back in Lawrence, the Jayhawks on Tuesday were led by sophomore point guard Dajuan Harris, who had 14 points, eight assists, four steals and three rebounds in 38 minutes. Forward Jalen Wilson and guard Christian Braun scored 13 points apiece, while power forward David McCormack had 14 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes. Wing Jalen Coleman-Lands started and hit two early threes, finishing with those six points in 17 minutes.
“He’s the best,” Self said of Agbaji, the Big 12’s leading scorer who did not travel to Iowa State. “If he misses one game this year, his teammates covered for him and picked him up, just like he’s picked us up so many times. We still got the win. That’s all that matters. That’s all that matters to him. Maybe it (his absence Tuesday) gives somebody else some confidence. Maybe they are ready to step in and carry the water so to speak,” Self added.
McCormack was 7-of-7 from the field. He had two blocked shots, one steal, two assists and four turnovers. He was able to play 31 minutes despite experiencing some pain in his right foot of late. He had surgery last spring to repair a broken bone in that right foot.
“I think it has been a factor. I don’t think it’s an excuse but I think it’s been a factor,” Self said of the foot. “There are still balls he hasn’t gotten to that he should get to regardless. The thing is, if you are out there and you make a decision you want to be out there you’ve got to perform. It’s what happens at all levels in all sports,” Self said.
“We not putting him out there doing anything the doctors say we shouldn’t be doing, none of that stuff. But he is going to experience soreness sometimes. They told David that right after he had surgery: ‘This is going to be something you could experience soreness periodically based on load management or whatnot.’ He has experienced some of that. He has handled it well.”
Self noted that the 6-10 McCormack “hasn’t complained one time. I like everybody else would like to see some more consistency. I will tell you this, for us to have a chance to be really good he’s got to play well. He’s more than capable of having multiple games like he had last night.”
No doubt one of the stars of the game Tuesday was Yesufu, a 6-foot-0 sophomore transfer guard from Drake, whose 23 minutes were a season high. He played 16 minutes against Stony Brook on Nov. 18. His high in a Big 12 game was 12 minutes versus West Virginia on Jan. 15.
“I hope it is a springboard game for him without Remy now and we don’t know how long that’ll be,” Self said. Remy Martin is out indefinitely with a bone bruise in his right knee. “We need some speed. Bobby is not quite ready yet,” he added of guard Bobby Pettiford who had no points, no assists and two turnovers in five minutes at Iowa State.
“Joe is not really a point guard. We played positionless yesterday but he played some (point guard) for us. I think things he did from a defensive standpoint, creating pace, active hands … then of course we ran a lot better when he was in the game., He could pitch ahead and do some things that were probably as good as anybody we have in our program can do.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 10:14 PM.
