Apr 18, 2021

Kansas adds two more players to basketball roster

Posted Apr 18, 2021 4:16 PM

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Guard Bobby Pettiford has signed a financial aid agreement to play basketball at Kansas, KU head coach Bill Self announced Friday. Pettiford originally signed with Louisville in November 2020 but rescinded his letter and opened his recruitment in March 2021. Pettiford, a two-time all-state selection in North Carolina, will be a freshman at KU in 2021-22.

This past season, Pettiford (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) helped South Granville High School to a 12-4 record, averaging 19.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game under coach Jake Wohlfeil. A native of Durham, North Carolina, Pettiford’s performance earned him N.C. Basketball Coaches Association All-State honors and he was also named to the North Carolina roster for the 2021 Carolinas Classic All-Star Game. Due to health concerns associated with COVID-19, the 2021 Carolina Classic All-Star Game was cancelled.

Thursday the Jayhawks added Kyle Cuffe Jr., who signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Kansas. Cuffe will be a freshman at KU for 2021-22.

Cuffe is a combo guard who verbally committed to Kansas in December 2020 and has reclassified for 2021. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound, Toms River, New Jersey, native played for powerhouse Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, under coach Joe Mantegna and is known for his explosive athletic ability, toughness and scoring.

“Kyle is a young man that has great upside and the determination to be a great player,” Self said. “He’s an explosive athlete that makes plays on both ends of the floor. His father, Kyle Sr., was a great player at St. John’s and has been instrumental in Kyle’s development. He is already a well-prepared player coming from a powerhouse school like Blair Academy under the excellent tutelage of Joe Mantegna.”

Due to COVID-19, this past season Blair Academy played only two games and Cuffe averaged 25.0 points, scoring 28 and 22 points, respectively. In 2019-20, he averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Blair Academy posted a 24-3 record in 2019-20, was Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Champions and State Prep A runner-up. Cuffe was named to the 2020 All-MAPL team.

Kansas Athletics