Bill Self gives emotional response to Kevin McCullar's return to Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks basketball has enjoyed another solid offseason under head coach Bill Self. Kansas recruited well, bringing in the 10th-best class in the country in 2023, according to On3’s Industry Rankings. But arguably, the best news for the program came courtesy of the NBA draft. Jayhawks wing Kevin McCullar Jr. recently announced that he would withdraw his name from the 2023 NBA Draft and return to Kansas next season.

Plenty of individuals are excited about McCullar’s return to the program. But it would be difficult to find someone more excited than Self. Following the news of McCullar’s return to the Jayhawks, Self had this to say.

“This is a big day for Kansas basketball. We’ve had a lot of good things happen through recruiting this offseason, but nothing that has transpired this off season was bigger for KU basketball than having a seasoned veteran like Kevin McCullar returned to our program,” said Self.

McCullar transferred to Kansas from Texas Tech and was one of the anchors of the Jayhawks’ defense this year. He was named to the Big 12 All-Defense Team after averaging 2.0 steals per game, second on the team only to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Dajuan Harris. He was also a big part of the offense, averaging 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. McCullar returns to Kanas to exhaust his last and final year of college eligibility and try to add to Kansas and Self’s number of championships.

McCullar announced his return to the program late in the month of May, via an announcement from the Jayhawks’ official Twitter. Just like Michael Jordan, the announcement simply said, “I’m back.” It’ll be a boost to the 2022 national champions as they embark on their quest to take home the 2024 title.

Last season, he had 10.7 points per game, seven rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game and shot 44.4% from the floor and 29.6% from three-point range.

As a member of the 2019 recruiting class, McCullar was a three-star prospect out of San Antonio, Tx, where he played ball at Karen Wagner High. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, McCullar was the No. 14 overall prospect in the state, the No. 29 ranked shooting guard in the class and was the No. 145 overall prospect in the class.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this story