Freshman Ernest Udeh is ‘locked in’ and ‘serious’ ... and adding new dimension to KU
.JPG "Kansas center Ernest Udeh Jr. pressures Oklahoma guard Milos Uzan in the second half of a Big 12 game Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Norman, Okla.")
One has to wonder how much an emerging 6-foot-11, 250-pound freshman McDonald’s All-American with great jumping ability can potentially alter the ceiling of Kansas’ No. 9-ranked basketball team.
“He can maximize it,” KU junior forward Jalen Wilson said of Ernest Udeh, who played a season-high 17 minutes, 22 seconds, sparking the Jayhawks (20-5, 8-4) to a 78-55 rout of Oklahoma (12-13, 2-10) on Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center.
“He brings so much as far as a different aspect to our team,” Wilson added of Udeh, who flushed four lob dunks good for eight points, grabbed four rebounds, corralled two steals and blocked two shots — one a rejection of a three-point try by Milos Uzan, the other an inside shot by Grant Sherfield (10 points, 4-of-14 shooting).
“He comes in the game blocking shots, catching lobs. You know how important in the postseason momentum plays are,” added Wilson, who had a stellar stat line himself with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in 31 minutes. “Those are plays that can change a whole game. For him to do that on the road is great.”
Udeh — he has played backup big man between seven and 17 minutes in the last four games — has become the main backup to KJ Adams at the five-spot. Adams scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds in 21 minutes versus the Sooners.
KU’s main two other bigs, Zach Clemence (knee) and Zuby Ejiofor (foot), have been out of action with injuries; Ejiofor was cleared to play Saturday at OU and indeed entered for the final two minutes of the blowout win.
“He’s going to play,” KU coach Bill Self said of Udeh, who entered Saturday’s game having scored 40 total points with 35 rebounds and 10 blocks in 18 games played this season.
“He was great,” Self continued. “It’s a different deal. Ball screens are great, but to be effective in ball-screen (action), you need to be able to at least challenge the rim sometimes. We haven’t been able to do that all year long. That was big.”
And, like Wilson said, it could be vital for KU down the line this season.
“It’s great to get a rim-runner,” Self said. “KJ is not. KJ is so good in that pocket area (for short jumpers and dunks). (Udeh’s play) adds an element to our offense.”
KU point guard Dajuan Harris not only connected on lob passes to Udeh on Saturday, he also contributed 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting with three steals and three rebounds.
“He’s 6-11. I can just throw it up there any time I want to. He’s got good hands, too,” Harris said of Udeh. “Coach ran good sets for me to get downhill. (Udeh) screened for me. I either made the shot or threw it to him. It was our game plan.
“Ernest is starting to get a chance to play more, too. With his energy today … we’re going to need that on the defensive end. That’s where he’s best. If he keeps doing that we’ll be hard to beat. Deflections, getting his hands on every ball, getting every rebound, posting like he’s supposed to, he has to keep it up.”
KU held OU to 35.7% shooting Saturday. The Jayhawks totaled 16 steals in forcing OU into 24 turnovers to KU’s 16.
‘I thought he was active,” Self said of Udeh on defense.
Udeh said his confidence has been “good” of late.
“To be honest with you,” he said after his big game Saturday, “even through the season when I was not playing, Coach said to make sure to keep my head in the game and stay ready. It’s what I did.”
He conceded that “this game I played well, had a good game. You all saw the outcome of it. I’d say my confidence is good.”
Udeh said he had no idea he’d play so well Saturday but thought the team would play well.
“The last time we played an 11 a.m. game it wasn’t in our favor,” Udeh said of KU’s 68-53 loss at Iowa State on Feb. 4. Saturday’s game was a noon start. “The big emphasis today is whoever wakes up first, put an emphasis on waking up first, that team would (win the game). We made sure we were loose before the game, ready to play the game. You all saw the result.”
Self, by the way, said Udeh not only played well in the game Saturday but has been effective at practice of late.
“He’s playing to his athletic ability, being locked in, being serious,” Self said. “He is a fun-loving kid. Sometimes with that maybe you don’t take it quite as serious all the time. He’s been much better. KJ’s been good all year long.”
KU will next meet Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
This story was originally published February 11, 2023 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Freshman Ernest Udeh is ‘locked in’ and ‘serious’ ... and adding new dimension to KU."
