Kansas Jayhawks roll Puerto Rico Select team 106-71 in first of three overseas exhibitions
The Kansas Jayhawks had little trouble in their Puerto Rico debut Thursday, trouncing a Puerto Rican Select team 106-71 in their first of three games in the next week at Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum.
KU broke the game open earlier, dominating in a 25-7 first quarter and pulling ahead 54-34- by halftime. Kansas coach Bill Self kept most of his rotation players in until the Jayhawks broke 100 points in the waning moments of the game.
“I actually thought we played pretty well, obviously early,” Self said after the game. “We got out and they couldn’t get a shot off. We haven’t really worked on a lot of things defensively, but we’ve done some things offensively and I thought we shared the ball for the most part.”
Texas transfer Arterio Morris was named the game’s most valuable player by KU’s social media channels following the win. He scored a game-high 20 points in the win, also tallying five rebounds and five assists. K.J. Adams added 19 points on Thursday, while newcomers Hunter Dickinson and Elmarko Jackson poured in 13 each.
This was Jackson’s first action as a college basketball player, joining the 2023-24 Jayhawks as the highest-ranked player in their recruiting class. Dickinson, meanwhile, was making his Kansas debut after a high-profile transfer from Michigan this offseason.
The dominant victory for the Jayhawks came on the heels of a win earlier this week on the recruiting trail. On Wednesday, KU picked up a commitment from Australia’s Johnny Furphy, who will be a freshman this season and will join the team following the Puerto Rico trip.
Kansas has two games left during this trip, both of which will be against the Bahamian National Team on Saturday, Aug. 5 and Monday, Aug. 7. That team includes NBA players Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton, among others, and according to local reports they are expected to play in the aforementioned games. KU will stream the games on its website and its Facebook page.
