Kansas basketball coach Bill Self reflects on season, Gonzaga loss
Check out what Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had to say recently after the Jayhawks’ season ended with a NCAA tournament loss against Gonzaga.
LAWRENCE — Johnny Furphy has made the choice to remain in the 2024 NBA draft, he announced Wednesday through the Kansas basketball program.
Furphy’s decision, which was revealed on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The Kansas basketball standout emerged as one of the Jayhawks’ best players over the course of his freshman year with the program. His stellar play, along with his size, athleticism, 3-point shooting ability and upside, helped him rise up mock drafts to the point there’s a high likelihood he’ll be a first round selection when the draft is held in late June.
“Playing in the NBA has always been a lifetime goal of mine,” Furphy said in the social media post. “With that, I’ve decided that now is the time to pursue that dream. I can’t say thank you enough to coach Self, the entire coaching staff, and every single person associated with our basketball program. I have the most amazing teammates I could have ever asked for and I want to wish them the best of luck going forward. And to Jayhawk nation, thank you for being the greatest fan base in the world. Rock Chalk.”
Although Furphy’s lone season with Kansas didn’t see the Jayhawks enjoy the team success the program is used to seeing, injuries and more played a significant role in that and not Furphy. After beginning the season as more of an option off the bench, the Australia native became a starter. Furphy ended up starting 19 of the 33 games he played in. He averaged 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
Furphy finished the season 44-for-125 (35.2%) from behind the arc, which could be argued as the team’s best 3-point shooting performance given how many he attempted. His season-high of 23 points came during a win at home against Cincinnati in January, when he shot 7-for-8 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 6-for-9 from the free-throw line — in addition to collecting 11 rebounds for a double-double. He also had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists when Kansas beat Samford in the round of 64 of the NCAA tournament.
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.