Advertisement
basketball Edit

Gradey Dick has a strong connection to Kansas

Gradey Dick is a member of the 2022 class
Gradey Dick is a member of the 2022 class

It’s safe to say that it's been an absolutely unforgettable spring and summer for Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-5, 180-pound shooting guard from Wichita (KS) Collegiate High School. After entering the spring and summer with no scholarship offers, Dick, a member of the 2022 class, has now received offers from Creighton, Iowa State, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wichita State.

“I do remember my first AAU event this spring,” Gradey Dick told JayhawkSlant.com during a phone interview on Tuesday evening. “I had zero scholarship offers at that time. I received my scholarship offer from Kansas at the Midwest Showcase and the offer from Wichita State a week before that.

“That was actually not too long ago, and it was my first,” he added. “I was really excited by that, the offer from Wichita State, and then going into the Midwest Showcase, I started getting scholarship offers after that, and it kind of came out of nowhere.”

Since being offered by Wichita State not long ago, Dick, whose mother played collegiately at Iowa State, has received scholarship offers from Kansas, Creighton, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

In a short period of time, Dick, whose had two siblings graduate from Kansas and another currently attending, has seen his recruitment reach heights he never expected this early on in the process. Not surprisingly, he’s still adjusting to all of the attention coming his way.

“Like I said, it's all kind of new to me,” said Dick. “The coaches can’t call me yet, because of the rules, but I can reach out to them. Talking to those coaches and the teams I followed growing up, especially being from Kansas, from Coach (Bill) Self and Coach (Gregg) Marshall , and actually getting to talk to them it's kind of been a surreal moment for me.

“Right now, I can reach out to those coaches as much I want to and I can talk to them, but they just can’t contact me at this stage,” he added. “It really has been a surreal moment for me.”


Not long ago, Kansas extended a scholarship offer to Dick
Not long ago, Kansas extended a scholarship offer to Dick
Advertisement

A member of the 2022 class, it doesn’t appear that Dick is anywhere close to making a decision regarding his future. With six scholarship offers in place and more coming, he’s eventually going to be faced with a difficult decision.

Obviously, he’s got ties and connections to several programs, most notably Kansas and Iowa State, and with Wichita State being the first to offer and the school located right in his backyard, the process is going to be anything but easy going for the talented shooting guard.

However, at this stage in his recruitment, Dick, not surprisingly, is just trying to enjoy the process.

“I get those moments (where I get excited),” said Dick. “After I’m done talking to a coach on the phone, I’m really excited and full of energy.”

It's easy to see why programs like Kansas, Creighton, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wichita State have extended scholarship offers to Dick. While extremely young, he’s got the size and versatility to play a number of roles on the hardwood.

With time and experience, his success on the basketball court will continue to reach new heights. On Tuesday evening, JayhawkSlant.com talked to Dick about what he believes coaches see in his game.

“I think the most important thing they see in me is my versatility,” said Dick. “Like, I can play any position. Like, I can play the five (center), especially in high school, but I don’t think that I see myself as a five at college. I played point guard last year for my high school team as a freshman, so my versatility is the most important thing.

“Now I can finish above the rim and I’m dunking pretty easy,” he added. “When I was little, my main thing was just shooting, but now I can pump fake and finish at the rim, so my versatility is a big thing. What I’ve really improved is my ability to put the ball on the floor. Like I said earlier, I was mainly a shooter couple of years ago.

“I’ve really upgraded, really, my jumping ability, so now I can really put it on the floor and my ball handling has gotten a lot better,” he continued. “I can also finish above the rim. The big thing that I need to work on, for sure, is on the defensive side. Coaches not only want to see me score, but they want to see if I can guard when or if I’m not scoring as well. The coaches want to see if I can do other things. I’m starting to get a lot better at defense.”

Don't be surprised if Dick emerges as one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the 2022 class
Don't be surprised if Dick emerges as one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the 2022 class

Still relatively new to the recruiting process, Dick, by no means, is ready to rush forward with the process. He’s got some impressive scholarship offers and it's only a matter of time before his offer list grows.

The month of July figures to be a big one for what is emerging as one of the most heavily recruited players in the Midwest. Don’t be surprised if Dick eventually emerges as one of the most heavily coveted prospects in the 2022 class when all is said and done.

“Obviously, I want to get more scholarship offers, but all of this is coming so quick and it's all so new to me,” he said. “I’m ready to get my recruitment underway and get it all started. I’m open to everything and I’m open to all of the colleges recruiting me.

“I’ve got a bunch of years to see (what happens),” he added. “Yes, of course (I’m excited about it). It's going to be an exciting next couple of years.”

While Dick is still in the early stages of his recruitment, there’s absolutely no denying that he’s got a strong connection to the University of Kansas. Currently, two siblings have graduated from Kansas and a third is attending Kansas. Gradey and his family grew up watching Kansas and, not surprisingly, he’s a big fan of Bill Self and the University of Kansas men’s basketball team.

With a scholarship offer from Self and the Jayhawks in place, Dick has the opportunity to play for a school and coach he grew up rooting for as a child. Furthermore, he has the opportunity to continue in a line of family members that have graduated, and will graduate, from the University of Kansas.

“Growing up, I followed Kansas as a kid and I followed Kansas while I was growing up,” he said. “Like, I never miss a game on television and stuff like that. I’ve also made it to a couple of games, so I grew up a fan of Kansas. I know that I’d like to get up for a visit, but I just have to wait for the right time and things like that.

“I have talked to Coach Self about coming up for a visit,” he added. “Growing up, Kansas and WSU are two teams that I followed. I’ve had siblings graduate from Kansas and another one that is going to Kansas right now, so it’s really cool.”

On the surface, it looks like Kansas has positioned itself quite well with Dick, but it's not the only program that he has ties to when it comes to his recruitment.

“Yea, so my mom played at Iowa State,” he said. “Iowa State is a team that I followed and I’m a fan of Coach (Fred) Hoiberg, so when he went to Nebraska and offered me, that is another connection that I have.”


Dick has spent the spring and summer running with KC Run GMC
Dick has spent the spring and summer running with KC Run GMC (Courtesy of USA Basketball)

During a recent interview with Eric Bossi, Dick talked about the influence his mother has had, and continues to have, when it comes to his development as a player.

"My mom is more of a post player," he said. "Throughout the years I've been a shooter but I have an advantage because my mom teaches me post moves a lot. If I don't shoot, I can take it to the rim and use what I've learned from her.

"A couple of years ago I was mainly just a shooter. But I feel like I've stepped up my game and started to finish above the rim a lot and that's an advantage to my game that I can put it on the floor. You know I like to pump fake, take it the rim and dunk it."

Advertisement