Kansas center Ernest Udeh Jr entered the transfer portal on Thursday, according to a tweet from Stadium basketball analyst Jeff Goodman.
“Kansas backup big man Ernest Udeh hitting the portal after the Jayhawks added Hunter Dickinson,” wrote Goodman.
A former 4-star recruit out of Orlando, Fla., Udeh initially committed to the Jayhawks over offers from UCLA, Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Creighton, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Miami, Michigan and Stanford, among others, according to 247Sports. He joined a 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 5 in the country. It featured four 4-star enrollees and one 4-star transfer.
Udeh played 30 games for Kansas during the 2022-23 season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per contest. His season was highlighted by an 8-point, 4-rebound and 2-block performance against the Oklahoma Sooners in February. He made all four of his shot attempts and tacked on two steals as the Jayhawks took a 78-55 victory over the Sooners in the Lloyd Noble Center.
“He was great,” Self said of Udeh's performance against Oklahoma, via 247Sports Associate Staff Writer Caroline Soro. “It's a different deal. Ball screens are great.
“But to be effective in a ball screen, you need to be able to at least challenge the rim sometimes. And we haven't been able to do that all year long. So that was big that you get a rim runner. And then KJ (Adams Jr.) is not that, but KJ is good in that little pocket area. So it adds an element to our offense.”
Former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson transferred to Kansas earlier this month, joining a Jayhawks squad that went 28-8 overall and 13-5 against conference opponents during the 2022-23 season. Dickinson led the Wolverines in points, rebounds and blocks per game last season, highlighted by a 31-point, 16-rebound outing against Illinois in March. Illinois forward Matthew Meyer and guard Terrence
Shannon Jr. led the Fighting Illini in scoring as Illinois took a 91-87 win over the Wolverines at the State Farm Center.
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