KU’s Bill Self announces signing of No. 19-rated Thompson, juco standout Grant-Foster
Kansas has announced the signings of two of the three men’s basketball players who have committed to the program so far this semester.
They are Tyon Grant-Foster, a 6-foot-7 sophomore preseason All-America wing from Indian Hills Community College and Bryce Thompson, a 6-4 combo guard from Booker T. Washington High in Tulsa, Oklahoma. KU also was to announce the signing of big man Gethro Muscadin of Haiti once his national letter of intent was received and processed by the school’s compliance office during the early signing period, which runs until next Wednesday.
Thompson is the No. 19-ranked player in the recruiting class of 2019, according to Rivals.com. Thompson’s father, Rod Thompson, played for Self and current KU assistant coach Norm Roberts while at Tulsa in the 1990s, and his grandfather, Marshall Rogers, played at Kansas in 1973.
“The signing of Bryce is one of our most important signees in recent memory,” said Self, whose recruiting work has been made tougher because of KU’s involvement in an NCAA inquiry into the program. “Landing a top 20 player is a positive statement for our program on and off the court.”
Last year Thompson was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year after helping lead Booker T. Washington to the 6A state title. As a junior, he averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
“We’ve recruited Bryce for probably three or four years and certainly knew he was always going to be a target, but his development has really taken off the last couple years,” Self said. “He’s grown to 6-5. He’s a lead guard and scoring guard. We’ve had some of our best success with these type of combo guards. He’s going to bring energy to our program and he’s going to bring talent. We anticipate him being an impact player for us.”
Thompson, who speaks French fluently as well as English, chose Kansas over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Carolina. He played AAU basketball for Oklahoma Run PWP last season and has participated in USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamps.
“I’ve known Bryce for a long time. He says the first time we met was when he was in third grade,” Self said. “Norm was the lead recruiter for Bryce, especially since Norm and I both coached his dad, Rod, at Tulsa. Also, Bryce’s mother, Goldie, was a volleyball player at Tulsa. So we’ve known Rod and Goldie going back to 1997. Rod and I have always stayed in close contact with each other.”
Grant-Foster, meanwhile, committed to KU on Oct. 14. He chose the Jayhawks over Iowa State, Kansas State, Miami, Texas A&M, LSU, SMU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Wichita State, Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Texas and others.
“Tyon is very long and extremely skilled,” Self said. “He can play basically anywhere on the floor, 1 through 4. He’s good with the ball, has great vision and is a terrific athlete. His motor is always running.”
Through four games, Grant-Foster is averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. He scored a 35 points on Nov. 9 against State Fair Community College. Grant-Foster is shooting 49.2% from the floor, including 40.0% from three-point range.
“Playing for a great Indian Hills program will make Tyon’s transition to Kansas seamless,” Self said. “Jerrance (Howard) did a great job recruiting Tyon and his family.”
As a freshman, Schlagle High graduate Grant-Foster averaged 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for Indian Hills.
“One of the things that attracted us most to Tyon is his personality,” Self said. “He has a zest for the game and you could tell his teammates enjoy playing with him. He will have a big impact for us next year. We’re also excited to have his family close by.”
KU’s recruiting class has been ranked No. 8 in the country at this stage by Rivals.com and No. 11 by 247sports.com.
“If we are able to tighten that up,” Self said on his weekly Hawk Talk radio show, “it could potentially be a top five class. Let me be the first to tell you rankings don’t really matter. I mean they’ve got to perform when they get here, but it usually is a pretty good indication of what they can potentially do when they do get here. It doesn’t always turn out that way.
“It’s been a challenge,” he added, ostensibly referring to recruiting amid talk of possible NCAA penalties. “The fact if things go as planned that we can end up having an early-period top ten type class I think is pretty good. A lot of years we’ve been here we did not have a top ten class. That’s a positive.”
Jossell may sign with KU soon
KU may be close to landing a fourth player in the class of 2020. The Jayhawks on Wednesday offered a scholarship to three-star point guard Latrell Jossell, a 5-10, 160-pound senior from Central High in Keller, Texas.
Jossell is not ranked in the Class of 2020 by Rivals.com.
“I just watched Jossell over the weekend and he’s not the typical high end prospect you usually see Kansas involved with. He is a very good athlete, can shoot a bit from deep and plays really hard. Currently, I think he’s maybe more of a combo guard and might be more prepared to help out at a little bit lower level right out of the chute,” writes Eric Bossi of Rivals.com. “But, Bill Self has shown he can find under the radar guards and develop them. Does that mean he’s on the same path as say a Devonté Graham or Frank Mason who were once under the radar?
“No. It’s unreasonable to say or even remotely expect he turns into a National Player of the Year candidate. But, guys like him with heart and a chip on his shoulder can often surprise after a few years in a good program with other good players around them. Jossell hasn’t announced any signing plans or anything like that. But, again, his situation is worth keeping an eye on,” Bossi added.
Jossell told The Star Wednesday that he indeed received a KU offer that morning, noting, “I’ll probably sign early.”
If he signs early, it would likely be with KU as he’s only reported one other offer, from Dallas Baptist.
This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 4:42 PM with the headline "KU’s Bill Self announces signing of No. 19-rated Thompson, juco standout Grant-Foster."
