KU coach Bill Self delivers message to Kevin McCullar at banquet: ‘I want you back’
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self made it perfectly clear at the Jayhawks’ postseason awards banquet Thursday that he’d love to bring back senior guard Kevin McCullar as an integral part of KU’s 2023-24 team.
“I will tell you this. I mean this sincerely, ‘I want you back,’’’ Self said, speaking to both McCullar directly from a Burge Union podium as well as to several hundred fans who joined KU’s players, coaches and athletic department staff members at the annual celebration of KU hoops.
“But,” Self quickly added in a 20-minute speech wrapping up the 28-8 campaign, “I also know that may not happen because he may have better things that’s better for him moving forward. But we were all so blessed to watch him for a year and I was very blessed to be your coach.”
McCullar, a 6-foot-6 native of San Antonio who started all season after arriving as a transfer from Texas Tech, averaged 10.6 points a game while playing stellar defense for the Big 12 champion Jayhawks, who once again earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. McCullar — he entered the 2022 NBA Draft but ultimately withdrew his name to play this past season at KU — technically has a year of collegiate eligibility remaining, if he desires to use it.
“I don’t think it’s a percentage play that he comes back but he needs to know that he’s welcome back and in my opinion he should decide if the time is right for him to go to the NBA or whatever it’s going to be,” Self told reporters after the banquet.
“If the time is right then do it, but just know there’s no pressure on him moving forward to make it the right time. That’s the big thing with him,” Self added, stressing that “he fits us. He’s a winner. He’s tough. He played injured. He made winning plays across the board.”
Self believes McCullar would perhaps have as big an impact on KU’s 2023-24 team as first-team All-Americans Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji had on the Jayhawks the past two campaigns.
“I don’t know (if) he’s a natural scorer where he can go get you 20 (points) a game,” Self said of McCullar, who told the media he plans on beginning workouts in preparation for the NBA Draft in the near future in New Jersey.
“I see him having a senior year that would be impactful in the same way theirs was except postseason awards are sometimes based on points scored. So I don’t know if I see him averaging 20. I see him having the same impact as a senior those guys did,” Self added of Agbaji and Wilson.
McCullar is aware he’s welcome to return to college.
“Yes sir,” he said, asked by a reporter after the banquet if he’s leaving the door open for all of his options.
Asked specifically if he “has a decision to make again” (about returning to school versus the NBA), McCullar said: “(I’m) going through the NBA Draft process and seeing where that takes me.
“It’s going to be fun, going out there and competing, working out and getting in front of people, getting feedback.”
A year ago, an ankle sprain kept McCullar from playing in games at the NBA Combine and prevented him from working out for several teams. This year’s NBA Combine is May 16-18 in Chicago.
“Last year I learned you’ve got to be yourself,” McCullar said. “They (NBA officials) want to know who you are going into a workout. Last year at the Combine I was injured and missed workouts. This year will be fun to get in front of teams.”
Gradey Dick officially a one-and-done
KU freshman Gradey Dick has declared for the draft with no intention to return to school.
“When we recruited Gradey,” Self said of the Wichita wing, “we knew Gradey was going to be good. We didn’t know he was going to be this good this fast. We all thought Gradey would be here more than one year until we played Duke and we knew his (butt) would be out of here after this year.”
“How special was it to watch a freshman with arguably the most beautiful stroke I’ve ever seen play this year and perform the way he did knowing everybody was gunning for him?” Self added, speaking directly to Dick from the podium. “You are going to kill it (in NBA). We appreciate everything you’ve done for us and we’ll be watching everything you do (in pros).”
KU to be busy with portal
Self said KU would be looking to sign at least three players from the transfer portal.
“I’m saying a minimum of three and then we’ll kind of re-evaluate if we can get three,” Self said.
He’s looking for … “athleticism on the perimeter and perimeter shooting without question. One thing about this (2022-23) team, if it wasn’t for Juan (Harris) coming off ball screens we had a hard time touching the paint. We need to do some things with some guys who can get their own. We obviously will miss J-Wil (Jalen Wilson) and Gradey shooting the ball. We’ve got to replace that too.”
Wilson receives KU’s top award
Jalen Wilson was named winner of KU’s Danny Manning Mr. Jayhawk Award, which goes to the team MVP on and off the court. The Denton, Texas native is a first-team All-American who last weekend was named winner of the Julius Erving Award (top small forward in country). He also was Big 12 player of the year.
