Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Gets Commit From Wisconsin Transfer AJ Storr

Starting point is 00:00:00 On today's Locked on Jayhawks, AJ Storr is a Jayhawk. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Derek Johnson. You can find me on Twitter at DJohnsonRadio. You can find our show here with Locked on Jayhawks anywhere you get your podcast, including on our YouTube page. Please give us a five-star review. Please hit the like button on YouTube.

Starting point is 00:00:35 It very helps us out on that end of things. That was all bad grammar, but nonetheless, you get the point here. We're going to be talking to AJ Storr on today's episode of the show. He is the Wisconsin forward transfer, one of the top transfer targets for everybody in the portal. He picked Kansas. We're going to get into the deep dive on what he brings to the team, how he fits in with KU,

Starting point is 00:00:54 and what it means for the rest of the offseason for the Jayhawks. First, this episode is brought to you by Monopoly Go. I'll admit it. I have a competitive side, and it's a big fan of Monopoly Go. The mobile hit twist on classic Monopoly. So join your friends and download Monopoly Go. I'll admit it. I have a competitive side and it's a big fan of Monopoly Go. The mobile hit twist on classic Monopoly. So join your friends and download Monopoly Go now free on the app store or play store. Let's start with this. AJ Store picks Kansas. He basically could have gone anywhere he wanted. Basically, that's the level of like, like basically this is a five star from the transfer portal perspective. So like,

Starting point is 00:01:25 you know, any school would have loved to bring on AJ store in the transfer portal. Here's what he posted on Twitter with great excitement and humility. I announced my commitment to the university of Kansas basketball program. Joining the Jayhawks is a dream realized, and I'm incredibly honored for this opportunity to be a part of the tradition and culture of Kansas basketball, all glory to God. I don't know if, you know, for a lot of guys, but the fact that he said joining the Jayhawks is a dream realized, and we already know Riley Kugel, like, grew up, and he had the Kansas shirt and, you know,

Starting point is 00:01:53 lived briefly in, like, the Olathe Overland Park area, and at one point probably was a KU fan. And we know that Zeke Mayo, you know, grew up in Lawrence. Like, that can't hurt, having a care level of having guys who are passionate about being at Kansas. So I think that's kind of cool with that trend continuing on. The one thing that's kind of weird in all this, and I'll just bring it up now. Like this is the seventh school for AJ's tour in seven years dating back to high school.

Starting point is 00:02:16 This will be his third college in three years at the collegiate level. He has two years left to play. He's going to be joining after his sophomore year. He'll be a junior for 2024 to 2025. But the fact that, A, I mean, he could just be an NBA player at the end of next season. But knowing that, maybe don't view him as a two-year guy. If he ends up being a KU two years, you know, Kansas is going to have a better chance to keep a kid around because they're going to have all the amenities and NIL and everything

Starting point is 00:02:41 like that. But yeah, I guess I'm viewing it as a one-year rental for that reason. His girlfriend transferred in, so I don't know, maybe better chance there. And she's kind of a local kid in that regard. There was that NIL rumor that was out there several weeks ago about Kansas offered this and he wanted this and who knows what the truth in any of that is. But here's the information on AJ's store, 6'7", 205 pound, kind of a power wing who is just kind of a mercenary scorer and an absolute bucket getter. He started every game for a Wisconsin team that earned a five seed, obviously lost pretty big to James Madison the

Starting point is 00:03:17 first round of the tournament. But Wisconsin actually finished 10 spots higher than Kansas on Ken Palm this season, and he was the leading scorer on that team so you know obviously he comes over to Kansas and you expect him to do big things and it's not like it's some big jump like he still was at a power conference level and everything like that and he did that on a team who ranked 304th in the country in tempo so like plays on a faster team which Kansas is usually more like neutral in tempo like they'll go when they want to go oh they'll slow it when they want to slow it, and call out plays with Bill Self.

Starting point is 00:03:46 But probably get more opportunities for scoring, though, on a more complete team with Kansas. Who knows where that goes? But anyway, 43.4% from the field for AJ Storr, 32% on 4.2 attempts per game from three. So, you know, kind of about average efficiency between both of those 81.2% at the foul line though, is really good for AJ store. He didn't really do much else besides score the basketball. The good news is he's really good at scoring the basketball, only 3.9 rebounds

Starting point is 00:04:17 per game. Now he did play next to two bigs in Wisconsin. So maybe not asked to rebound as much only 0.9 assists per game, not much of a passer compared to 1.6 turnovers only 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks though Wisconsin's uh defensive scheme doesn't really lend itself to a lot of like chaotic stats but you know Bill Self is going to try to unlock some of these try to make him a better defender try to make him a better rebounder but like the scoring is NBA level at this point in time for him. Like, obviously, you'd like to see the efficiency go up, but he shot almost 34% of Wisconsin's shots when he was on the floor. So, like, he was by far the go-to guy for Wisconsin.

Starting point is 00:04:53 Like, think about this. Wisconsin goes from being, like, a below 500 team to one that finished, I don't remember if they were actually below 500. It was, like, right around that. They finished 61st in the country in Ken Palm. AJ Storr joins the team, and they become a 5C in the NCAA in Ken Palm AJ store joins the team and they become a five seed in the NCAA tournament that wasn't all store guys improve and whatever else other

Starting point is 00:05:10 additions that they had but like that was a big reason why and point being he wasn't surrounded with as much talent as he's going to be surrounded with at Kansas so like he kind of had to take a lot of the burden at Wisconsin he's still gonna have to take a good burden at Kansas you're bringing him in to be that guy but he's not gonna have to do it as much like by comparison Hunter Dickinson took 29 and a half percent of the shots when he was on the court AJ Storrs five percent above that he uh is gonna probably take a little less shots and they're gonna be more efficient shots more in the rhythm of the offense which is good so you know with more good talent around him that'll help and obviously the efficiency I would think goes up this year at Kansas plus another year and another year of experience overall he was second team all big 10

Starting point is 00:05:48 so you're talking about a guy who if you would have come back to Wisconsin this year probably preseason all first team big 10 so he might be preseason all first team big 12 as well coming in this year he was also big 10 all tournament team now the year prior he was at St. John's where he averaged 8.8 points per game on lower volume, but shot 40.4% from three. So that's a perfect example. You know, maybe he's somewhere in between. Maybe he shoots three and a half threes per game, which would be in between the St. John Wisconsin days. And maybe he shoots between those two numbers, 36% from three. You'd be happy with that if you're KU, especially with what else he adds as a score. He ended up on the All-Big East freshman team. In their lone tournament game this year against James Madison, he had 13 points, only 5 of 14,

Starting point is 00:06:31 but that was right after he dominated in the Big Ten tournament. In the four games he played in the Big Ten tournament, he averaged 22.5 points per game, and of the team's 70 points that they had in a win over Northwestern, he had almost half of them. He had 30. So he was killer in that tournament setting. He actually played against Kansas for the Bahamian national team when they went down there in Puerto Rico, and he averaged 15 points and five rebounds per game in the two meetings.

Starting point is 00:06:56 So had some success there. I'm sure that was maybe the start for Bill's up being like, oh, who's this kid, right? Things that stick out about his statistic profile, some of the deeper analytic numbers, whatever you want to talk about. Great foul changer, I guess is a way of putting it. He was top five in the Big Ten in avoiding fouls in Big Ten only games, and he was also top ten in Big Ten only games in drawing fouls.

Starting point is 00:07:20 Kansas didn't get to the free throw line a ton last year, but he does a good job avoiding fouls. He does a good job drawing fouls. Against Ken Palm top 50 opponents, he upped his three-point percentage to 37% in 17 games this year. And for his two-year career in 30 games against Ken Palm top 50 opponents, he shot 38% from three. So he brings his game up when he's playing the better opponents.

Starting point is 00:07:41 He ranked in the 62nd percentile on defense, according to Synergy, which that'll play. If you're talking about a kid who is a really good bucket getter, you're just asking for him to be an average above average defender. Well, he was above average at Wisconsin. Now he was only 11th percentile at St. John's. So is part of that the Wisconsin scheme that they were able to make up for some stuff, or is it improvement? If you can just get him to be an average above average defender, I think you're happy with it uh and i will say and i i don't know what benefits him better playing against threes or playing against fours but i think at kansas he will play some four which maybe that'll help the defense because you're going up against maybe uh not as athletic

Starting point is 00:08:16 like wing guard types i don't know uh 64th percentile and spot up shooting so above average spot up shooting 70th is a pick and roll ball handler, so he can initiate a scoring job. 76 percentile in transition, he has a power wing. Kansas likes to have wings that can grab and go. AJ Stork can do just that. Only 38th percentile in handoffs. He was 90th percentile as a cutter. That'll work well off the ball with Hunter Dickinson presumably back and DeJuan Harris.

Starting point is 00:08:40 Only 21st percentile in posting up. We've seen Bill Self like to do that with bigger wings. Maybe not as much with, with store here, 61st percentile and catch and shoot where he was 35% from three on catch and shoot opportunities, which he's going to be asked to do more of at Kansas. So that's a better percentage than the 32 also 59th percentile and dribble jumpers. So he can get his own shot above average at that, off the dribble. He was only five of 25. That's eight percentile in

Starting point is 00:09:05 runners. So that's something that you want to kind of avoid him shooting those little floaters and runners and everything. But per CBB analytics, he was in the 73rd percentile at the rim where he shot 64%. So really good at the rim, but he was only 36th percentile in the paint twos. So twos that were in the paint, but outside of four and a half feet so really good at the rim not as good on those floaters which kind of goes into that um but he was 60th percentile mid-range twos he shot a lot of those so you know uh that'll be something to keep an eye on and then uh 30 almost 31 percent on above the break threes 43 percent on corner threes which kansas can take advantage of that with same side actions when you get 100 against in the ball in the post and have him in the corner.

Starting point is 00:09:48 That was 74th percentile in the country. So let's get to how he fits with KU and what it means for the rest of the offseason on this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. I've been told I'm a competitive person. And I have a competitive side and my competitive side is a big fan of Monopoly Go. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's been downloaded over 150 million times. It's a great twist on Monopoly where you play on not one,

Starting point is 00:10:14 but hundreds of Monopoly boards and crazy locations, building up amazing cities that bring you big money. But the best part is messing with your friends. You can charge them rent on your iconic properties, just like in classic Monopoly. But now you can also heist their vaults of riches. That's a new feature. Then the original board game and the leader's boards

Starting point is 00:10:33 show me who is the biggest Monopoly tycoon. But it's not just the competitive side that loves it. You can team up with friends too, and people all around the world in timed tournaments to earn huge rewards. So get in the game and join your friends. Download Monopoly Go now free on the App Store or Play Store today. This episode is also brought to you by eBay Motors.

Starting point is 00:10:55 Passion, drive, and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance. Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has got you covered. With over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die, you'll always find exactly what you're looking for. That's how Bill Self feels in the transfer port.

Starting point is 00:11:17 He's like, oh, I found AJ Store, Riley Kugel, Zeke Mayo. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, your parts guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back. I wish Bill Self, I'm sure he wishes that he had that part, though. Because with eBay Motors, you're burning rubber, not cash. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home that huge win. Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

Starting point is 00:11:39 eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to U.S. customers. Okay, how does AJ Store fit in with the roster? Well, let's talk scholarships first of all. So Kansas right now, they were at 12 scholarship players, then Johnny Furphy declared for the draft, now AJ Storr comes in. So theoretically, if Furphy stays in the NBA, you'd still be at 12 scholarships with AJ Storr coming in. Kansas is in a position where they can play this year with 12 scholarships, or they can play with 13 scholarships because they still have to get rid of one due to the NCAA penalty, but they could do that next year or this year. So point being, you know, even if Johnny Furphy is like, Oh,

Starting point is 00:12:18 I want to come back now, then they just have 13 scholarship players and it would be fine. And it also allows you to be like, Oh, we have 12. If we think Furphy's still in the draft, you can still bring on Ryland Griffin, right? You can still bring on some of these guys and play with 13. And hypothetically, honestly, even if you get to a point where it's like, oh, we need to have a 14th scholarship and that doesn't exist. There was just an article written in the athletic. And this is something that was only a matter of time before teams took advantage of talking about some teams like Michigan and I think Nebraska and some other schools that basically in football are basically saying, Hey, we don't want to have to cut a kid

Starting point is 00:12:49 or we don't want to have to force a kid out the door. And, um, we would need an 86th or 87th scholarship in football. We'll just pay them an NIL that they can cover their, their school money. That is already happening now. There's no reason Kansas couldn't do that in basketball as well. But, um, you know, we've, we've talked about it with every commitment KU's had so far in the transfer portal. KU is looking for scoring creation, shooting, and versatility. Yes, they're looking for defense as well. And I think all these moves have been more offense-centered, the defense. I don't think they've been like negatives to defense. I think Zeke Mayo probably profiles to being a below average to average defender. I think Riley Kugel, probably same thing.

Starting point is 00:13:25 I think with Storr, maybe average to above average defender. But it's not like you're bringing on just a bad defender necessarily. But you have added a ton of scoring creation, shooting, and that versatility. Mayo can play the one and the two, give you another ball handler. Kugel can play the two and the three, maybe even the one in the pinch, maybe even a four in the two, give you another ball handler. Kugel can play, you know, the two and the three, maybe even the one in the pinch, maybe even a four in the pinch. If you can land Ryland Griffin, like he accomplishes a bit of playing the two and the three. AJ Storr can play the three and the four and gives you versatility to where, you know, you really felt like KJ Adams was really your only

Starting point is 00:13:58 true four man on the roster. It's like, well, Zach Clements, maybe he could play there, but he's more of a center. And it's like, well, Kugel maybe could play there in a pinch, but he's still only 6'5". And it's like, okay, now AJ Storr can play the four, and you feel fine with that being the case, right? And you have KJ Adams, but it's like, who else is going to play there? Maybe Rukis Passmore. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:14:16 But now you have that with AJ Storr. And the shooting was about average in terms of efficiency at Wisconsin, but with more good players at Kansas, the efficiency can go up in another year. Like he's just going to be better. So basically every addition that Kansas has made has added players who can either shoot and space the floor or create their own shot or both. Like in the case of Zeke Mayo, he can shoot, he can create his own shot. You look at Riley Kugel. When he's right, he can shoot the basketball, but he at the very least can create his own shot. AJ Storr creates his own shot. And I mentioned this earlier on a show with Nick Short that like, this is not the exact player. I'm not saying he's

Starting point is 00:14:55 going to come in and be this guy who was, you know, first team All-American. So I don't mean it from that. I just mean game style. When you're looking at like Rylan Griffin, who they're recruiting from Alabama, his game style is more of an Ochagbashi. He's going to hurt you from three-point range, but he can every now and then on a straight line drive throw down a dunk or something like that. And there's other things that are very different about Griffin versus Bajie. And again, I'm not saying Griffin's going to do what Ochagbashi did, just the style of play. Whereas the style of play more of AJ Storr is more like a Jalen Wilson, kind of a power wing who can create his own shots. It might not always be the most efficient, but sometimes you need somebody to take those tough shots when the shot clock is winding down, when the defense knows that you have to take the shot. And yes, that's going to be less efficient than a wide open three somebody gets. But sometimes when you're playing good teams, you're not going to get the wide open shots. You need somebody who can hit the tough shots late in a shot clock. Like Devante Graham

Starting point is 00:15:44 shot like 39% on two point shots or something like that is last year. They shot well from three. He created shots. He created shots for others, right? He created spacing and gravity. And that's the types of things that all of these additions add for Kansas. So it is a great fit stylistically. It is completely overhauled the style of play and the type of team this can be. It is completely changed what this offense to be. I mean, this was the worst offense of the Bill Self era, according to Ken Palm. It ranked 59th in the country. You know, you had to overhaul the offense. And Kansas certainly has done that with these three additions who figure to play a ton of minutes.

Starting point is 00:16:21 I think there's going to be a fun conversation. Who's going to lead this team in scoring? Do you have a lot of options? But, you know, as far as where he's going to play, I mentioned minutes. I think there's going to be a fun conversation. Who's going to lead this team in scoring? Cause you have a lot of options, but you know, as far as where he's going to play, I mentioned the three and the four, he actually played like all of his minutes. There was like a, you know, a few here, there that he played the four at Wisconsin, but they play two bigs with Crowell and wall. Now, I guess technically you'd say Kansas does a lot the same too with KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson. I don't think they'll do it as much this year as they did last year, but they'll probably still do it. So they're still going

Starting point is 00:16:49 to see store at the three, but I think you're going to see store at the four a lot too. And I think that versatility is really cool that you could have a lineup with like, let's say, you know, DeJuan Harris next to Zeke Mayo and Riley Kugel or Ryland Griffin, if you can bring him on, or there's this Kobe Brackett kid if you can bring him on from Dayton or something. We have all this shooting, and then A.J. Storrs at the 4, and Hunter Dickinson's at the 5. That is a lethal offensive lineup. And then if you need defense, you throw in K.J. Adams at the 4

Starting point is 00:17:13 to close out a game. There's a lot that Kansas can do with their lineups, and I think that's really cool. And it's pretty wild how much Kansas has added to the shooting, to the shot creation, to the athleticism. Kansas went last year where it was like, especially when Kevin McCuller was out with injury, where it was like, hey, if the shot creation, to the athleticism. Kansas went last year where it was like, especially when Kevin McCullough was out with injury, where it was like, hey, if the shot clock's winding down, who's going to take the tough shot? That's not really what

Starting point is 00:17:33 DeJuan Harris is going to do. Nick Timberlake was obviously so up and down and he wasn't really a shot creator. He was more of a try to get him an open shot and hope that he makes it. Marco Jackson, still trying to work things out. I think when El Marco was right, when he had some cool highlights, he actually was kind of able to create his own shot, like in the mid range and hit it just, that was far from consistent. And there weren't a ton more than just flashes there, but, um, you know, Furphy as great of a transition player and three point shooter as he was for Kansas, wasn't somebody who was creating his own shot, you know, necessarily Hunter Dickinson could create his own shot from a post perspective. But what happens when a team double teams you at the end of a shot clock or something? And then it's like, okay, somebody

Starting point is 00:18:12 else has to do it. Right. Zeke Mayo can do that. AJ store can do that. You know, Riley Kugel when he's right. You look at the freshman version of Riley Kugel. I mean, he still did it as a sophomore. It just wasn't as efficient. He can do that. And there's a good chance that, you know, you're going to have two of those guys on the court like at all times. You know, there's going to be some times where maybe all three are on the court when you look at different rotations. And now you have multiple of those guys at the same time. After last year, it stretches.

Starting point is 00:18:40 Not really having any of them. So very big addition for Kansas. Let's talk to what's next and how this affects the rest of the offseason for ku first this episode is brought to you by game time now an authorized ticket marketplace of major league baseball which makes getting tickets even faster and easier prices on game time app actually go down the closer it gets to first pitch they have killer last minute dealsin prices, views from your seat, and their lowest-price guarantee allows GameTime to take the guesswork out of buying MLB tickets.

Starting point is 00:19:13 You can get their flash deals, zone deals. They're easy to find and buy MLB tickets for every kind of event in your area. You can view from all seats in the venue. Maybe you've never been to the stadium before. Well, you can see what the seat view looks like. And they have their lowest price guarantee, event cancellation protection, job loss protection, and

Starting point is 00:19:29 more. And it's a panoramic view of the seat view, by the way, when you can see it. And you can also click on the little toggle button that allows you to see it with the ticket fees included, which is nice because then you're not getting blindsided what the price is going to be. And you can even have $20 off. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime.

Starting point is 00:19:47 Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-C-O-L-L-E-G-E. It's all one word. For $20 off, download the GameTime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed.

Starting point is 00:20:08 All right, how this affects and what's next for KU? Well, it sounds like they're having some visitors this weekend with Darius Acuff Jr., who is a five-star recruit, but that's for 2025, and Rylan Griffin, who's the transfer from Alabama. They already had an in-home with him. This does not eliminate them going after Rylan Griffin. Again, hypothetically, they have one scholarship open open that could be Furphy that could be Ryland Griffin they could just not use it or like I said you can buy your way to another scholarship

Starting point is 00:20:31 player could always leave if you bring in Ryland Griffin maybe that does make it more likely that a player leaves and transfers away because then there's even less minutes to be at I don't know point being you add the player and you almost figure it out later and and Griffin I would almost argue like I think in a vacuum, AJ Storrs, a better player, has a better chance to end up on like an all-conference team than maybe Rylan Griffin does. But Rylan Griffin, I was almost thinking was a better fit for the team. And I almost viewed it the same way now because you can never have enough shooting.

Starting point is 00:20:59 Like, you're never like, hey, this guy is like an elite three-point shooter. I just don't know where he fits in in today's, you know, version of basketball. This doesn't happen. So like, yes, you can still bring on Rylan Griffin. You could still have both Griffin and Stor start, hypothetically. So this does not affect that. Maybe this is more indicative that Furphy is more leaning toward being gone, but again, not necessarily because of the scholarship stuff. And, you know, hypothetically, you could even have, let's say you landed Rylan Griffin and Furphy came back and then somebody transferred away and you were flush out on scholarships there. You could still have a starting lineup with, with Furphy at the four and store at the three. And I don't know, I guess, hypothetically they're like Griffin at the two

Starting point is 00:21:35 and DeJuan at the one and having Mayo and Kugel come off the bench. I don't know. But I guess point being, it could be, you know, far from over for what Kansas is recruiting. Then again, you wrap up Griffin this weekend on the visit, is Kansas' offseason done at that point in time? Or does that lead to more dominoes falling with players kind of transferring away? But point being, it's not done yet, but it gets them a step closer. And it almost makes me feel like, as far as the offseason goes, maybe this makes it more likely that KJ Adams is coming off the bench.

Starting point is 00:22:13 Again, I'm not necessarily saying that's the case. I think maybe that's more of a 50-50 proposition, whether he starts or not. I do think KJ is still going to play starter-level minutes, whether he comes off the bench or not. But are they going to play less two-big basketball than they did last year? Yes. I think that is going to happen. Now, how much is that? Is that 10 minutes a game? Is that 20 minutes a game? Is it 25 instead of 35 a game? I don't know. I don't have the answer to that, but yeah, point being more to come in the off season and Bill Self is a madman and this off season has been pretty crazy for KU to say the least.

Starting point is 00:22:40 All right. We'll talk more about if Ryland Griffin, anything happens there. We'll talk about the Darius Acuff junior visit. At some point we'll get some more KU to say the least. All right, we'll talk more about if Ryland Griffin, anything happens there. We'll talk about the Darius Acuff Jr. visit. At some point, we'll get some more KU football content. Plenty more to come at you, so make sure you subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts, including on our YouTube page. We'll see you next time with LOJ.

Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Gets Commit From Wisconsin Transfer AJ Storr

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.