Ochai Agbaji couldn't say no to Self, Kansas

Not long ago, none of this seemed possibly for Ochai Agbaji. At the time, Agbaji, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound shooting guard from Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Mo., had very few scholarship offers and was beginning to wonder when, if at all, his recruitment would takeoff.

However, as his play on the court, where he’s currently averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds per game, continued to elevate, big-time college basketball programs began to take notice of Agbaji on the hardwood.

A relatively unknown prospect for much of his prep career, Agbaji, in time, received scholarship offers from the likes of Colorado State, Fresno State, Loyola (IL), Nebraska, New Orleans, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and others.

However, the landscape of his recruitment forever changed following a scholarship offer from Bill Self and the University of Kansas. After taking three unofficial visits to Kansas, as well as Coach Norm Roberts and Coach Self traveling to see Agbaji in person, with Self being the last of the KU staff to watch, a scholarship offer was extended to Agbaji following his most recent visit.

Expected to take an official visit to Oregon State this weekend, Agbaji, on Wednesday afternoon, informed JayhawkSlant.com that he was going to hold a press conference at Oak Park High School on Thursday to announce his college destination.

Agbaji, surrounded by his parents, along with other family members, friends, classmates, teachers and administrators, announced his commitment to Kansas on Thursday afternoon.

Shortly after making his decision public, JayhawkSlant.com talked to Agbaji about his decision.

“It was just an honor,” said Ochai Agbaji when talking about the scholarship offer he received from Kansas. “I really think it was an honor. Being able to play for Bill Self, it’s just something that’s unreal. I love the school, I love everything about it and I’m just excited to play.

“I probably knew (that I was going to Kansas) the next day after I got offered,” he added. “I just talked to my family and my sister, and it just felt like the right fit.”

There’s absolutely no doubt that KU’s 2018 recruiting class got stronger on Thursday afternoon. During the early signing period, Self and his staff inked five-star shooting guard Quentin Grimes, five-star point guard Devon Dotson, five-star power forward Silvio De Sousa (who graduated early and is currently on campus) and four-star center David McCormack.

Kansas, with three McDonald’s All-Americans, Grimes, Dotson and McCormack in the fold, had already signed one of the nation’s top classes. While Agbaji certainly hasn’t received the same type of attention, hype or notoriety, he is, without question, a player that Self absolutely wanted to sign in 2018.

Exactly what type of player is Kansas getting in Agbaji? JayhawkSlant.com reached out to Eric Bossi to get his thoughts on KU’s most recent addition.

"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."

For Agbaji, it all started when Kansas assistant Norm Roberts sat courtside for the first time to get a detailed look at the talented shooting guard. Things got serious when Coach Self and Larry Brown were on hand to watch Agbaji the Friday before Kansas played host to Oklahoma State.

The final decision was made when Coach Self and his staff extended a scholarship offer to Agbaji. Once the offer was made, turning down the opportunity to play for Bill Self and Kansas simply wasn’t an option.

“Coach Self just said that he really loves me,” said Agbaji. “The night before he offered me, he brought Larry Brown to come watch me play, which was an honor, too. They were both really impressed with me, so its just an honor.

“They all knew, at the time, that I was going to wait and just wait it out, but I’m glad that I made that decision now,” he added. “It was the best offer that you can have, so it’s the right fit for me. Last Saturday was actually my third time being at the Fieldhouse and its just a great atmosphere to play in and all of that, so it’s just an honor.”

From little known prospect to a member of KU’s 2018 recruiting class, life for Ochai Agbaji has been anything but routine since the calendar year turned to 2018. From wondering when, if at all, his recruitment would takeoff to verbally committing to Kansas earlier today, Agbaji, not surprisingly, has experienced a wide range of emotions throughout this process.

When asked about the recent change in his recruitment, especially the past two weeks, Agbaji talked about what a blessing its been to have so many new schools extend scholarship offers.

“Its been a blessing, honestly,” he said. “I’m just excited for all of it. Today was a little nerve-racking, but I think that I did pretty good and I’m just happy that its done. There was some consideration to Wisconsin, being a native from there, it was something special, but after that, I was kind of like, ‘I gotta go (to Kansas). I mean, that seems right for me.’”

Before Agbaji went public with his decision on Thursday, he had to make one final phone call before making his decision official. So, when the time was right, the talented shooting guard from Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Mo., reached out to Kansas head coach Bill Self.

Agbaji talked to JayhawkSlant.com about Self’s reaction during the conversation.

“He was really excited,” he said with a smile. “He’s just waiting to see what I can do at Kansas. I told him last night. I called him on the phone last night and we talked for a little bit. It was good.

“Its just an honor,” he added when asked about being a member of KU’s 2018 recruiting class. “To be alongside teammates like that, coming in as a class – a class like that, its just an honor, so I’m excited.”