Facing Duke will be ‘surreal’ for KU basketball transfer — who hopes to heat up
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jayden Dawson, former Duke fan, will face Duke in Champions Classic at MSG.
- Dawson moved from Loyola to KU, adjusting to bigger opponents and a bench role.
- He trusts his 3-point stroke and seeks improved rhythm after mixed early results.
As a young, budding basketball player growing up in Omaha, Nebraska — a city just 210 miles from Lawrence — Jayden Dawson followed the fortunes of the blue blood Kansas Jayhawks.
“Obviously I knew about Kansas. I’m pretty sure if I was in the farthest spot away from Kansas I would still know about Kansas, just the history behind this place,” Dawson, KU’s 6-foot-5 senior combo guard said on the Jayhawk Radio Network after scoring six points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Jayhawks’ 76-57 victory over Princeton on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“But, funny story, I actually grew up a Duke fan, so going out playing against Duke, it’s going to be a surreal moment for me, especially (the fact) it is a big game for us,” Dawson added.
Dawson, who played 24 minutes in the win over Princeton, figures to come off the bench for the fifth straight game when the Jayhawks (3-1) take on Duke (4-0) in a Champions Classic contest set for 8 p.m. Central on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It’ll be the first time Dawson, who transferred to KU after spending three seasons at Loyola Chicago, has competed against Duke.
“It doesn’t hit the same now that Coach K isn’t there,” Dawson, who was a first-team all-state player at Omaha Central High School before heading to Loyola, said Saturday.
Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, who retired after the 2021-22 season, compiled a 1,129-309 record with five NCAA titles (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015) in 42 seasons at Duke.
“That’s really when I was a fan, when Coach K was there,” Dawson said. “When coach (Jon) Scheyer got there I was a bit older so I wasn’t too much of a fan of Duke.”
Scheyer, whose Blue Devils are 4-0 this season with wins over Indiana State (100-62), Army (114-59), Western Carolina (99-54) and Texas (75-60), is 93-22 in four seasons at Duke. The Blue Devils reached the Final Four last spring and the Elite Eight in 2023-24.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than this — two blue bloods going at it. We already played North Carolina this year. We took an ‘L’ there (87-74, Nov. 7), so we’ve got a little bit more of a chip on our shoulder this time,” Dawson said. “And I mean, it’s Duke. So if you are not ready to play against Duke, then something’s wrong with you.”
Dawson — he went 1-for-4 from 3 versus Princeton — hopes to improve on his 28.6% shooting from beyond the arc on Tuesday. He’s 4-of-14 on the year after hitting 36.3% of his 3s last year at Loyola.
Overall, he was 86-of-237 from 3 (36.3%) last season at the Chicago school. He was 45-of-122 from 3 for 36.9% his sophomore season and 9-of-22 for 40.9% his freshman season.
“I’m still trying to knock a couple now and really find my rhythm,” Dawson said. “I think I’ve made one here every game so far, but not the way I like to shoot the ball. And I know it’s coming.”
He was 1-for-5 from 3 in the opener against Green Bay, 1-of-2 at Carolina, 1-of-3 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to go with his 1-for-4 versus Princeton.
“I’ve always grown up a shooter and (am) just trying to find my way. But obviously, I’ve just got to keep shooting it,” Dawson said. “I’m a senior on this team right now. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to stay on that court, do the little things. Obviously, I’m going to keep shooting the ball and I’m going to find it. (I) just need everybody (to) stay with me.”
Dawson, who scored a career high 35 points in Loyola’s 77-76 win over San Francisco in the NIT last spring, has not lost confidence in his outside shot.
“Just trusting the work that I put in, trusting my teammates. My teammates trust in me,” Dawson said.
He said the biggest adjustment in moving from mid-major Loyola to KU is “just the size difference. Coming from Loyola, I think the skill set is obviously better (at KU). But we had a lot of skill guys at Loyola, so that wasn’t so much different, but the size was definitely the biggest difference and the biggest adjustment. ... And I’m still adjusting to it.”
Dawson said during the upcoming holiday season he is thankful “just to wake up every day and get this opportunity to play and put this Kansas jersey on every single day. That’s something thousands, I mean millions, of people dream of. So just to be able to wake up every morning and realize that I get to put this Kansas jersey on is the biggest blessing for me.”
Dawson had some knee discomfort a few weeks ago, but he appears to be past it.
“His health is fine,” KU coach Bill Self said recently. “I anticipate him definitely being able to be out there a lot more because he’ll be more in the groove.”
