Joseph Yesufu, KJ Adams talk finding minutes and Stony Brook

As the regular season starts to round its first corner into December, Kansas will continue evaluating the depth at hand from the newcomers on its roster.

Thursday’s matchup with Stony Brook may present Jayhawks coach Bill Self with the opportunity to hand some minutes to names looking to impress.

Drake transfer Joseph Yesufu is one of those intriguing candidates for floor time. But aside from showcasing his talent, the sophomore guard has emphasized team success over personal victories.

“Ultimately we’re just trying to get the win,” Yesufu said. “We didn’t play up to our potential against Tarleton State but we’re just looking at each game to get better. We’ve been playing way too slow. The lineups we have can definitely get up and down the floor.”

Yesufu recorded his first official basket last week against Tarleton State, seeing 8 minutes on the floor. But he’s still making the transition to a new program and learning how to meet expectations.

“In the future, I plan on bringing energy,” Yesufu said. “I feel like I’m a great defender. I’m a great scorer. I haven’t shown that the past two games, but I’m definitely going to get it together.”

The 2020-21 MVC Sixth Man of the Year also said working with Coach Self has been a different experience than he’s been exposed to in the past.

“He expects a lot of me,” Yesufu said. “He gets on me. I’ve just got to adjust to him, where he wants to play. That’s what he always emphasizes with me, just play hard normally and just have my confidence.”

Surrounded by veterans, Yesufu has the resources at his disposal to succeed. He shared some of his thoughts on teammate Ochai Agbaji and his contributions so far.

“He’s been dominant,” Yesufu said. “I watched him last year. He’s made huge strides going into that leadership role. I’m just really happy for him and what he’s been doing the past two games. He’s brought energy, the dunks he gets just bring it all to the table.”

Freshman forward KJ Adams also recorded his first points last week, as the first-year Jayhawk continues to settle in this season.

The Westlake High product committed to Kansas in July of 2020 and is enjoying the experience of finally playing basketball in Lawrence.

“I think I’ve had a lot more fun than I thought I would,” Adams said. “Just being a role player and just doing what I need to do to bring energy to the team, it’s fun. It’s almost like a restart. Just trying to find myself and the player that I am on this team.”

Scouting out Stony Brook, Adams has been reading up on what to expect from the Seawolves.

“I feel like Stony Brook is a more scrappy team,” he said. “I feel like I fit in mostly in the games when there are a lot of smaller opponents and I can get into five and do a lot of things that our big posts can do, so I think (Thursday’s) game going to be an okay game for me since I’ll be in a little bit of the rotation.”

Adams knows moving to college ball means fewer minutes initially, but he’s also learning to take advantage of those moments that arise.

“I feel like I have enough quick(ness) ability to stay with the guys,” Adams said. “Having my mental state be on the game and that person the whole entire time. My role doesn’t take as much like Ochai (Agbaji), (Christian Braun), or Dave (McCormack) because all I have to do is just fly around and do what I can do to help the team.”