Prep school big man Grant Mordini to join KU Jayhawks men’s basketball program
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Grant Mordini announced he received a scholarship to play basketball at Kansas.
- Mordini’s a 6-11, 210-pound center from Illinois who played in Connecticut in 2025-26.
- KU's 2026-27 roster has 11 scholarship players and four scholarships remaining.
Grant Mordini, a 6-foot-11, 210-pound center from Lake Forest, Illinois, who played basketball at Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut during the 2025-26 season, has signed a financial aid agreement to play college hoops at Kansas, he confirmed to The Star on Thursday night.
Mordini, who recently was offered a scholarship by UMKC, made a campus visit to KU on Monday and Tuesday.
Mordini first announced his commitment Thursday night on his Instagram account.
“I am blessed and excited to announce that I have received a scholarship and will be continuing my academic and athletic career as I commit to the University of Kansas,” Mordini wrote. “I want to thank my coaches at Lake Forest for believing in me from the start, setting my foundation and pushing me early on. I also want to thank coach (Bill) Self, coach (Joe) Dooley and the entire Kansas coaching staff for giving me this incredible opportunity.”
There are no stats available regarding Mordini’s play at Avon Old Farms prep school this past season, or from the Under Armour Circuit. However, it is known that he was named honorable mention all-Founders League in Connecticut.
It has been reported on Avon Old Farms basketball X account that he had 19 rebounds in one game this past season and 15 points and six rebounds in another.
Mordini at KU will join a big man group that consists of sophomore-to-be Paul Mbiya and senior Christian Reeves, who played at College of Charleston last season.
“They’ve been showing me a lot of interest since the season,” Mordini told The Star on Thursday night. “I’ve stepped on campus and it just felt like a home. All the coaching staff and everyone have been great throughout the whole process and it’s been an amazing experience to meet everyone in Kansas and have an opportunity to play there.”
He explained the details of his recruitment.
“The first coach to contact me was (assistant) coach Joe Dooley, and we’ve been building our relationship a lot since December. We’ve really been talking, and originally, my coach at Avon reached out, and that’s how I got that connection. And he sent my film to their coaching staff and they loved it.”
He was ecstatic when he received the scholarship offer.
“I was fired up. I mean, Kansas is one of the top programs in college basketball, and it’s always been a dream of mine to play for a program like that. So obviously getting that call was a dream come true,” Mordini said. “They’ve got a great program and rich history there.”
Mordini started playing varsity basketball as a sophomore at Lake Forest High.
“I’d say I’m more of a stretch (5),” Mordini said. “A lot of my film shows my ability to get to the rack and play on the outside, on the perimeter. I’d say I’m a three-dimensional player. I can play outside and inside as well, and my blocks are a big part of my game.”
It’s possible he will redshirt his freshman season.
“I had that talk with the coaching staff,” he told The Star. “They believe in my talent. They think I can be part of the team this year, but if things don’t work out like that I always have the option of red shirt. I want to come in, be a competitor, compete with the best, learn from them and to the best of my ability try to be on the court.”
In December, his prep school coach, Matt Mihalich, wrote on X: “Grant Mordini is a 6-10 center who dunks, protects the rim, rebounds, makes 3s (46% so far), and understands how to play. If he was ‘in the portal’ ’he’d have 15 offers! Trust me on this one.”
NEprepbasketball.net wrote of Mordini: “A post grad from Lake Forest, Illinois, Mordini has grown and improved immensely in the last three years. He is a rim protector and rebounds outside of his area and has a soft touch near the basket. He can consistently step out to shoot pick and pop jumpers and with more repetitions this part of his game will develop to match his ability to post up. He likes to dunk. He comes from a high pedigree at Lake Forest High and Fundamental U (Under Armour). Now that he has made his presence known in New England Preps, he has received lots of interest and potential offers from scholarship level schools.”
KU now has 11 scholarship players on its 2026-27 roster, which can include up to 15 players on scholarship.
KU’s roster consists of freshmen Mordini, Tyran Stokes, Taylen Kinney, Davion Adkins, Luke Barnett and Trent Perry; sophomores Mbiya, Leroy Blyden Jr. and Kohl Rosario; and seniors Christian Reeves and Keanu Dawes.
KU still has four scholaships to give. Junior-to-be Will Thengvall is grandfathered in as a walk-on. In the future, no walk-ons are allowed. All 15 players will be on scholarships.
