photo by: Journal-World illustration

University of Kansas basketball recruiting

A couple of high-profile recruiting prospects on the Kansas basketball radar made news over the weekend.

Four-star combo guard Taison Chatman (6-foot-3, 175 pounds) included Kansas while trimming his list of finalists to five over the weekend.

Chatman, who is ranked as high as No. 26 by 247 Sports and in the 60s by ESPN, On3 and Rivals, is picking between KU, Minnesota, Ohio State, Virginia and Xavier.

Kansas offered Chatman a scholarship in late April following his run to a Minnesota state title. He made an official visit to KU in late June and also has visited Xavier.

Chatman told Shay Wildeboor of JayhawkSlant.com that KU coach Bill Self told him he would “fit in great.”

“It was good and I spent a lot of time with the team,” he said of the visit. “I toured the campus and spent time with the coaching staff. I hung out with Bobby (Pettiford) and Zach (Clemence). We went through a day in the life. They get a lot of basketball players and they are treated well up there, too. I think it’s a great school.”

Known as a talented scorer with good vision and athleticism, Chatman averaged 13.5 points per game for Totino-Grace High in Fridley, Minnesota, during his junior season.

Four-star wing Scotty Middleton (6-6, 180) also made news over the weekend.

Already down to a final five since April, Middleton, who hails from Sunrise Christian Academy, where current Jayhawks Zach Clemence and Gradey Dick starred, plans to announce his choice on Aug. 6 during an Instagram Live session with recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi.

Middleton’s list includes UConn, Ohio State, Seton Hall and Texas A&M.

When asked in April why Kansas made the cut, Middleton told Wildeboor: “Probably because of KU’s winning culture. You know, coming off a national championship, you got to see what Kansas basketball is and Bill Self does a great job at making his guys play hard and at a high level.”

Ranked No. 62 in the 2023 class by Rivals.com, Middleton received an offer from KU back in February. He is known primarily as a tenacious wing defender, but his athleticism also serves him well on the offensive end, where he needs to develop a more consistent jump shot and better handles to continue to make a move up the rankings.

He’s already up from No. 97 in the previous Rivals rankings and 247 Sports lists him as the No. 35 overall prospect in his class.

Middleton originally is from Miami, Florida.