KU’s McCullar shared the basketball during Friday’s Late Night in the Phog scrimmage
Kevin McCullar, Kansas’ fifth-year senior transfer out of Texas Tech, could have flushed a breakaway dunk and focused some attention on himself during the Late Night in the Phog intrasquad men’s basketball scrimmage Friday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Instead, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound combo guard tossed the ball off the backboard to a trailing Zuby Ejiofor, who caught the carom and slammed to the delight of 16,300 fans.
On another highlight-reel possession, McCullar lobbed the ball toward the rim, effectively feeding the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Ejiofor for a second crowd-pleasing jam.
In all, McCullar had four assists and four steals to go with two points on 1-of-2 shooting while playing the entire 15 minutes.
“Just getting everybody involved,” McCullar said of his performance during his Blue team’s 32-31 loss to the White squad. “I was out there having fun and could have had some easy ones, but Zuby (Ejiofor), he’s an athlete and we had to show off him and get the fans engaged, too.
“I threw him a couple of lobs and stuff,” McCullar added. “I had a good time out there.”
McCullar — he averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season at Texas Tech — showed a nice touch on his only basket — a straight-on, 12 foot jumper.
“Just playing all-around, making shots all over the floor. I’ve got to be versatile on the floor,” said McCullar.
He hit 40.2% of his shots a year ago including 31.1% from three. Those are percentages that need to improve if he hopes to attract serious attention from NBA scouts leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft.
“That’s the next step I’ve got to take,” he added of being an accurate shooter. “I’ve been working on that every day and coach (Bill Self) is pushing me and we think it’s going in the right direction.”
McCullar missed eight games last season at Tech because of a severe ankle sprain.
“I feel the best I’ve felt in my college career,” McCullar said. “I’m healthy right now and coach is pushing me every day, to be a leader and be vocal, too.”
He enjoyed Late Night in the Phog.
“It was amazing,” he said. “I was speechless walking out there, hearing the crowd cheering for me and just welcoming me here. It was a blessing.
“They were telling me about it so much,” he added of his teammates who had experienced Late Night in the past. “I was worried about the dance moves (during the entertainment portion of the show). Everybody was practicing We got out there and had a good time with it.”
McCullar congratulated several of his new KU teammates who competed on the 2022 NCAA title squad. Those players received championship rings Friday night.
“You get chills inside,” McCullar said of viewing the ring ceremony. KU coach Self handed the recipients their ring with chancellor Douglas Girod and athletic director Travis Goff also on the court to shake hands with the players.
““It would be huge, (to earn a ring this year),” he added. “That’s what I’m looking forward to and that’s why I came here. Just seeing that, it’s motivation to me, so I was happy for those guys. That’s what we play for, so that’s why I’m here. That’s what I think we can do,” he added of winning another title.
McCullar also enjoyed the performance of DJ Diesel, aka Shaquille O’Neal, who DJ’ed a set to conclude the 38th annual Late Night.
“It was dope. DJ Diesel ... he does it down for sure,” McCullar said.
McCullar arrived at KU in June after removing his name from the 2022 NBA Draft. He attended summer school workouts with the rest of his teammates.
“It catches me off guard at times. I’m enjoying it every day,” the San Antonio native said of being at KU. “It’s just a blessing to be a Jayhawk.”
McCullar likely will vie for a starting position during what is expected to be his one and only season at KU. He does have two seasons of eligibility available, Self said recently.
“Kevin in his own way is not a newcomer,” Self said. “He’s been around it so much. Defensively he’s really advanced. He’s started shooting the ball a lot better.”
In early June, after McCullar removed his name from the NBA Draft pool, Self said of the player: “We’re so excited to get a versatile player that knows how to win and can play on both ends. Jalen (Wilson) and Kevin combined will be two of the most versatile guards/forwards on any team in the country;I think Kevin brings a lot to the table that certainly allows us to have a better team on both ends. Offensively he can play 1 through 4. Defensively he can guard 1 through 5. We’ve added some versatility to our roster.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 12:46 PM with the headline "KU’s McCullar shared the basketball during Friday’s Late Night in the Phog scrimmage."
