With Devonte’ Graham going down with a partially torn quad tendon, Kansas head coach Bill Self stated that he wanted to add another guard to his roster in advance of next month’s World University Games in South Korea. Saturday the coach did just that, with FGCU senior guard Julian DeBose being the addition according to the Lawrence Journal-World.
DeBose, who plays for former Kansas assistant Joe Dooley, averaged 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Eagles in 2014-15. The 6-foot-4 guard shot 43.1 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from beyond the arc last season, and his addition gives the team some additional depth on the perimeter.“He’s a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who has been playing for Joe so he understands at least in theory what we are trying to do both offensively and defensively, Self told the Journal-World.
“Joe wanted us to take him all along,” Self added. “We decided to take our guys plus Nic (Moore, SMU). Then when Devonté got hurt (quad injury) we obviously needed to add somebody. He’ll be here today and be involved in everything starting tomorrow.”
With Graham and Brannen Greene (hip) out due to injury and Svi Mykhailiuk (Ukraine) unavailable, Self was in a position where he needed to add another piece on the perimeter for this trip. DeBose joins Moore, Frank Mason, Wayne Selden, LeGerald Vick, Evan Manning and Tyler Self as the guards headed to South Korea.
Before heading abroad the Jayhawks will play two exhibition games against Canada, the first of which being scheduled for Tuesday night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.