Kansas Jayhawks to entertain three high school basketball prospects over weekend
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Top recruits Constanza, Perry and Irving will make official KU visits this weekend.
- Constanza leads the trio with a No. 16 Rivals ranking and interest from many programs.
- Irving plans additional visits and praised KU's tradition, coaches and fan support.
Two high school small forwards and a big man in the men’s basketball recruiting class of 2026 will be making official campus visits to Kansas this weekend, Rivals.com reported on Monday.
The small forwards are: Alex Constanza, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound senior from SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio and Trent Perry, a 6-4, 175-pound senior from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. The big man is Josh Irving, a 6-11, 200-pound senior from Pasadena (California) High School.
Constanza is ranked No. 16 nationally by Rivals.com, No. 22 by 247sports.com and 29 by ESPN.com. Perry is ranked No. 77 by ESPN.com, No. 120 by 247sports.com and No. 139 by Rivals.com.
Irving is ranked No. 40 by Rivals.com, No. 63 by 247sports.com and unranked by ESPN.com.
Constanza — he is originally from Miami, Florida — also is considering Miami, Georgetown, Illinois, Kansas State, Syracuse, Missouri, Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida State and others. He attended Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida his junior year, where he averaged 29.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.
“When it comes to pure talent, few possess the natural abilities that Alex Constanza has,” wrote Jamie Shaw of On3.com. “The wing has good feel with the ball in his hands. He initiates the offense and gets the ball where it needs to go. Constanza plays with good balance, doesn’t get knocked off his lines and is able to decelerate in traffic to create a clean look.
“His size and ability to act as the central hub of an offense is intriguing, even with an inconsistent motor. He moves the ball well and can finish at each level with a smooth shooting stroke and understanding of angles,” Shaw added.
Constanza told On3.com what he’s looking for in a college.
“Development is going to be big for me with my decision. And a family-like atmosphere. I want to win and go somewhere that is going to help me get to the next level,” he stated.
Perry, who is originally from Frisco, Texas, recently narrowed his list of college contenders to KU, TCU, Maryland and Vanderbilt. He eliminated Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Penn State and others. So far he’s visited Maryland and TCU.
Perry had a productive summer playing for Mokan Elite AAU.
“I’ve seen Perry play a dozen games total between EYBL and during the prep school season. The first thing that stands out is his strong frame — having broad shoulders and a strong lower body which results in the second eye-catching trait: raw athleticism,” wrote recruiting analyst Nate Buss of Nate Buss Hoop Talk and SI.com.
“Being known for putting on a dunk show in warmups, the power wing can jump out of the gym and please the crowd before the game even starts. What leads me to believe that he’ll have a successful college career and beyond is that he can get subbed into the game at any point and fly around the court on defense, generating deflections, steals, blocks and rebounds. Before even mentioning his impact on the offensive end, it’s very rare in today’s grassroots basketball culture that a prospect plays this hard without needing to force a shot on offense for their own good,” Buss added.
California native Irving visited SMU last weekend. After the KU visit, he’s slated to take trips to Louisville (Sept. 19), Texas A&M (Sept. 27), Kentucky (Oct. 10) and USC (Oct. 17).
The Kentucky visit coincides with the Wildcats’ season-opening “Big Blue Madness” event. He also has visited Irving, San Diego State and earlier received scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Arizona State, TCU, Cal, Washington and others.
“The tradition stands out right away,” Irving said of KU in an interview with Jayhawkslant.com. “They’ve had so many great players come through there and the fan support is crazy. I really like how consistent they are every year and the way they develop players to reach the next level.”
Irving said he’s “talked to coach (Kurtis) Townsend a little bit, but I’ve talked to coach (Jacque) Vaughn a whole lot more than anyone.”
New KU assistant coach Vaughn is a graduate of Muir High in Pasadena. Irving said being recruited by a blue blood such as KU “definitely means a lot. It motivates me to keep working hard and shows me that what I’m doing is paying off.”
In July, Irving helped Clint Parks Skills Academy win the Puma PRO16/NXTPRO 17-and-under tournament in Texas.
“In the frontcourt, Irving has emerged as one of the standout performers of the weekend,” 247Sports analyst Brandon Jenkins wrote after watching the Puma 17-and-under event. “Irving’s blend of size and athleticism has made him a major X-factor, impacting games as both a lob threat and a rim protector. He’s also shown touch from behind the arc, knocking down a few shots from 3-point range. Over the past 10 months, his game has taken major strides, though his biggest asset remains his long-term upside.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Kansas Jayhawks to entertain three high school basketball prospects over weekend."
