Could Kevin McCullar return to KU basketball? Bill Self breaks down decision
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self didn’t expect freshman guard Gradey Dick to be a one-and-done player.
Then the 2022 Champions Classic happened.
Dick scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor and helped KU secure a 69-64 victory over Duke.
“I’ll be candid, I didn’t know he was a one-year (player) until we probably played Duke and when he made those last three plays at the end of the game,” Self said on Wednesday. “He did it off the three. He did it catching a lob and moving without the ball. And then he did it on a drive with the ball in his hands. I’m (thinking), ‘He just showed a glimpse of what he can be and his best ball is so far down the road.’”
Naturally, Self wasn’t surprised when Dick declared for the NBA Draft on Friday.
The guard averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game his freshman season while shooting 40% from three. He also earned multiple Big 12 conference honors, as he was named second-team All-Big 12 and to the All-Newcomer and All-Freshman teams.
Self said he met with Dick’s parents, Bart and Carmen, to talk about their son’s future.
“That deal was done a long time ago,” Self said on Dick declaring for the draft. “The reality of it is it’s time for him to go. I mean, he’s projected top-11 right now. ...
“Have you guys looked at what (being a No.) 8-11 (draft pick) pays next year? Then you add 20% on top of that because everybody makes 20% more than what their base would be. I mean it’s time for him to go. He did exactly what we hoped for him to do.”
The decision to leave isn’t as straightforward for Kansas guard Kevin McCullar.
Currently, most draft experts project McCullar as either a late second-round pick or an undrafted free agent. The Texas Tech transfer averaged 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season while earning All-Big 12 third-team and All-Defensive team honors.
“There’s no question Kevin McCullar could help himself by staying,” Self said. “I think in his mind he was a five-year guy. For him to come back, it makes it his sixth year. I’ve talked with Kev and he knows. I’ve talked to his mother and father and they know. I’ve talked to people close in his camp, they know.
“Kevin will make the decision when the time is right, but he’s certainly going to go through the process and see what they say.”
Some NBA Draft experts believe McCullar could latch on with a team on a two-way contract, which allows a player to split time between the NBA G League and NBA. A two-way player can appear in up to 50 games at the NBA level.
Self believes that would be an OK outcome for McCullar.
“Two-way guys do pretty good,” Self said. “They do really well. They don’t do well compared to an NBA-guaranteed salary, but they do really well compared going from going a collegiate athlete making some money.
“Last year, he had two or three opportunities that were guaranteed for him to become a two-way guy. There will be other opportunities, but he’ll get into camp and he will get drafted. There will be a lot of things that are out there for him that he’ll just have to investigate.”
How does that affect KU’s recruit and transfer portal search?
“We are approaching it like everybody’s gone,” Self said about Jalen Wilson, Dick and McCullar. “We are out there trying to recruit, recruit, recruit, although there’s been no decision that’s been made on what (McCullar) is doing.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 2:13 PM.
