Jayhawks offer scholarship to senior center Ayomide as well as juco sophomore forward
Sam Ayomide, a 6-foot-11, 255-pound center from Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, was offered a basketball scholarship by Kansas on Monday, he announced via Twitter.
Ayomide, a senior rated the No. 143-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2021 by Rivals.com, also is considering TCU, Illinois, LSU, Memphis, Providence, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, VCU, Temple, Wake Forest and others.
“Ayomide was very good this weekend in a closed scrimmage between his summer team, Team Durant, and another Nike EYBL team, Boo Williams” wrote Eric Bossi of Rivals.com. “Ayomide is massive, plays strong around the rim and is happy with being a 5-man who runs from rim to rim, plays physically and sets tough screens. KU had been in touch with him the last few weeks and I think his play in a pretty high level and controlled setting pushed them to go ahead and offer,” Bossi added.
Ayomide, who averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game in his first season at Phelps School, is originally from Nigeria.
“He has a strong physique and an athletic based game. Plays with aggression and energy. Does his damage around the basket offensively. Gets to the rim quickly,” wrote Jerry Meyer of 247sports.com. “He is limited skill wise on the perimeter at this point. Has potential to be a strong defender who can move his feet and block shots.”
Ayomide told temple.rivals.com he considers his game a mix between former KU center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
“I can do both, it just depends on who I’m playing,” Ayomide said of playing inside and out. “If I’m playing against someone smaller, I can back them up. If I play someone with size, I can face him up and use my skill set against him.”
Ayomide’s high school coach, Trey Morin, told temple.rivals.com: “I think he’s really versatile and I think he’s just scratching the surface of it. If he makes a jump this year like he did this past season, the sky’s the limit.”
Jayhawks offer juco player Curry
Sydney Curry, a 6-8, 265-pound sophomore power forward from John A. Logan Community College in Carterville, Illinois, has received a scholarship offer from KU, he reported on Twitter.
Curry — he is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana — averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds a game his freshman season at (27-5) Logan CC.
He’s also been offered a scholarship by Seton Hall and Mississippi. Curry hit 173 of 234 shots for 73.9%, but just 73 of 156 free throws for 44% last season.
Early look at 2021 Draft
KU’s Ochail Agbaji and Marcus Garrett are listed as second-round selections in ESPN’s 2021 NBA Draft, which was released Tuesday.
Garrett, a 6-foot-5 senior from Dallas, who is ready to take over for Devon Dotson at the point guard position in 2020-21, is listed as the No. 13 pick in the second round or No. 43 overall. Agbaji, a 6-5 junior from Oak Park High School, is listed as the 27th pick of Round Two or No. 57 overall.
Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham, regarded as a certain one-and-done, is listed as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 Draft.
Texas freshman Greg Brown is listed as No. 9 overall. Baylor junior Jared Butler is listed No. 24 overall.
ESPN’s updated rankings for the 2020 Draft include KU’s Udoka Azubuike as the first pick of Round Two and Devon Dotson the third pick of the second round.
Nets’ Vaughn claims signature victory
Former KU guard Jacque Vaughn may have assured himself the head coaching job of the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday.
Vaughn, the squad’s interim coach following the dismissal of Kenny Atkinson in March, directed the Nets to a 119-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
According to ESPN.com, it was the largest NBA upset according to point spread since Dallas beat the Seattle Supersonics as a 19.5 point underdog on April 4, 1993. The Nets (32-35) were 19-point underdogs against the Bucks (54-14) Monday.
“We talked about as a group, the symbolism of bamboo, being extremely resilient and extremely flexible and adaptable, and tonight was another example. We had to be all of those three things with a different lineup. And so overall, that concept has stayed and hopefully continues,” Vaughn told ESPN.com after the game.
Both teams were missing some key players. Garrett Temple was the only Brooklyn starter who entered with more than four starts this season. The Bucks elected to sit Giannis Antetokounmpo the second half after he scored 16 points in the first half.
Former KU guard Frank Mason of the Bucks, who is a free agent after the season, scored 11 points and dished four assists against three turnovers in 18 minutes.
Jayhawks 7th in CBS preseason poll
KU is ranked No. 7 in the country in the 2020-21 preseason poll of CBSsports.com’s Gary Parrish. His “Top 25 plus One” poll was released Tuesday following Monday’s deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA Draft if they wish to return to college.
Of KU, Parrish wrote: “Devon Dotson’s decision to enter the NBA Draft after two seasons means the Jayhawks will be without the top two scorers from a team that would’ve been the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That’s not ideal. But the arrival of 5-star guard Bryce Thompson, combined with an experienced core of Ochai Agbaji, Marcus Garrett, David McCormack and Christian Braun, should provide Bill Self with enough to compete for yet another Big 12 title.”
Gonzaga is No. 1, followed by Baylor, Villanova, Virginia, Iowa, Illinois and KU. Duke is No. 8, followed by Creighton, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Tennessee, West Virginia, Houston, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, Texas, Texas Tech, Oregon, Rutgers, UCLA, Indiana, Arkansas, Memphis and Arizona State.
Of No. 2 Baylor, Parrish wrote: “The top three scorers from a Baylor team that spent multiple weeks ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll are returning — and that doesn’t even include Mark Vital, a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Jared Butler is expected to lead the way. The 6-3 guard averaged a team-high 16.0 points, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a sophomore. He’s the main reason Scott Drew’s Bears should be the preseason favorite in the Big 12 and a real contender for the national title.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 10:06 AM with the headline "Jayhawks offer scholarship to senior center Ayomide as well as juco sophomore forward."
