Kansas basketball announces official singing of Alabama transfer guard Rylan Griffen
LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball got better Friday with its signing of Alabama transfer guard Rylan Griffen.
The Jayhawks, who announced the news shortly after Griffen’s commitment became public, have now signed three transfers to their recruiting class. The other two are Wisconsin’s AJ Storr and South Dakota State’s Zeke Mayo. And while Florida’s Riley Kugel has yet to sign, although he’s already committed, if he does that will add to the expectations building in Lawrence.
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“Rylan’s won everywhere he’s been,” KU head coach Bill Self said in a release. “He’s a solid shooter, making 39 percent from three-point range on last season’s Final Four team at Alabama. He’s also a solid defender, often guarding the best perimeter player on the opposing team. Rylan fits our system well.”
Griffen helped lead Alabama to the Final Four this past season. The Crimson Tide fell short of making the national championship game, losing to eventual winner UConn, but still enjoyed a successful campaign. During it, Griffen started 33 of this 36 appearances and averaged 26.3 minutes, 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Griffen, a sophomore this past season, has played in 71 games over the course of his college career.
Overall, he’s averaged 21.2 minutes, 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. With improved performance from his first year to his second, he’s going to arrive at Kansas with a 35.4% shooting mark from behind the arc — a welcomed addition for a team that needed perimeter shooting.
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 signs Alabama transfer guard Rylan Griffen
