Kansas men's basketball gets new transfer portal boost with Zeke Mayo addition
03/04/2024 17:28
Kansas men’s basketball has plenty of work to do after getting blown out by Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The writing had been on the wall for awhile, with head coach Bill Self even mentioning in the postgame presser that he had already been planning for next season several weeks prior.
Luckily for Kansas men’s basketball, the rebuild is already heading in the right direction. After landing Florida guard Riley Kugel in the transfer portal on Monday, the blue-blood program has now acquired Lawrence, Kansas native Zeke Mayo. Mayo announced the decision on his X account on Tuesday, dubbing it a “homecoming like no other.”
How much will the South Dakota State transfer’s homecoming help the Jayhawks going forward?
Zeke Mayo and Kugel give the Jayhawks a formidable backcourt
With star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. moving on to the NBA draft, the Jayhawks desperately needed an infusion of backcourt talent. Impressively, the team has already built a brand-new guard tandem before the tipoff of the Final Four.
On paper, Mayo seems to be the man for the job. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound veteran enjoyed a productive career with the Jackrabbits, leading them to two NCAA Tournament appearances. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and three assists a game across three seasons, and even garnered Summit League Player of the Year honors in 2024.
Mayo is a dynamic scorer that can snipe from any range, as well as create his own shot. He put up impressive numbers from behind the arc during his time at South Dakota State, via Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
“Only 10 players in college basketball took more pull-up 3-point attempts per game than Mayo,” Vecenie wrote. “And he finished eighth among the 25 highest-volume pull-up 3-point shooters in percentage.”
Mayo’s pull-up jump shooting ability should bode well for the Jayhawks, especially if center Hunter Dickinson stays another year. With Mayo threatening on the perimeter and Dickinson manning the paint, opposing defenses will have a difficult time containing Kansas consistently.
Combine that with Kugel, who’s averaged 9.5 points on 42.3-percent shooting through his first two seasons, and Self could be looking at a Big 12 title-contending squad.
Mayo ranked as the 12th-best player in the transfer portal, via in their transfer portal rankings. The Jayhawks now have the nation’s No. 1 transfer class, via 247.
Even if Dickinson doesn’t stay, though, Mayo still gives the offense a basket-attacking element. The two-time First Team All-Summit League honoree made 61.4-percent of his half court attempts around the rim, a stat that eliminates easy transition and/or fast break opportunities.
Most importantly, Mayo is a winner, as he’s led South Dakota State to two conference and regular-season titles. This bodes well for his transition to a blue-blood Power Five school with a National Championship-winning pedigree. With forward K.J. Adams also announcing his return Tuesday, Kansas has as good of a chance as anybody to rebound next season.
The post Kansas men’s basketball gets new transfer portal boost with Zeke Mayo addition appeared first on ClutchPoints.
