Here’s why Johnny Furphy’s performance against Cincinnati mattered more than usual

LAWRENCE — Johnny Furphy didn’t burst onto the scene with Kansas basketball on Monday.

Furphy has had big games before. Earlier this month even, on the road in Big 12 Conference play against Oklahoma State, the freshman guard thrived in a blowout victory. Jayhawks coach Bill Self’s decision to insert him back into the starting lineup during Big 12 play has helped allow the newcomer to showcase the potential he’d exhibited through the initial months of his KU career.

But what Furphy accomplished Monday, in what became a 74-69 win at home against Cincinnati, mattered more than usual. It mattered more than a player’s first career double-double — a 23-point and 11-rebound night — might on its own. Because Furphy, an international prospect from Australia, had his parents in the crowd inside Allen Fieldhouse.

“This was their first home game, so I was happy they could experience that because I’ve been telling them a lot about the Fieldhouse and, obviously, Kansas basketball,” Furphy said. “But, yeah, I’m happy they got to see a win.”

Furphy went on to explain that there’s an energy that arises when Kansas (16-3, 4-2 in Big 12) plays at home in Lawrence, a certain level of noise, that one can’t fully comprehend until it all plays out in front of them. It was special, then, that the victory also came in front of a packed arena. It’s something he thinks his parents will remember for a long time.

Furphy didn’t just lead the Jayhawks in points against the Bearcats (13-6, 2-4 in Big 12), he also sparked a fast start for his side. As Self pointed out, Furphy proved to be a bright spot early in the second half as well. There were times Furphy was the best player on the court, in a game that featured two potential All-Americans on Kansas’ roster in senior center Hunter Dickinson and graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr.

Self even wants Furphy to be someone they look to as a scorer more than they already are. Redshirt senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. mentioned Furphy’s aggressiveness is part of why they want him in the starting lineup. From Furphy’s perspective, that gives him the license to do something like go after offensive rebounds as much as possible.

“(Furphy)’s still getting comfortable, and coach is going to be on him about being aggressive like he just said,” Harris said. “He’s just got to keep being him. He came in as a big player and he’s got to keep that edge up. And I’ll make — try to get him good shots, (McCullar) too, he’s just got to step up and make the shot and that’s what he did today.”

Furphy may not be leading the Jayhawks in scoring or rebounding. The 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds he’s averaging per game don’t pop off a stat sheet like Dickinson’s 18.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, or McCullar’s 20 points and 6.3 rebounds. But Furphy is helping Kansas become the next version of itself, and exceeding Self’s expectations along the way.

There could be rough patches ahead, especially in a conference as talented and deep as the Big 12. Just look at the Jayhawks’ next game for their next challenge, a matchup Saturday on the road at No. 18 Iowa State. But Furphy’s met challenges before in a Kansas uniform, and his ability to do so Monday led to praise from Cincinnati coach Wes Miller after the game.

“They converted those turnovers to easy baskets and he got quite a few of those,” Miller said about Furphy. “Then he gets a couple 3s — I thought the last 3 he hit was a dagger. You play a pretty good possession, I thought we went gambling for one we shouldn’t, and then he makes one with one second on the shot clock. It’s a big time shot. It was a frustrating possession for our team, because I thought if we stayed in a little better position we don’t give that one up. But he’s a terrific young player, shoots the ball really, really well.”

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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: Here’s why Johnny Furphy’s performance against Cincinnati mattered