LAURENT, Kan. – Kevin McCullar Jr. has announced he will return to Kansas for the 2023-24 season. After the 2022-23 season, McCullar declared for the NBA Draft and competed in the recent NBA Combine, but he opted to return to Kansas for his final year of eligibility.
“How about one more year in the Jayhawk Nation,” McCullar said. “To be able to play in front of the best fans in the country; playing for the best coach in the country, I truly believe we have the pieces to hang another banner in the Phog. Rock chalk! Let’s do it!”
McCullar (6-foot-6, 210 pounds) was a redshirt senior at Kansas in 2022-23 after transferring from Texas Tech. A three-time All-Big 12 draftee, the San Antonio guard is a two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semi-finalist in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
“Kevin went through the pre-draft process, which is designed to do exactly what he did,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “Although he has improved his status as an NBA prospect, there is still work to be done and he has informed us that he will be returning to Kansas for his senior year of college.”
Last season at Kansas, McCullar started 33 of 34 games played, averaged 10.7 points per game and finished fourth in the Big 12 with a 7.0 rebound average. McCullar finished fourth in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally with 2.0 steals per game, while often guarding the opposition’s leading scorer. He was the only player in the league to rank in the Big 12’s top five in rebound and steal average. Additionally, McCullar’s seven double-doubles finished third in the Big 12.
“It’s a great day for Kansas basketball,” Self said. “We had a lot of good things recruiting this offseason, but nothing that happened this offseason was more important to KU basketball than the return of a seasoned veteran like Kevin McCullar to our program. “
A three-time Academic All-Big 12 draft pick, McCullar has played in 112 career games with 82 all-time starts. He had 1,040 points, 589 rebounds, 231 assists and 178 steals for his career. Additionally, McCullar received her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences from Kansas in May 2023.
“Kevin is not just a great player, but a great teammate,” Self said. “He has settled in so well the first year and we are excited about what he will do with our program from a leadership perspective.”
KEVIN MCCULLAR JR. CAREER HONORS (2023 at Kansas)
All Big 12 Third Team (2023)
All-Defensive Big 12 Team (2023)
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semi-Finalist (2023)
Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2022)
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semi-Finalist (2022)
All-Big 12 Academic First Team (2022)
Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2021)
All-Big 12 Academic First Team (2021)
All-Big 12 Academic First Team (2020)