http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article21438750.html ↗

HCBS reached out to his parents Which tells me he is going for the jugular on this one. But the Twitter chatter is completely KU at this moment! SWEET!

Overland Park Now ‏@overlandparknow · 33m33 minutes ago
Kansas eyeing former Providence center Paschal Chukwu as possible transfer option: Kansas coach Bill Self told The… http://dlvr.it/9tdqkN ↗

The Kansas City Star ‏@KCStar · 39m39 minutes ago
Kansas eyeing former Providence center Paschal Chukwu as possible transfer option: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article21438750.html#storylink=twt_staff ↗ …

Undercover Friar ‏@UndercoverFriar · 53m53 minutes ago
Kansas & Virginia have called about PC transfer Paschal Chukwu. He will have a long line of suitors in the next few days.

Recruit Hawk ‏@RecruitHawk · 1h1 hour ago
KU interested in Providence transfer 7'2 Center Paschal Chukwu. Would have to sit out a year but has multiple years of eligibility. #kubball

Daniel Cunningham ‏@DC4213 · 1h1 hour ago
KU has reached out to Paschal Chukwu... 7'2 center transferring from Providence! Would have to sit out but the potential is unreal #kubball

Philip Nelson Jr(PJ) ‏@pjsaturday63 · 2h2 hours ago
Kansas has reached out to 7 foot 2 Providence transfer, Paschal Chukwu. He'd be a perfect fit for Kansas. Again, he's 7 foot 2

JayhawkSlant ‏@JayhawkSlant · 2h2 hours ago  Olathe, KS

kubball has reached out to the father of Providence transfer Paschal Chukwu. 7-foot-2 big man has three years of eligibility remaining.

If I had to guess I would say this is who KU is going after to give their final scholarship! I will consult the psychic hotline and ask the true CB experts what the outcome will be with this situation? Stay tuned

@Statmachine Thanks for the recruiting update. WOW! This sounds as though it could be huge for the Jayhawks. Though he would sit out a year, I wonder if he would be eligible to play in the WUG. Or is he a foreigner? (Guess I had best read the articles....)

@Statmachine
Thanks Stat. Please let us know from the psychic hotline if he is another Embiid. 😀

I saw some things floating around about him but HEM's post on the Tevin Mack thread had me checking to see if there was anything connecting HCBS to this kid?

Big 12 Blog Network ‏@Big12Blogs · 12m12 minutes ago
Kansas eyeing former Providence center Paschal Chukwu as possible transfer option http://bit.ly/1R20sHI ↗ #jayhawks

I got COACH Embiid working on this guy for us!

Statmachine ‏@calanr · 1m1 minute ago
@JoelEmbiid can you lend KU a hand recruiting Paschal Chukwu PLEASE???

Just a discussion point, but would a true center like Chukwu on the roster compromise our ability to land Marques Bolden?

If HCBS can get Paschal Chukwu in the system for a whole year learning Self's playbook and building chemistry with his fellow KU teammates then I say Marques Bolden Who?

OMG, this would a huge catch for KU. I could see this kid becoming a beast for the team one day.

ESPN analysis on Chukwu from prior to his freshman season:

Strengths:
Chukwu's size and length are his most obvious assets, but he also has a great pair of feet for a guy his size, giving him outstanding agility and mobility to cover the court. He's an excellent shot-blocker whose ability to change direction only makes him that much more dangerous patrolling the paint and protecting the rim from wide radius's. He's also a diligent rebounder who is content to dominate a game on the defensive end. While he doesn't need a ton of touches to stay engaged, Chukwu has tools to work with in a soft touch, a passer's instinct, fairly good hands, and the ability to change ends of the floor.

Weaknesses:
Physical strength is his top priority right now. His lean body type and high center of gravity make it difficult for him to hold his position against contact at times. His defense is far ahead of his offense right now. He needs to become a more consistent finisher at the rim, establish a go-to move with his back to the basket, and begin to learn how to play pick and roll.

Bottom Line:
He needs to get stronger and develop his offensive game, but this is a seven-footer who can anchor your team defensively, will give you a diligent effort, and has tools to continue to develop in the years to come.

Why do we always think a kid would do best to come to Kansas? Because it's true -- at least in this case. Seems like a perfect fit for a kid that needs to get stronger, and then play in a system offensively and defensively that will highlight his abilities.

If you look at the teams he was interested in on Rivals, they all seem to be east coast -- farthest west team was Notre Dame.

I would love to land this kid. Can't teach height and KU's track record with 7 footers is probably unmatched.

That said, I really hate all of this transferring. It is amazing how prevalent this has become. Just pick a school and stick it out. It will be a good life lesson to put in some hard work.

@HawksWin I hope he's not another Embiid. I'd prefer someone who would stick around a while.

Michael Lickteig ‏@mhlickteig · 3m3 minutes ago

kubball KU should move quickly to bring in Paschal Chukwu. Let the Jayhawks help Chukwu the way they did Joel Embiid, Jeff withey, etc.

@nuleafjhawk look at it this way, if he isn't around long it was a great pickup. I'd rather him come in and have an amazing season and leave than him have 2-3 mediocre seasons.

I think HCBS could get any transfer he wants at this point. We have the WUG, Maui, then the over seas trip again next summer. After that is it Atlantis for next years November mini tourney?

@HighEliteMajor

If that's true then I'd rather have Bolden especially since we've put in considerable amount of recruiting into him.

@Kcmatt7 That's definitely one way to look at it. I'd personally prefer to have the players around 3+ seasons.

@BeddieKU23 Pass on Bolden and lock up Chukwu now! A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and there's no guarantee Bolden even comes to KU.

@Statmachine AMEN. and who's to say Bolden doesn't come here still? If he is thinking long-term we should still be considered regardless.

@Statmachine

"I will consult the psychic hotline"

I'll save you the trouble....

!CRYSTALBALLjayhawks.jpg ↗

@HighEliteMajor

"Just a discussion point, but would a true center like Chukwu on the roster compromise our ability to land Marques Bolden?"

I wouldn't be concerned with that. "One in the hand is worth two in the bush." I think Self learned his lesson when he backed off recruiting other big men after Tarc initially verbalized he was Kansas bound and flipped at the end.

And for those recruits that really really want to go to Kansas.... they can cement their status with an early LOI signing.

"Why do we always think a kid would do best to come to Kansas? Because it’s true – at least in this case. Seems like a perfect fit for a kid that needs to get stronger, and then play in a system offensively and defensively that will highlight his abilities."

We should only have to show him "before-after" video of Withey. Top it off with the same video format with JoJo. Then... ask for his commitment.

@drgnslayr I wish I could post that on 247 sports lol. I LOVE IT!!!

@Statmachine

My reasoning has to do more with recruiting the state of Texas. We've had discussion that Texas has a lot of good prospects every year but KU only seems to get 1 every once in a while. And we've whiffed on others in the past.

This 16 class we've spent considerable time recruiting Bolden, Ferguson, & Fox among others. We land 1 and its likely would could get them all.

3 kids we've taken underneath Smart's plate & others. Smart has already made a very favorable impression with Texas kids and that scares me the further these kids wait out decisions. Before he came, it was the same old pitch from Rick Barnes. Smart is bringing excitement, and his name resonates with young kids. It's not worth fighting for kids in North Carolina when the hometown school comes barking (Ingram & others) but with Texas we are much closer. No doubt that Chukwu could come here and become a good player but if it messes with Bolden and the others I'd rather not.

I still cant get over this picture
!CB.jpg ↗
I am going to photoshop this pic often! We need a KU buckets CB function with Buckets User voting function! I think that would bring Buckets to a whole new level!

@Statmachine

I can upload the image without anything in the middle so you can go to town on it every time we have a new possible recruit.

Here it is:

!crystal.jpg ↗

@drgnslayr Thanks!

@Statmachine A guy like that can be the game changer. HCBS should be all balls after this kid !!

Matt Scott ‏@KUTheShiver · 4h4 hours ago
7'2" transfer Paschal Chukwu loves what Coach Self is doing at Kansas #KUBBALL #VIP http://kansas.247sports.com/Article/Providence-transfer-Paschal-Chukwu-looking-at-Kansas-37366203 ↗ …

KU Recruit Insider ‏@KUHawkRecruit · 58m58 minutes ago
Paschal Chukwu is officially interested in #kubball. You have to think Bill Self uses the Jeff Withey transformation to his advantage.

@HighEliteMajor : Is Bolden a true center, or could he play PF while Chukwu is on the floor? Of course, both could progress faster than anticipated, but even 2 yrs of Chukwu and 2 or 3 of Bolden would be worth it, don't you think?

Talk about an absolute perfect recruit for our team. I was trying to use Chukwu in a sentence, and haven't come up with anything yet. Instead of calling the guys in the paint "BIGS", maybe we could call them "chukwus".

Don't you love it when we preemptively ID an ideal recruit & then Bill Self agrees with us and acts on it immediately? ;)

I think I'd rather have Johnathan Williams III honestly. Chukwu has a high ceiling, but if he's transferring because he didn't get minutes at Providence, there's no guarantee he would beat out senior Landen Lucas when Chukwu becomes eligible. JW3 is someone who's always wanted to come to KU and KU probably would've gone after Williams had they missed out on Embiid. Toughness and strength are the biggest questions about Chukwu and neither are a concern with Williams. Williams played the entire season on a torn meniscus and would have an entire season to heal from that. Williams is also a quality shot blocker (1.5 per game as a freshman when healthy) and could average double digit rebounds when he becomes eligible.

It basically comes down to which bigs Self feels good about landing in the 2016 and does he want a more proven commodity with a a lower ceiling against a kid that's not proven but has a higher ceiling? My personal preference in this case would be Williams because KU will need production in the front court in 2016-17 and Williams has proven for 2 years that he can be a quality player in a major conference.

So.... Uptown Chukwu up??? How'd that b . Haha

The consensus is ... go after Chukwa and hope we can get Bolden. @BeddieKU23 makes a pretty compelling case for Bolden. The bird in the hand thing is compelling too. But I REALLY like Bolden. Bolden looks exceptionally talented and has an array of low post moves -- that be skill for the uninitiated. Skill rules. Chukwa maybe not so much skill at the moment. @ajvan mentioned a good point ... whether Bolden could play the 4. Bolden looks like a pure 5 to me if there is such a thing. To effectively play the 4 in the high/low, you better hit that 15 foot jumper.

If we land Chukwu, he's likely our center for two, possibly three seasons.

Though @Texas-Hawk-10 sure seems like rain the parade, would Williams + Bolden ultimately be the better result?

I will happily ride the fence and trust Self on this one. I won't always trust him on his offense, mind you, but this? Sure.

@KUSTEVE keep working!😉

I despise UK with the best of you, but if Bolden is also a true 5, maybe Self could take a page...ok, maybe more of a paragraph...or a sentence?...out of the Squid's notebook. Tell Bolden he and Chukwu are gonna tag-team the opposition and beat them into submission with an onslaught of tall talent that will make them both lottery picks.

Also a nat'l title (but none of the "perfection" crap) since Self is twice the big man coach Cal is.

I would say if he wanted to come visit ku anything could happen

@HighEliteMajor Like you said, it's a matter of how the pieces fit together. Can Bolden expand his game to play the 4 and be the high in the high-low? We know Self wouldn't play a 7-2 player at the 4 because it takes away the height advantage in the interior. Those two pieces together don't really seem to fit together very well on the court on paper like Ellis and Traylor have never meshed well on the floor because they both do basically the same thing on offense (Ellis obviously being the more skilled). If Bolden ends up being a natural 5, then I do believe Williams would end up being the player to compliment Bolden's skill set as opposed to another natural 5. If KU does end up with Chukwu, I certainly wouldn't be disappointed because the kid does have a lot of upside and it's already known that KU will have front court minutes available for a 2016 recruit and it could end up being more of a matter of which 2016 recruit best compliments the transfer KU lands.

@ajvan You mean the Squid should take something out of Self's big man book. Self's bigs are way more productive and prepared for the league than Calipari. The only two bigs that standout for Calipari are Cousins and AD. However, they promoted Calipari, not the other way around. Very few of Calipari's big men really reached their ceiling. If Self had Calipari's big men, Self would coached the hell out of them. Self gets way more from his bigs than Calipari.
The real sad commentary is Calipari lands these bigs and they pretty much leave they way the arrived in Lexington. I'm not saying Calipari can't or didn't coach them, but big for big, I'll take Bill Self every time. He'll give you more big for the buck.

I like the idea of landing both Chukwu and Bolden. Why not?

(

Bolden still reminds me a bit of Landen Lucas in high school.

(

Michael Lickteig ‏@mhlickteig · 3h3 hours ago

kubball Lots of reasons for Paschal Chukwu to transfer to Kansas. Great tradtion, great facilities, great coaching, great opportunities.

@Texas-Hawk-10

He would have been the starter this year at Providence. Their Center graduated. Now they don't even have a 5 on their team because of his departure.

the 16 class is top heavy and guard heavy. Bolden has been our main Big target with some others. Not a deep class for Bigs like 15 was. Chukwu would gain a lot by getting a year with hudy.

@Crimsonorblue22 "Chuck wus the pretty girl". Better?

@KUSTEVE Watch out or she'll Chuckwu up.

Stephen McKinnon ‏@Steve1422 · 23m23 minutes ago
@ESPNAndyKatz @ESPNCBB Did you guys hear Paschal Chukwu is leaving Providence and that Kansas seems like a front runner-according-2-KUsports

@KUSTEVE keep working!!😉

@Crimsonorblue22 **CHUK WUllery. **

@KUSTEVE Ewww! Gotta be a better one? Do you know how to pronounce it?

Bill Self was in the stands at the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Fla. back in 2012 watching Chukwu. The article goes on to say the we were recruiting him back in the day. Maybe this is why HCBS is making this young man his #1 priority right now? I guess he liked what he saw back in 2012? heres the link http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/jul/29/ku-self-take-look-class-2014/ ↗

On 05/06/2014 Paschal Chukwu was ranked #48 on this recruiting site. http://www.courtsidefilms.com/news_article/show/383150?referrer_id=1216585 ↗

Paschal Chukwu (ESPN #58 In 2014) @ The NBPA Top 100 Camp

@Crimsonorblue22 Like Chuck Woolery, only hold the "lery".

@KUSTEVE I know! I meant his real name. I'm enjoying this! You know that though!

Mark Sudol ‏@news12ctsudol · 1h1 hour ago
Could former Fairfield Prep basketball star Paschal Chukwu be transferring to Kansas?

With all of this pro KU stuff on Twitter and other media outlets I would say KU is the only real player in Paschal Chukwu's recruitment. There is little to no talk of any other possible destinations and he was released from the Providence Friars a few days ago. If KU had a contender in this recruitment it would have been posted by now. I think he will be a Jayhawk soon.

Since we have the "Designer," why not the "Architect?" Jean-Louis Pascal - famous Architect.

Or, from the Beatle's song, I am the Walrus: Chukwu g' joob !

Go and read his bio. http://friarbasketball.com/paschal-chukwu/ ↗ It sounds sooo familiar. I cant quite put my finger on it but I know its sure to come to me soon!

@Statmachine

I am very hopeful we land "the Chu-Chu train." Just hope we sign him immediately because it won't take long for the flies to swarm fresh meat. And where there are flies, the buzzard squid can't be too far behind!

@drgnslayr Im on board! I think a RS season to develop and learn the system will produce better results than any OAD border line 7 footer in the 2016 class!

@Statmachine

True dat! Especially when you consider how many other 7'2" recruits are waiting in the wings! (none)

"Chu-Chu train" is the perfect Self big man recruit. At 7'2" there is no way he mistakes himself as a guard (like Myles Turner did). Someone has to do the "dirty work" of post dominance. For Chu-Chu it is all his for the taking, and a long with it comes a lottery pick and a boat load of money for him in two years! He'll have an entire season to learn Self-ball without the silly basketball critics knocking his game. And add in one year with Hudy to build another 20 lbs on his frame... maybe 30 lbs if he signs now because he will have TWO summers to build muscle mass before he splashes on to the college basketball scene to steal the show from all the freshmen OADs in 2016-17!

And don't forget he will be helping our entire team develop immediately because he will get to practice with the team and teach all our guys how to get a shot over and around a 7'2" beast in the paint!

I still can't believe he only averaged 9 minutes a game last year for the Friars!

@Statmachine

Now start thinking about next year's recruiting.... we'll have a lot of spots to fill, but we will be returning the #1 veteran perimeter game in college basketball and Chu-Chu will be eligible and built for dominance... We'll be on the hunt for another post player and back to nailing a star SF.... something we are famous for.

We sign Chu-Chu now and even with our player exits for next year, we should be a FF favorite for this coming year and next!

Imagine our eligible WUG players having to play against Diallo and Chukwu every day in preparation for the WUG? I can see that duo tearing Ellis and Bragg up lol. And whos going to guard Svi? Its going to be SOLID competition in practice if we land this HUGE 5. Will he officially be the tallest basketball player in KU history?

@drgnslayr as soon as we fill this last scholarship I will be forced to move on to next year lol.

He doesn't look that skinny to me. He looks a lot like JoJo.

@truehawk93 Yeah, totally agree. I was saying, tongue in cheek, that Self should stockpile some post talent the way Calipari did last season. It might be tough to get both Bolden and Chukwu on the floor at the same time, so...maybe a little two man "platoon?" (I had to grab a barf bag after I typed that word.)

No doubt, Kansas is BIG MAN U. Any rep UK has in that dept is smoke and mirrors.

@hawkmoon2020 There you go - we'll call him the "Walrus"....( after Hudy adds 50 lbs onto that lean torso).

@drgnslayr the Chu-Chu" train. Love it!!!

@drgnslayr @KUSTEVE The Chu-Chu Train.

We have a winner.

@ajvan I was so hoping Self would play TROB with both Morii, but alas, he never did. It was always 2 out of the 3. Would he play both footers at the same time ( Bolden/Chu-Chu)? That would be a sight, wouldn't it?

KU is likely going into 2016-17 with Carlton Bragg and Landen Lucas in the front court. Those two have a skill set that compliment each other. Bragg is similar to Marcus Morris and Ellis in that he's a face up player and can play in the high post. Landen Lucas is more of a traditional low post back to the basket player. Whoever KU gets as a transfer should determine what type of front court player KU targets the hardest in 2016 because that person should be a back to play the opposite front court role the transfer does.

@ajvan That last sentence is tongue in cheek, correct? I despise UK as much as the next guy, but they have a much better track record with bigs than we do over the past decade. Davis and Cousins are all-stars, plus Randle, Noel and Kanter, and could even through in Patterson and Jones. Alas, our bigs in the NBA haven't sniffed an all-star game. Kief might one day and we'll see about JoJo, but I don't think there is much question that UK has produced more productive NBA bigs than we have.

@DCHawker Sadly, there's no question that UK bigs outperform KU bigs in the NBA. Towns Jr looks like a guy who will continue the trend.

Like we all know, UK is a destination school for OADs who want to hit the league with a splash.

However, I'd still argue KU is BIG MAN U in its own right, thanks to the marginal post players Self & co develop into studs. If he can reel in a few more bigs with upside like Embiid & Diallo, our guys may start making NBA all-star squads instead of "just" becoming journeyman role players.

You dig? ;)

@ajvan OK who comes closer to ROY 2016 Embiid OR Towns?

That's a tough one. I see Towns having the better NBA "body" right now, so I give him a slight nod. Too many what ifs at this stage for both.

!embiid.jpg ↗ !towns.jpg ↗ I don't think Towns has a better body but lets say he did? Towns can not move like Embiid.

I sure hope it's Embiid! Lots up in the air right now, but if Joel's physical therapy has run its course and he comes in at 100%, my money is on him.

Towns didn't show us anything resembling a Dream Shake and post bullies are a dime a dozen in the league.

Towns could develop into an NBA star, who knows. But I think Joel will be better. (@Statmachine I mentioned Joel in my original post bc I think he & Diallo are the type of guys who can vault KU bigs onto the all star lists.)

Back to back ROY from KU. Sounds good to me!

Duke Nukem?

Step aside.

Here comes...

Chuke Wukem!!!

Sign now and I won't make any Blaise Pascal references, okay, big guy?

The team has serious chops if Self signs this guy.

@HighEliteMajor said:

would a true center like Chukwu on the roster compromise our ability to land Marques Bolden?

No.:two_men_holding_hands: :two_men_holding_hands:

This is the international emoji for four footers.

@Statmachine Embiid!

Loos like UConn is trying to get involved.

@DCHawker

"I despise UK as much as the next guy, but they have a much better track record with bigs than we do over the past decade. "

They should... their bigs were all McDs 5-star AAs!

How many of our bigs were McDs 5-star AAs? Any of them?

You can't compare apples to oranges. We've taken guys much further down in talent and given them a career in the league. I count that more than UK babysitting guys a few months that would be in the league even if they just went to school at UK and didn't play ball.

@Statmachine I think Okafor is the best post player of the 3 actually. JoJo certainly has the most athletic ability. That is just a fact. It will be interesting to see how all of these guys adapt to the pro level.

@Statmachine

I'd have to disagree. JoJo had the same 5 feet and in finishing ability with either hand that Okafor possessed. Where JoJo is head an shoulders above Okafor is the footwork is just magical especially the way he contorted and got angles. JoJo also is far ahead of Okafor with regards to shooting touch and range now out to three point land if you watch recent workouts and pregame shoot around with the Sixers. Obviously JoJo is quicker and more athletic, and appears to have a slight height & wingspan advantage. Okafor was able to use his bulk against supremely inferior post match ups in the ACC. I believe he is in for a rude awakening when he starts banging with equal to greater physical specimens you encounter regularly at the NBA level. With Okafor ' body type it doesn't seem like he will improve much from a speed and agility standpoint. JoJo added some more weight and muscle this year, and appears ready to not only out maneuver other bigs, but also back down opponents. Something he was ill equipped to do when he first arrived at Kansas. Hope I'm right, but I most certainly could be proven wrong. Just my two cents though haha

Also failed to mention that JoJo is clearly a more serious two way threat in transition. Guy runs the floor like a deer. He's the kind of guy who will run down and get a block on defense in transition, and be right back at the other end for an uncontested layup or dunk

@drgnslayr That was partly what I was trying to point out!

He will be visiting ku early June

@blackmild33

If that be the case I'll keep praying for more rain. While we all complain about flooding basements and dark cloudy days Nigerians look at us with envy and proclaim we live on prosperous land. And they aren't talking that way because a new mall just got developed down the road....

Chris Maynard ‏@maynardcc · 7h7 hours ago

kubball Providence transfer center to visit Kansas - Paschal Chukwu, a 7-foot-2, 225-pound center who has announc... http://ow.ly/2YYQI1 ↗

Michael Lickteig
‏@mhlickteig #kubball Looking forward to Paschal Chukwu visiting Kansas in June and hopefully becoming a Jayhawk. Would be a great addition to the team.

Swan ‏@Swan888 · 14h14 hours ago
Paschal Chukwu (7-foot-2 center) "will visit Kansas University the first weekend of June

BrodyFuentes ‏@BreezeM3 · May 23

@RockChalkPhog how can I forget? I'm to only one talking about the soon to be future Jayhawk Paschal Chukwu. U better learn his name quick.

he is also planning on visiting Virginia and Michigan State

If I had to spend a year in student housing, practicing, and working out without playing; I know where I would go. As a matter of fact KU had me at student housing. To bad I'm too old, my eligibility has timed out, never mind my lack of talent...