Player Preview: Freshman Kyle Cuffe Jr.
Who: Kyle Cuffe Jr.
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 180
Position: Guard
Class: 2021 (Freshman)
Ranking: No. 109
Hometown: Harlem, N.Y.
High School: Blair Academy
Why Kansas: Kyle Cuffe Jr., the 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard from Blair Academy was originally a member of the 2022 class. However, after considering serious options from the likes of Connecticut, Georgetown, Georgia, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, Texas A&M, UCLA, and others, Cuffe Jr., who was the No. 78 ranked player in his class before reclassifying to the 2021 class, committed to Kansas on December 19, 2020. It felt like Kansas was always the team to beat for Cuffe Jr., but that wasn't made official until he committed in December of 2020.
The Skinny: During his sophomore year, Kyle Cuffe Jr., averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Blair Academy posted a 24-3 record in 2019-20, was Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Champions and State Prep A runner-up. Cuffe was named to the 2020 All-MAPL team.
Due to COVID-19, Blair Academy played only two games and Cuffe averaged 25.0 points, scoring 28 and 22 points, respectively. Instead of finishing out his prep career a year from now, Cuffe ultimately made the decision to leave a year earlier than expected and is in Lawrence preparing for his freshman year at Kansas.
Cuffe is the son of former St. John’s power forward Kyle Cuffe Sr., who attended Rice High School in New York City, the same high school as former KU standout guard Russell Robinson.
Bill Self on Kyle Cuffe Jr: “Kyle is a young man that has great upside and the determination to be a great player,” Self said. “He’s an explosive athlete that makes plays on both ends of the floor. His father, Kyle Sr., was a great player at St. John’s and has been instrumental in Kyle’s development. He is already a well-prepared player coming from a powerhouse school like Blair Academy under the excellent tutelage of Joe Mantegna.”
What to expect: The biggest thing that people need to remember about Kyle Cuffe Jr., is that he's still quite young and coming into a situation at Kansas a year earlier than originally expected. Instead of preparing for his senior year at Blair Academy, Cuffe Jr. is closing in on the start of his freshman year at Kansas. Due to COVID-19, Cuffe Jr. appeared in just two games a season ago and hasn't appeared in an actual game in an extended period of time. However, there's no doubt that Cuffe Jr., the father of Kyle Cuffe Sr., will be ready when called upon. Again, Coach Bill Self has done an amazing job of loading up KU's backcourt with a ton of leadership, talent, and experience. Joseph Yesufu, Remy Martin, and Dajuan Harris Jr. have all played significant minutes at the high-major level. However, guys like Bobby Pettiford and Cuffe Jr., bring a great deal of talent and a winning mentality to the table, but both are also quite inexperienced. It may or may night happen right away, but Cuffe is going to emerge as a player for Kansas in the backcourt. He's got the opportunity to watch and learn from some guys that have been highly successful at the highest level of college basketball. The good thing for guys like Cuffe Jr., and Pettiford is, there isn't a need to throw them into the fire right away.
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