2018 SG Ochai Agbaji from Oak Park HS commits to Kansas
Not long ago, Ochai Agbaji, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound shooting guard from Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Mo., was nowhere to be found on KU’s recruiting radar. My how things have changed for the three-star prospect and one of the fastest rising prospects in the 2018 class.
Recently, Agbaji received scholarship offers from the likes of Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Kansas and others. Scheduled to officially visit Oregon State this weekend, those plans have officially changed.
On Thursday afternoon, Ochai Agbaji became the fourth member of KU’s 2018 recruiting class, as he verbally committed to the Jayhawks in front of family, friends, classmates, teachers and administrators at Oak Park High School.
For Agbaji, the process of committing to Kansas all started when Coach Bill Self extended a scholarship offer his way.
“I met with him after the game and he came in with the other coaches and we sat down to talk,” said Agbaji. “He extended the offer to me. It was crazy to be in front of Bill Self and him offering me a scholarship, that’s a dream come true.”
Just moments ago, his dream of playing at Kansas became a reality. With his future secure, Agbaji now joins Quentin Grimes, Devon Dotson, and David McCormack in KU’s 2018 recruiting class.
According to Agbaji, his role at the University of Kansas, at least in his mind, is clear. No promises were made by the coaching staff, but he isn’t interested in promises. Agbaji knows that hard work and maneuvering through tough times will be the key to earning quality minutes at Kansas.
“They want me to come in at the two guard and they know I can shoot the ball and play defense,” said Agbaji. “They didn’t promise anything, I’m going to have to come in and work and be tough.
“To the Kansas fans, I’m going to come in and be the hardest worker I can,” he said. “I will contribute as much as I can to make us a winning team.”
There’s no doubt that KU’s 2018 recruiting class got even stronger on Thursday. Agbaji, who went from virtual unknown to a key target for Bill Self and his staff, has emerged as a talented jump shooter and a guy that has the potential to be an excellent defender.
Furthermore, Agbaji is going to work for everything he earns and doesn’t expect to be given anything. He’ll be surrounded by players more athletic and talented, which certainly isn’t a knock on Agbaji, but few players, if any at all, are going to outwork Agbaji.
Not surprisingly, Rivals.com National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi, spoke highly of Agbaji when talking to JayhawkSlant.com about KU’s most recent addition in the 2018 class.
"Agbaji is a tough, blue-collar worker on the floor who has kept improving each step of the way through high school. He's always been a good athlete and physically tough, but he's done a great job of turning himself into a threat as a jump shooter and a potentially high-level defender."
"I guess you could call Agbaji a bit of a late bloomer and what I like about him is that he's not coming in having been promised anything. He is aware of what type of program Kansas is and he wants the challenge of competing with the best and proving that he belongs at the highest level of college basketball."
****Clarificationation on KU's 2018 class: Five-star forward Silvio De Sousa signed with Kansas as a member of the 2018 class. However, he ultimately decided to graduate early from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and enroll early at Kansas. De Sousa is currently on Kansas and a member of the University of Kansas men's basketball program.