Zach Clemence: "It feels good to be back."

Coming out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., Zach Clemence, the 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward signed with Kansas over Arkansas, Baylor, Grand Canyon, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, and others.

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Clemence, the No. 50 ranked player in the 2020 class, committed to Bill Self and Kansas on May 11, 2020. Clemence, a four-star prospect, made his verbal commitment to Kansas official by inking with the Jayhawks during the early signing period.

“Zach is a 6-foot-10 youngster that can really shoot the ball,” said Kansas head coach Bill Self shortly after Zach Clemence signed with Kansas. “We haven’t had anybody here like Zach that is truly a four that can maybe be the best shooter in a game. He’s having a great high school career at Sunrise Christian. He’s from San Antonio originally and is very well drilled.

“I anticipate him coming in and being able to play multiple positions on the perimeter and if we decide to go really small, he would be a nightmare-type matchup for five men,” he added. “He’s got a chance to be an impact player that we will be counting on for sure.”

A year after arriving in Lawrence for the start of his career, Clemence, in his first season of college basketball, appeared in 24 games this past season. In all, he averaged 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. Offensively, Clemence hit 37.5 percent of his field goals, 27.3 percent of his threes, and 48.3 percent of his free throws.

Clemence, against Stony Brook on November 18, 2021, scored a career-high 11 points, played a career-high 12 minutes, made a career-high three field goals, attempted a career-high eight field goals, made a career-high two shots from behind the arc, made a career-high three free-throws., and attempted a career-high four shots from behind the arc.

Coming off a season in which Clemence logged just 116 minutes, it should come as so surprise that he’s already looking forward to next season.

“Of course,” said Zach Clemence when asked if it felt good to be back in Lawrence while talking to the media earlier in the week. “It feels good to be back. I’m taking the tone this time, instead of CB (Christian Bran) or J-Will (Jalen Wilson) showing us the way, now it's like me, Joe (Joseph Yesufu), and Cam (Cam Martin), the returners, showing these younger guys, the way.

“Yes,” he added when asked if he’s ready to take on that new role. "We did everything you can for college basketball, so we’ve seen it all. We didn’t do as much as the other guys, but we watched them and learned from them. The young guys didn’t get to do that, so we’ve got to teach them what we learned.”

If anything, last season was certainly a learning experience for Clemence. In the season opener against Michigan State, he scored seven points and was credited with two steals in just four minutes of action.

Two games later, Clemence scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds in 12 minutes of action. Offensively, he was 3-of-8 from the field, 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

As it turned out, Clemence wouldn’t log double-digit minutes again for the remainder of the season. Out of action for 35 days due to an injury to his toe, Clemence returned on February 12 to help Kansas defeat Oklahoma, 71-69.

In just eight minutes of action, Clemence scored three points, pulled down three rebounds, and played a key role on the defensive end of the court against the Sooners.

What, if anything, did Clemence learn this past season that will better prepare him for his sophomore year at Kansas?

“Just approaching every day with a good mindset,” said Clemence. “Because if you don’t, it's going to be a rough day. If you’re just hoping for the worst, it's going to be bad, but if you want to go get it done, it's going to be good.”

During Wednesday’s camp scrimmage, Clemence, without question, was on top of his game. In scoring a team-high 19 points in a losing effort, Clemence scored from all three levels and looked smooth doing so.

For Clemence, his shot from behind the arc was falling and he played with a confidence and swagger that was missing for much of last season.

“Yes, for sure,” said Clemence when asked if he’s ready to get going this next season. “Last year, it was up-and-down for me, because of everything that I went through and stuff like that. I took, maybe, a week break since the end of the season, but that’s it. Not too long (of a break).

"Honestly, I’ve been working on everything,” he added. “I’m just preparing for the whole thing. I think my post-game is good. I’m just getting used to the speed and size of it, so it’s going to be a lot easier.

“I’ve always been confident in myself,” he continued. “Why not be your biggest fan? I just go back to the mindset. Why have a bad mindset when you can have a good one?”

When the newcomers arrived earlier in the week, Clemence, not surprisingly, was anxiously waiting for Gradey Dick, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., to arrive. Originally from Wichita, Kan., Clemence, and Dick were roommates at Sunrise Christian Academy and, because of their love for basketball, have built an unbreakable bond.

Clemence, much like Dick, committed to Kansas early on in his recruitment and took very few visits before putting an end to the process.

“Yes, for sure,” said Clemence when asked if Gradey Dick is passionate about Kansas. “He’s from here. If you go to his room back home, he’s got KU stuff on the wall, so he’s definitely a fan of this place.”

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