Kansas Basketball Transfer Portal: Jayhawks Miss Out on Isaiah Johnson, Kameron Taylor, and Dai Dai Ames

Three players are now off the board for head coach Bill Self and the Kansas basketball coaching staff as a trio of guards are no longer considering the Jayhawks.

UNC Asheville star guard Kameron Taylor was due to visit KU this weekend but decided to cancel and no longer has the Jayhawks on his list of schools for this upcoming season, according to Shreyas Laddha of the Kansas City Star. Laddha said no reason was given for the cancellation.

Taylor was named First Team All-Big South this past season after leading the league in scoring with an average of 18.9 points per game. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, making him one of the more coveted players in the portal this offseason.

He’s reportedly now considering Florida State, Indiana, Texas A&M, and others. On3.com has him currently ranked as the No. 99 player available.

Cal transfer guard Dai Dai Ames was scheduled to visit KU on Monday but committed to Tennessee following a visit to Knoxville on Friday. The 6-foot-1 junior averaged 16.9 points for the Bears this year and was ranked as the No. 88 transfer available.

Colorado freshman transfer Isaiah Johnson was perhaps the biggest recruiting target at the guard spot for the Kansas coaching staff, but he has since chosen to commit to Texas before the Jayhawks could even get him on campus for a visit.

Johnson announced the news via Instagram on Saturday during his visit to Austin.

He averaged 16.9 points and 3.0 assists during his freshman year at Colorado this past season and immediately became one of the most sought-after prospects once he entered his name into the transfer portal earlier this week. On3 ranked him as the No. 11 player available out of more than 2,000 players who have entered their names into the portal.

Where Does Kansas Go from Here?

Despite the setback, the Jayhawks are still reportedly in the mix for some of the top guards in the portal, including VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr.

The 6-foot-3 point guard was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 15.0 points per game for the Rams this season on 46.6% shooting from the field and 37% from 3-point range.

Hill really put himself on the map with a pair of stellar performances in the NCAA Tournament after scoring 34 points in the Rams’ (No. 11 seed) upset win over No. 6 seed North Carolina in the first round. Hill shot 13-of-23 (56.5%) from the field and 7-of-10 (70%) from behind the arc and racked up five rebounds and five assists to help give the Rams the 82-78 victory.

He followed that up with 17 points and seven rebounds versus eventual Final Four contestant Illinois (No. 3 seed) in the second round. On3 rates him as the No. 23 transfer available.

Another player to watch is Utah transfer Terrence Brown. The 6-foot-3 junior transfer was the third leading scorer in the Big 12 this year with 19.9 points per game and has already held a Zoom call with the KU coaching staff. The No. 40 rated transfer is expected to visit Lawrence early this week.