Jalen Wilson makes the call for Kansas

Jalen Wilson, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound small forward from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas is officially off the board. On Wednesday afternoon, Wilson, the No. 47 ranked player in the 2019 class, verbally committed to Bill Self and Kansas.

Wilson originally committed to Michigan on May 30, 2018, and signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Wolverines during the early signing period. However, he ultimately made the decision to backout of his pledge after John Beilein left Ann Arbor to take over as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since being released from his Letter-of-Intent, Wilson, the No. 9 ranked small forward in the 2019 class, officially visited Kansas (5/30) and North Carolina (6/3).

Early on in his recruitment, it looked like Kansas was the team to beat for Wilson and, at one point, it appeared that he was set to verbally commit to Self and the Jayhawks.

Instead of committing to Kansas, Wilson, following a visit to Michigan, committed to the Wolverines. At that time, it looked like his fate was set, but everything changed when Beilein made the move to the NBA.

Wilson, who averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, faced the unimaginable when the news broke that Michigan was in need of a new head coach. It didn’t take long for Kansas, North Carolina and others to reach out, but when the time came for Wilson to reach a decision, just two programs, KU and UNC, would receive visits.

Down to two of the most prestigious programs in all of college basketball, Wilson, on Wednesday afternoon, gave the nod to Bill Self and Kansas.

Kansas, after missing out of the likes of Matthew Hurt, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Cassius Stanley, Zeke Nnaji, and others, has closed out its 2019 recruiting class in impressive fashion. After signing Christian Braun and Issac McBride during the early signing period, the Jayhawks have since added Tristian Enaruna, the No. 44 ranked player in the 2019 class, along with Jalen Wilson, the No. 47 ranked player.

Furthermore, Kansas, on Monday afternoon, added Iowa grad transfer Isaiah Moss, the 6-foot-5, 208-pound guard/forward from Chicago, Ill.

Moss, a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes, averaged 9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 2018-19. He will be immediately eligible to compete for the Jayhawks in 2019-20 as a graduate transfer.

Known for his ability to score from behind the arc, Moss will enter the final season of his collegiate career having scored in double figures 43 times, including netting 20 points or more seven times.

Additionally, Moss was the recipient of Iowa Basketball's Most Improved Player Award each of the last two seasons (2018, 2019) and needs just 94 more points to reach 1,000 for his career.

Kansas, coming off a frustrating early run on the recruiting trail, is rolling on all cylinders when it matters most. Aside from its newest additions, the Jayhawks welcome back, with open arms no doubt, the return of Udoka Azubuike, Silvio De Sousa, and Devon Dotson.

Azubuike, who missed a majority of last season due to an injury to his wrist, opted to return for his senior year instead of testing the NBA waters. De Sousa, who sat out all of last season, was originally expected to miss the 2019-20 season as well, but Kansas, not surprisingly, appealed the decision and, on May 24, De Sousa was ruled eligible to play next season.

Most recently, Dotson, after testing the NBA waters, recently announced his decision to return for his sophomore year.

Fast-forward to today, June 12, 2019, and Kansas, when the season kicks off, should find itself sitting atop the college basketball preseason polls. If not the preseason No. 1 team, the Jayhawks, without question, should be one of the top two teams in college basketball.

Wilson should step-in right always and play a major role for Self and the Jayhawks. With the addition of Moss and Wilson, KU’s biggest weakness, perimeter scoring, should now be considered a strength. On paper, Kansas addressed a major need with the signing of Wilson.

“I like a lot about Wilson's game,” said Eric Bossi. “What has always stood out to me is his maturity and skill level. He never gets too high on great plays, never gets too low on bad ones and he gives off great energy to his teammates. He's a skill guy who has some low post game, will put the ball on the floor a bit and he has to be accounted for as a jump shooter.

“Kansas has played more and more small ball over the past few years and he can play as a four in that style or be a three man if they want to go big,” he added.

Now, with KU’s roster nearly complete, the Jayhawks should enter the 2019-20 with very few weaknesses, if any at all. Self can play big, he can play small, or he can mix-and-match depending on the matchup.

Coming off a season in which Self had very few options off the bench, he will enter the 2019-20 season with a roster stacked with players capable of playing a variety of roles and different positions.

Coming off a season in which Self, in some ways, was handcuffed with roster that provided very few options for change, is now equipped with a roster that is absolutely loaded from top-to-bottom.

Heading into the 2019-20 season, Self wouldn’t have it any other way.