[autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] center Ernest Udeh enters the transfer portal just days after Bill Self picked up a commitment from Michigan transfer center Hunter Dickinson. It was first reported by college basketball reporter and recruiting guru Andrew Slater on Twitter.
Udeh was a composite high-four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class and a consensus top-50 prospect. ESPN had him the highest rated of any recruiting service, ranking him No. 23 nationally as well as the nation’s sixth-best center and the sixth-best player in the state of Florida.
As a true freshman for the Jayhawks, Udeh played in 30 games for the program as a rotational piece. The 6-foot-11 center only averaged 8.3 minutes in a contest. For the season, he was extremely effective from the field, making 34-of-45 field goal opportunities but did struggle from the free-throw line making just 9-of-22 attempts.
Udeh also totaled 53 rebounds, 20 steals, and 18 blocks in just 249 minutes played. While he didn’t see a ton of time on the court, when he was on the court, he showed the potential that made him one of the top players in the 2022 recruiting cycle.
6’11” Ernest Udeh @ernestudehjr , a McDonald’s AA for @SE_Elite_3SSB & @drphillipshoops, has entered the transfer portal, per source. As a freshman, the Orlando native led Kansas in FG % (76%). Udeh will be one of the more sought after bigs. https://t.co/NqPi4acYc1 pic.twitter.com/y2Okbxau1f
— 𝒜𝓃𝒹𝓇ℯ𝓌 𝒮𝓁𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇 (@Andrew__Slater) May 11, 2023
With the help of Udeh, the Jayhawks went 28-8 including 13-5 in conference play to win a Big 12 Regular Season Championship. They would earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 16 Howard in the first round before falling to No. 8 Arkansas in the Round of 32.
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