LAWRENCE — After much speculation, Kansas basketball freshman guard Johnny Furphy will declare for the 2024 NBA draft.
Furphy revealed the news Tuesday through a social media post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on his team’s account. He becomes the first Jayhawks player who could leave early for the professional ranks from this past season’s team to do so. And he did so while leaving the door open to the possibility of returning for his sophomore year, as he’s maintaining his college eligibility.
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“I am so grateful to coach (Bill) Self and the whole team at KU for the opportunity they gave me to be a part of this incredible program,” Furphy said, in part, in a statement. “From moving to a new country, to participating in the NCAA tournament, this year has flown by faster than I could have ever imagined. I love my teammates and am so proud of everything we accomplished this season. Everyone at Kansas has made me feel at home. What I have learned at Kansas has changed the way I think about basketball, and no matter what happens from here, I’ll always be a Jayhawk. Thank you and Rock Chalk!”
At first it appeared Furphy might need a couple of years before he’d be ready to make the jump to the professional ranks, but he became a starter during his freshman season with Kansas. He started 19 of the 33 games he appeared in, while averaging 24.1 minutes per game. He also averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as he established himself as one of the best freshman talents in the Big 12 Conference.
Furphy is a potential first round pick, according to numerous mock drafts in recent months, due to his size, athleticism and ability to hit shots from the perimeter. Furphy, who’s an international prospect from Australia, is listed by the Jayhawks at 6-foot-9 and 202 pounds. He hit more 3s than any of his Kansas teammates this past season, finishing at 44-for-125 (35.2%) from behind the arc.
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.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Could Kansas basketball guard Johnny Furphy be a one-and-done talent?
