Bill Self: Johnny Furphy, Kevin McCullar Jr. could play in Kansas basketball exhibition
LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball’s preparation for the 2023-24 season continues Wednesday with an exhibition game at home against Fort Hays State.
Although the Jayhawks are coming off of a loss in an exhibition game this past Sunday at Illinois, spirits still seemed high Tuesday. Both Kansas coach Bill Self and graduate senior guard Nicolas Timberlake appeared eager for another opportunity for the team to test where it’s at before the season opener.
Here are three things to think about before the scheduled 7 p.m. Wednesday tip-off inside Allen Fieldhouse:
It’ll be the first chance for this team to play a game in front of a home crowd
Kansas was in Allen Fieldhouse for Late Night in the Phog in early October. So, Wednesday’s exhibition game won’t be the first time the Jayhawks have been in there with fans. But what they did during Late Night in the Phog was an intra-squad scrimmage, one they admittedly didn’t take as seriously as they could have.
For Timberlake, it’s a chance to see another glimpse of what Allen Fieldhouse is like with fans in a competitive setting before the season starts up. As a transfer from Towson, he still has yet to play in his first home game at Kansas. So, he’s looking forward to it.
“I thought Late Night was a great experience, and then hearing from everyone that that was nothing compared to a home game?” Timberlake said. “So, I’m even more excited to see what it’s actually like on a game day.”
Johnny Furphy could play against Fort Hays State
Freshman guard Johnny Furphy didn’t play in the exhibition against Illinois as he continues to recover from shin splints. But, according to Self, the newcomer could play Wednesday against Fort Hays State. It would be with restrictions, of course, but that’s the hope.
And Self noted that Furphy will practice some Tuesday, too.
“He’s going to be really special for us — 6-8, 6-9, can do pretty much everything, rebound, defend, he can shoot it, he’s pretty athletic,” Timberlake said about Furphy. “So, just, whenever he gets healthy he’s going to be a problem for us. That’s for sure.”
Timberlake views Furphy as someone he’s battling for a starting spot with. Self referred to Furphy as someone who could play 15-to-20 minutes per game this season — if healthy. Come next week, which has home games against North Carolina Central and Manhattan, Self’s goal is that Furphy will be in a position to play meaningful minutes if needed.
Apparently, what Furphy is dealing with has been bothering him for more than a year now.
Kevin McCullar Jr. could play against Fort Hays State
There was a moment against Illinois when it looked as if graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. had suffered either an injury to his head and neck, or a lower-leg injury — if not both. In that moment, one could have ventured to guess that McCullar might not play a few days later against Fort Hays State — just out of an abundance of caution. But the tune from Self was less worrisome postgame last Sunday, and Tuesday there was even a nod to the likelihood that McCullar would play Wednesday.
“I’ve been around Kevin a lot and he’s been sore a lot of days before games and somehow miraculously has recovered to participate in the games,” said Self, who referred to what McCullar is dealing with as whiplash. “So, I’m hopeful that’ll be the case.”
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball exhibition: Bill Self previews Fort Hays State game
