Ochai Agbaji will make season debut against TCU

It's safe to say that much has changed for Ochai Agbaji, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard from Kansas City, Mo., in a very short period of time. Prior to the season, it was announced that Agbaji, the former Oak Park star, would redshirt this season and ultimately make his college debut next year.

Agbaji, The Star’s All-Metro player of the year, averaged 27.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during his senior year, and made a name for himself late in his prep career. With what was once considered one of the deepest and most talented teams in college basketball, KU’s roster has somewhat of a different look with Big 12 play underway.

Junior big man Udoka Azubuike will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his wrist before the Iowa State game, and sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa is still being held out of action. Its not yet known if or when De Sousa will make his season debut for Kansas.

With two key pieces out of action, Self and the Jayhawks will spend much of the season playing small, which is why the decision was made to pull Agbaji’s redshirt.

“We are bringing Ochai out of his redshirt and he will play tomorrow and moving forward,” said Self. “We’re gonna play small a lot and we need depth. We need guys that can make some plays above the rim that you can’t really teach.

“As far as athletic ability, he’s the best athlete we have on our team, so we’re excited,” he added.

Agbaji, a four-star prospect coming out of Oak Park, will certainly bring a different element to the court tomorrow night and the rest of the season. Aside from his ability to play above the rim, score in transition and score from behind the arc, he should provide an element of toughness and scrappiness on the defensive end of the court.

His athletic ability, basketball smarts and basketball IQ will certainly help him make the adjustment from the prep ranks to high major basketball. Don’t be surprised if he makes an impact early on, but like most freshmen, it will take Agbaji time to impact the game on a consistent basis.

However, there’s no denying that he will provide a spark off the bench for Kansas, which is exactly what the Jayhawks need moving forward.