Kansas Jayhawks’ incoming four-player basketball recruiting class ranked No. 4
Kansas’ men’s basketball recruiting class of Gradey Dick, MJ Rice, Ernest Udeh and Zuby Ejiofor has been ranked the fourth best group of prospects in the country, according to 247sports.com.
Duke’s six-player haul — which includes No. 1 Dereck Lively, No. 2 Dariq Whitehead and No. 4 Kyle Filipowski — was cited as the country’s top class Thursday in the final team rankings of the school year issued by 247sports.com. Arkansas, which also signed six players, was second, followed by Alabama, KU, Texas, Ohio State, USC, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
Dick, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, is ranked 19th in 247sports.com’s final individual player rankings. Rice, a 6-5 shooting guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, is ranked No. 28; Udeh, a 6-10 forward from Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, Florida, No. 29 and Ejiofor, a 6-8 forward from Garland (Texas) High No. 49.
“For a few years the clouds of an NCAA investigation were hurting Kansas on the recruiting trail. While there’s been no decision from the NCAA yet, Bill Self and the Jayhawks have been able to navigate their way back to the top of the recruiting world and look to have put together a tremendous class to replenish their talent after winning a national championship,” 247sports.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi wrote Thursday.
“Raised in Wichita, Dick was Gatorade’s national player of the year and has ideal size and shooting ability for a wing. Like Dick, Udeh and Rice were McDonald’s All-Americans. Udeh will provide needed size and interior defense while Rice is a strong and explosive wing scorer. Ranked in the top 50 himself, Ejiofor is an athletic and energetic big who will add depth to the Jayhawks’ post rotation,” Bossi added.
KU is ranked third nationally in Rivals.com’s current team rankings. Duke leads the way, followed by Arkansas, KU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Syracuse, UCLA, Illinois and Villanova. Dick is ranked No. 27, Rice No. 28, Udeh No. 31 and Ejiofor No. 43. by Rivals.com.
KU is currently ranked No. 5 in ESPN.com’s team rankings. Duke is No. 1, followed by Arkansas, Alabama, UCLA, KU, Kentucky, Texas, Indiana, Ohio State and USC. ESPN.com has ranked Dick No. 14 nationally, followed by Udeh at No. 23, Rice No. 30 and Ejiofor No,. 75.
“While Bill Self built this season’s national champions with veterans and a few key additions in the transfer portal, he once again has the Jayhawks recruiting the high school market at an elite national level,” wrote Jeff Borzello and Adam Finkelstein of ESPN.com.
“It began with a commitment from local Kansas product Gradey Dick last spring. Dick will provide KU with a productive and reliable big wing who is proven against elite competition and well-rounded with his floor game. MJ Rice gives them a power wing with an improved skill level. He’ll remind Jayhawk fans of Wayne Selden a little bit and provide an ideal complement to Dick on the wing. Zuby Ejiofor is a throwback-style power forward who could play some small-ball 5 in the modern game. He’s powerful, explosive and ultra-aggressive with a high motor. The fourth piece to the puzzle was another frontcourt addition, with 6-10 center Ernest Udeh picking the Jayhawks. He plays with high energy and is excellent on the glass and at the rim in transition,” Borzello and Finkelstein added.
Udeh and Rice told Jayhawkslant.com they will arrive in Lawrence for summer school classes June 3 and June 10 respectively. Ejiofor’s mentor told The Star on Thursday that Ejiofor will arrive June 11. Dick has not yet said when he will be arriving at KU.
