KU Jayhawks to get visit from stellar 3-point shooter available in transfer portal
Josh Dix, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound senior-to-be men’s basketball shooting guard from the University of Iowa, was slated to arrive in Lawrence on Thursday night for a two-day recruiting visit to Kansas, two sources close to Nix confirmed to The Star.
Known as an accurate 3-point shooter, Dix, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, averaged 14.4 points a game this past season on 50.7% shooting.
As a junior he was 65-of-154 from 3 for 42.2%. A starter in 32 games for the Hawkeyes (17-16), Dix hit 36 of 47 free throws for 76.6%. Both Rivals.com and 247sports.com reported that KU coaches visited with Dix on Wednesday in Iowa in advance of his KU campus visit.
Dix, who announced he’d be entering the transfer portal on March 19, scored a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting (career-high seven 3-pointers in 10 attempts) with seven assists in a 97-87 overtime win over Nebraska on Jan. 7 in Iowa City, Iowa. He played 45 minutes in that game. He had 27 points vs. Purdue on Feb. 4 in Iowa City and 26 points on Feb. 12 at Rutgers.
“Dix put on some incredible displays,” wrote Hawkcentral.com. “He drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Northwestern in December. He scored in double-figures in 27 of his 32 appearances as a junior. He scored at least 21 points in six games.”
Former Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, who is now head coach at Penn after being fired after 15 seasons at Iowa, told Iowa.rivals.com: “When he gets going early, he’s a handful. Typically, we get it to him sort of organically with our offense. He’s such a complete player. He never rattles and plays well at both ends.”
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said after the game in January: “He’s a great player. He’s made himself a complete player on both ends. ... He’s done a great job with his development. The kid has a chance to be a pro.”
Dix, who has not put out a list of schools, is said to be a top target of KU, Kentucky, Creighton, Illinois, Iowa State, Indiana, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee, and others. He also has not ruled out returning to Iowa and play for new coach Ben McCollum. Some analysts believe it could be a two-way recruiting battle between the Jayhawks and Hawkeyes.
“Hailing from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Dix entered college as a three-star recruit, but his freshman season was in question after he suffered a gruesome leg injury during his senior year of high school basketball,” wrote Dailyiowan.com. “But it didn’t seem to bother Dix, who promptly arrived on campus for summer practice and never missed any game action due to the injury that season.
“Dix posted 2.0 points per contest in 2022-23, but his performance jumped to 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in the 2023-24 campaign. His play earned him honorable mention all-Big Ten and Iowa’s most improved award honors.
“Dix came into his junior season with high expectations, and he filled his role as one of the Hawkeyes’ leaders admirably … Dix started in 32 of Iowa’s 33 games despite rumors of playing injured throughout the season, a sign of his loyalty to the Hawkeyes. Fourth-year forward Payton Sandfort later confirmed that he and Dix had played through an injured wrist for the majority of the season,” Dailyiowan.com added.
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 8:27 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks to get visit from stellar 3-point shooter available in transfer portal."
