photo by: Journal-World illustration

University of Kansas basketball recruiting

Four-star Class of 2022 big man Ernest Udeh Jr., left Kansas with a good taste in his mouth, following his official visit over the weekend.

“The visit was really good,” he told JayhawkSlant.com’s Shay Wildeboor on Sunday night. “Nothing negative to say about it. I enjoyed my stay there.”

The reasons for that ran deep and had to do a lot with the bond and relationships he created in Lawrence. Udeh told Wildeboor that he talked to basically every member of the KU basketball staff while in town and added that he enjoyed hanging out with the current players, particularly senior Ochai Agbaji and sophomores Jalen Wilson and Joseph Yesufu.

“I spent the most time with Ochai, Jalen and Joseph,” Udeh told Wildeboor. “But I met and spoke to different guys throughout the visit. The visit was really good. You can tell that their fan base really loves the players.”

Ranked No. 29 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals.com, Udeh, who is originally from Nigeria and plays at Dr. Phillips High in Orlando, is also the fifth-ranked center in his class.

At 6-foot-10, 232 pounds, he’s known as a ferocious presence in the paint, both as a defender around the rim and a player who tries to dunk everything as hard as he possibly can on offense.

In addition to touring campus and KU’s facilities, Udeh watched the current team practice. That, he said, gave him a better feel for how the coaches and players interact and the style that KU coach Bill Self and his staff use to prepare their team.

“It was really great watching a practice at the next level,” Udeh told Wildeboor. “Honestly, Kansas is just a basketball place. Of course, it’s where the game was invented, but the culture that is there because of that is great. … Coach Self is an awesome, stand-up guy, very genuine, and has a great personality.”

Prior to his trip to KU, Udeh completed a visit to UCLA. His list of schools includes the Jayhawks and Bruins, along with Baylor, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Miami, Michigan and Florida. It also has been reported that he is considering playing pro ball in the Overtime Elite League.

With two more visits now behind him, the talented big man told Wildeboor that he was happy to have more information to use as he tries to evaluate what’s best for his future.

“Getting back home and reviewing everything and deciding how I want to move forward with my recruitment process is all I’m doing as of this moment,” he said.

There was not a lot out there about four-star wing Jordan Walsh’s visit to KU over the weekend.

But he, too, made the trek to Lawrence to get a closer look at the Kansas program.

Expected to announce his college choice in a couple of weeks, Hogville.net, which covers Arkansas, reported Monday that a source had indicated to them that Walsh could announce his choice in the next few days.

The 6-7 combo forward from Link Academy in Branson, Mo., has Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, as well as TCU, Oklahoma, USC, Arizona State and Memphis on his list.

Walsh is ranked No. 31 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals.com.

Five-star Class of 2022 small forward Brandon Miller, who initially cut Kansas from his list of finalists but has since added KU back into the mix, is expected to make an official visit to Lawrence this weekend.

As a junior at Cane Ridge High in Antioch, Tenn., the 6-foot-7 Miller averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals per game while making 47% of his 3-point attempts.

He is ranked No. 12 overall in the 2022 class by Rivals.com.