Kevin McCullar announces return to KU basketball for super-senior season
Kansas Jayhawks super-senior-to-be guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has announced he will return to Kansas for the 2023-24 men’s basketball season.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound San Antonio native, who declared for the NBA Draft at the end of 2022-23 campaign, made the announcement Wednesday morning on Twitter and through a KU Athletics release.
“How about one more year Jayhawk nation,” McCullar said in the release, “to be able to play in front of the best fans in the country, to play for the best coach in the nation. I truly believe we have the pieces to hang another banner in the Phog. Rock Chalk! Let’s do it!”
McCullar has one year of eligibility remaining at KU after deciding to exit the NBA Draft, which is June 22.
“Kevin went through the pre-draft process, which is designed to do exactly what it did,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Even though he has improved his status as an NBA prospect, there is still work to be done and he has informed us that he is going to return to Kansas for his last year of college.”
A transfer from Texas Tech, McCullar is a three-time all-Big 12 selection and two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
This past season at Kansas, McCullar started 33 of 34 games played, averaging 10.7 points per game. He was fourth in the Big 12 with a 7.0 rebound average. McCullar finished fourth in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally with 2.0 steals per game, while often guarding the opponents’ best scorer.
He was the only player in the league to rank in the top five in rebound and steal average. Additionally, McCullar’s seven double-doubles were third in the Big 12.
“This is a big day for Kansas basketball,” Self said in the release. “We’ve had a lot of good things happen through recruiting this offseason, but nothing that has transpired this offseason was bigger for KU basketball than having a seasoned veteran like Kevin McCullar return to our program.”
Self continued.
“Kevin is not only a terrific player, but a terrific teammate,” Self said. “He fit in so well in year one and we’re excited about what he’ll do with our program from a leadership standpoint.”
McCullar wrote “I’m back” in a Twitter post at 9 a.m., Wednesday.
So far this offseason KU has had eight Jayhawks enter the portal: Ernest Udeh (undecided), Kyle Cuffe Jr. (Syracuse), Bobby Pettiford (East Carolina), Cam Martin (Boise State), Zach Clemence (Santa Barbara), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), MJ Rice (North Carolina State) and Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s).
The four portal additions thus far are Parker Braun (Santa Clara), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Nick Timberlake (Towson) and Arterio Morris (Texas). The Jayhawks have one scholarship left to award in the recruiting class of 2023.
KU has returning scholarship players in McCullar, KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris. KU also has signed freshmen Marcus Adams, Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell.
