By JAMES MADDEN
Kansas men’s basketball has officially added and signed its first transfer in this offseason’s transfer portal cycle. The Jayhawks have landed a commitment from 6-foot-9 Utah transfer Keanu Dawes, Jonathan Givony first reported on Thursday.
“I’ve had the chance to coach against Keanu the last two years and he is a very versatile perimeter forward,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said in the release. “At 6-foot-9, he is extremely athletic and his skill set is improving. He’s a four-man that can stretch the defense. We are very excited about his versatility. We think he can guard one through five and see him as being an immediate impact player for us.”
A junior this past season, Dawes just wrapped up his second season at Utah, where he averaged 12.5 points. 8.8 rebounds and shot 54.6% from the field for the Utes. Prior to his two seasons at Utah, Dawes played his freshman season at Rice.
“Keanu has been very well coached, well drilled, and has a unique feel for a player his size,” Self also said.
Dawes has close ties with the Kansas program, with his high school head coach Brett Nixon being a Kansas alum.
In Utah’s Feb. 7 loss at Kansas, Dawes recorded his best performance of the season for the Utes. A 71-59 loss, Dawes tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting in the loss for his team.
Joining a presumably young team next season, Dawes will bring a much-needed sense of experience and physicality to a team that’ll possibly have four freshmen in its rotation.
In addition to Kansas’s high school commits, the Jayhawks also remain heavily in the race for top-ranked recruit Tyran Stokes, who’s likely deciding between Kansas and Kentucky at this stage of his recruitment.
Follow James Madden on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
