What kind of player, person is future KU wing Gradey Dick? Here’s his coach’s take.
.JPG "Gradey Dick played two years at Collegiate before heading to Sunrise Christian Academy.")
Born and raised in Kansas, Sunrise Christian Academy basketball coach Luke Barnwell realizes it’s a big deal when a high school standout from the Sunflower State accepts a scholarship offer to play for the blueblood Kansas Jayhawks.
“I think pride,” Barnwell, a graduate of Wichita’s Bishop Carroll High School said Wednesday, asked what Top 25 national prospect Gradey Dick, a junior from the Bel Aire, Kansas school, will bring to Bill Self’s KU program. Dick chose KU over seven other finalists at a ceremony Wednesday night in the Sunrise Christian gymnasium.
“I think a kid like Gradey Dick who grows up here, putting the jersey on will mean a lot to him. Kansas fans enjoy when they have kids who really care about the program because it’s so special. I hope people are excited. To get one of their own has to mean a lot. I know it means a lot to Gradey,” Barnwell added of ESPN.com’s No. 21-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2022.
A versatile 6-foot-7 guard/forward who attended Wichita Collegiate High School two years before heading to Sunrise Christian, Dick has an even better ranking nationally than fellow Wichita natives/KU signees Perry Ellis (No. 35 in Class of 2012 by ESPN.com) and Conner Frankamp (No. 46 in Class of 2013 by ESPN). Current Jayhawk/native Kansan Christian Braun of Blue Valley Northwest was rated No. 81 in the Class of 2019 by ESPN.com.
Dick picked KU over finalists Baylor, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Florida, Purdue and Alabama.
“Gradey is ultra talented. The game is easy for him when he is locked in,” Barnwell said. “He can score the ball so effortlessly, easily. He shoots extremely well, has good size and athleticism.”
He has the freedom to shoot the ball from beyond the three-point line.
“Our team needs him to shoot. We need him to get up five to six threes a game,” said Barnwell. “He does shoot so well. We want him to let it fly.”
Also … “He is so skilled, he’ll bounce the ball in both directions, is strong and physical. He plays the 3 and 2, can play the 4 at times when we play small. He is sneaky athletic and has perimeter skills handling the ball and playing more as a guard than forward,” Barnwell noted.
As far as intangibles … Dick is the kind of person who is a great teammate, Barnwell said.
“He’s always behind the scenes joking and pranking,” Barnwell said. “That’s him, all in good nature and fun. He has a way to smile his way out of it in a good way. He’s fun to be around.”
Dick said Wednesday he ended his recruitment at this time because, “I’m 100% sure in my gut it’s the place to be.”
“Truthfully no,” Barnwell said, asked if he was surprised at the early commitment. “Growing up in this state, being as good as he is, having that kind of pride, I get it and understand. When you know, you know. I understand where he is at and couldn’t be more excited for him.”
Barnwell asked Dick on Wednesday night after his commitment ceremony how he felt at this time.
“He said, ‘Great.’ He said a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He said, ‘I am at peace,’’’ Barnwell stated. “The great thing is we get to keep working with him and try to make him better (his senior season). I said, ‘We can call coach Rob (assistant Norm Roberts) and ask him what he wants him to work on so he steps on campus ready to roll and get the most out of his time with us.”
At Sunrise, Dick is roommate of Zach Clemence, a 6-10, 215-pound senior power forward from San Antonio, Texas, who has already signed with KU. Clemence is ranked No. 31 in the recruiting Class of 2021 by ESPN.com Also, Sunrise’s Kendall Brown, a 6-7 senior small forward, is headed to Baylor as the No. 20-rated player in the Class of 2021 by ESPN.com.
“Zach will be more an interior presence as well as somebody with perimeter skills,” Barnwell said. “Zach is jack of all trades. How they guard him is how we attack. If they have a bigger, slower defender, we’ll play him face to the basket with pick and pop actions. He shoots well and can drive. We’ve played smaller teams and ran 2-game (high/low),” Barnwell added, noting both Dick and Clemence are averaging in double figures in scoring and both make more than 40% of their threes.
In the Class of 2021, KU has signed Clemence, plus K.J. Adams, a 6-6, 220-pound senior power forward from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Adams is ranked No. 45 in the class by ESPN.com. The Jayhawks have also received a commitment from Sydney Curry, a 6-8 sophomore forward from Logan Community College, in Carterville, Illinois.
In the Class of 2022, KU has received a commitment from Dick, plus Kyle Cuffe, a 6-2 junior combo guard from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. He is ranked No. 56 in the Class of 2022 by Rivals.com and unranked by ESPN.com.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 9:31 AM with the headline "What kind of player, person is future KU wing Gradey Dick? Here’s his coach’s take.."
