With Kevin McCullar Jr. out, Kansas men’s basketball turns to Joseph Yesufu to start

LAWRENCE — From Bill Self’s perspective, the decision wasn’t all that difficult.

Self, Kansas men’s basketball’s head coach, had to insert someone into the starting lineup. Redshirt senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. wasn’t going to be able to go Monday against Texas Southern as he recovered from a groin strain. So, looking at the scholarship guards Self had left to pick from, freshman guard MJ Rice and junior guard Joseph Yesufu were the only two options.

Yesufu had appeared in each of the previous seven games off the bench for the No. 9 Jayhawks. Rice, who’d missed some time due to injury and illness at different points already on this young season, had not practiced much in recent weeks. So, Self went with Yesufu.

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And in what would be Yesufu’s first start since transferring to Kansas ahead of last season, Yesufu helped deliver an 87-55 victory against Texas Southern. He played about 29 minutes, the most he has in a Jayhawks (7-1) uniform. He can look for areas of improvement as any of his teammates can, and do so while watching the film from a win.

“Actually, I found out today at shoot-around that I was going to start,” Yesufu said. “It’s a blessing. I got to be and step up for the guys that are out, like Bobby (Pettiford Jr.) and (McCullar). So, that’s my job, is to bring energy to the court and then score the ball and defend.”

Defensively, Self would like to see Yesufu do a better job. But Self also wants Yesufu to be a talent that can shoot a healthy percentage off the bench. Yesufu shot 4-for-7 from the field, 3-for-5 from behind the arc and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line on a night he’d finish with 14 points.

That makes it two straight games Yesufu, who also had three rebounds, three assists and a steal to go with a turnover against Texas Southern (1-7), has reached double-figures scoring. It’s the second-straight game he’s scored 14 points, which is the most Yesufu has scored in a game for Kansas, as he did the same in the Bahamas against Tennessee. Yesufu, who’s stepping up as Jayhawks like McCullar and Pettiford and more miss time due to injury, is showcasing what made him so valuable at Drake prior to his time at Kansas.

RELATED:As Kansas basketball moves on after Bahamas, Bill Self is still looking for big-man answer

Yesufu may not say starting makes a difference to him over not starting. As he explained it, it’s just a matter of being able to get into a rhythm and he felt he had that Monday with the support of teammates and coaches. But it definitely didn’t seem to hurt.

“We always tell (Yesufu) that we need him to be aggressive,” redshirt junior forward Jalen Wilson said. “Every time I’m on the court with Joe, I tell him to shoot the ball. Make or miss, shoot the next ball. And just be ready. We’re going to need guys to be confident at all times, especially getting closer and closer to Big 12 play. Seton Hall next, we’re going to have to be just confident at all times on both ends of the floor.”

Self said McCullar, who suffered the strained groin during the loss against Tennessee, will hopefully practice Wednesday and be able to play Thursday at home against Seton Hall. But, Self noted, if McCullar isn’t ready they’ll let him rest through another game. Pointing toward McCullar’s injury history at Texas Tech, where McCullar was before transferring to Kansas ahead of this season, Self illustrated how much they don’t want to push McCullar to return too soon.

Should McCullar return the game after Seton Hall, which is a Dec. 10 game at Missouri, that would also be when Self hopes Pettiford would be able to return by. It’s a scenario that would up Kansas to 11 scholarship players available, should there be no other changes in player availabilities. Against Texas Southern, the Jayhawks only had nine because super-senior forward Cam Martin and redshirt freshman guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. are also both out.

Until those returns take place, though, and Rice gains more comfortability in Kansas’ system, it could very well be on Yesufu to continue to deliver. Whether it’s off the bench or in the starting lineup, Yesufu’s shown he can. Moving forward it’s about sustaining that as much as needed.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball guard Joseph Yesufu gets start amid team injuries