Player Preview: Sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu
Who: Joseph Yesufu
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 180
Position: Guard
Class: 2019 (Sophomore)
Ranking: NR
Hometown: Bolingbrook, Ill.
High School: Bilingbrook HS
Previous School: Drake
Why Kansas: Following a two-year run at Drake, Joseph Yesufu ultimately decided to enter the transfer portal following his sophomore year. While a number of high-major programs expressed serious interest in Yesufu, the talented guard from Bolingbrook, Ill., gave the nod to Kansas over USC and Georgia. It's safe to say that Kansas was the team to beat from the very beginning, but Yesufu did conduct Zoom visits will all three programs before giving the nod to Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
The Skinny: As a sophomore, Yesufu, in 31 games, averaged 12.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Offensively, he shot 44.2 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from behind the arc, and 81.2 percent from the free-throw line. Yesufu scored 20 points against Northern Iowa, 32 points and 36 points in back-to-back games against Evansville, 16 points and 21 points in back-to-back games against Bradley, 25 points against Missouri State, 12 points against Loyola (IL) and, in the NCAA Tournament, Yesufu scored 21 points against Wichita State and 26 points in a loss to USC.
Yesufu averaged 23.2 points per game in the last nine games of the season and hit four or more threes in five of those nine games. Yesufu started the last seven games of the 2020-21 season, including four post-season contests, and was the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year and was chosen to the league’s all-bench and most improved teams. He was also named to the 2021 MVC All-Tournament and was a league scholar-athlete. Drake finished 26-5 in 2020-21.
Awards: Joseph Yesufu collected Sixth Man of the Year honors after a breakout sophomore season in which he came off the bench in 24 games before assuming a starting role after Roman Penn’s injury. Yesufu finished his season averaging 11.6 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting. He impressively closed the season with five-straight double-figure scoring performances, including a 32 and 36-point night in the Evansville series. Four of the games in that five-game span saw him score 20 or more points. Yesufu is the first Bulldog to ever earn MVC Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Bill Self on Joseph Yesufu: "Joseph is an explosive, dynamic scoring guard that will allow us to play an up-tempo, aggressive style on both ends of the floor,” Self said. “He ended last season playing at a high level, including winning an NCAA tournament game and propelling Drake to a great season.”
What to expect: There's absolutely no doubt that Coach Bill Self recruited Joseph Yesufu to Kansas to play a major role. Yesufu, Dajuan Harris, and Remy Martin provide Self's squad with a great deal of talent and experience in the backcourt, but the trio should also allow newcomers Bobby Pettiford and Kyle Cuffe the opportunity to make the jump from high school hoops to the high-major level without being thrown into the fire. Kansas, with Yesufu, Harris, Martin, Pettiford, and Cuffe, has a ton of talent in the backcourt. Self has a mixture of talent, experience, and youth that should greatly benefit the program moving forward, both this season and beyond.
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