Familiar name walks on to KU hoops

Josh Pollard joins uncle’s alma mater

Josh Pollard

Josh Pollard

Scot Pollard recently took a stroll with his brother, Alan, sister-in-law, Tiffany, and nephew, Josh, while showing them some of the sights and sounds of Lawrence.

“I said, ‘Josh, there are a lot of people walking around wearing your jersey,'” former KU/NBA power forward Scot Pollard said with a laugh.

He was referring to jersey No. 22, which belonged to Andrew Wiggins last season but for the next four or five years will be worn by Pollard’s 6-foot-41?2, 210-pound nephew, who on Wednesday officially joined the KU team as a non-scholarship walk-on.

“Don’t get him confused with Andrew Wiggins even though he’s wearing No. 22. That was his number in high school. He was real excited the number was available,” Scot added of Josh, who recently completed a two-year Mormon mission in Los Angeles after graduating from Orem (Utah) High.

Josh averaged 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game with 12 blocked shots and 54 steals in helping Orem to a 24-1 record and state title in 2011-12.

“I told him this … in all honesty, I think one day he can be kind of like Brady Morningstar,” Scot Pollard said in comparing Josh to the former KU guard. “I don’t think he’s as athletic as Brady was at the end of his career, but give Josh Pollard a couple years under (coach) Bill Self and Andrea Hudy (strength coach) working her magic, there’s a chance he could play.

“He’s not the quickest guy on the floor, but he really understands the game like Brady knows the game. He can guard people. He’s tall. He’s long. He needs the time to get used to big-time basketball, and once he does that, I think he has a chance to get some minutes,” Scot added.

Josh earned all-region and all-state honors and was the Utah Valley defensive player of the year in 2012.

“Josh comes from the Pollard family we all know and love and is going to be a walk-on for us,” Self said. “He was a good high school player, and I told him he would definitely have the opportunity to work out with our team. We’re excited to have him. We really don’t (know) at what level he will be a contributor, but he’ll have an opportunity like everyone else. I’m looking forward to seeing how he reacts to guys that have been involved with our program the last couple of years. I know he’s excited to be a part of it.”

Josh, who was not available for comment, attended Self’s summer camp a few years ago.

“Barry Hinson was here. I asked him his honest opinion. He said, ‘Yes, I think he could walk on here,'” Scot Pollard said of the former KU director of basketball operations, now head coach at Southern Illinois. “I talked to Bill the same week. I said, ‘Think he’d be able to walk on here?’ He said, ‘We’ll think about it.’ Josh took it from there. My brother and Josh have been talking to coach. Coach called him back, and he’s here working out.

“Barry actually called me after he took the head-coaching job and said, ‘I wish I’d gotten Josh,'” Pollard added with a laugh.

Josh completed his Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints mission on July 23 or 24, Scot said.

“Obviously, I’m really excited,” said uncle Scot, who played at KU from 1993-97 and for Detroit, Sacramento, Indiana, Cleveland and Boston in the NBA. “He has some catching up to do. He’s been out two years where he was not allowed to work out, to play basketball. He’s been serving the Lord.

“He has a mental and physical challenge ahead of him to catch up to the other guys. He is 21 years old. He’s mature. That’s what I told him. I said, ‘I know you have a lot of physical and emotional things going on here. Mentally, you are 21 years old, and you’ve got a lot of experience — two more years of experience than most of the guys on the team.’ It’s life experience. He has maturity on his side, and he’ll be working out with one of the best in the world, and that’s Andrea Hudy.”

The timing of this isn’t great for Scot, who has moved from Lawrence to Indianapolis. He’ll do some color work for Pacers’ TV broadcasts this year and also some media work in Sacramento.

“I’m definitely planning on getting back as much as I can,” said Scot, who also just recently completed a lead role in an independent movie called “The Association,” details of which are to be released soon.

Svi’s team loses: KU freshman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk did not score while playing three minutes in Ukraine’s 73-61 loss to New Zealand on Wednesday at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. He missed his only shot, a three-pointer for Ukraine, which plays the United States today.