Kevin McCullar, still in NBA Draft, chooses Kansas Jayhawks as transfer destination

Former Texas Tech shooting guard Kevin McCullar will be attending Kansas if he elects to play a fourth year of college basketball.

McCullar, a a 6-foot-6, 210-pound native of San Antonio, Texas, chose KU as a transfer destination over finalist Gonzaga. He made his announcement Thursday night on Twitter. McCullar, who entered his name in the 2022 NBA Draft pool on March 27, has until June 1 to remove his name if he wishes to continue his college career.

He told The Star in a text message he plans on keeping his name in the draft pool but is open to the possibility of continuing his college career. He said he is “still going through the draft process.”

He played the last three seasons at Tech after redshirting in 2018-19.

“As I look to the next chapter of my career, if I decide to withdraw from the NBA Draft, I am thrilled to say that I will be playing for the University of Kansas and coach (Bill) Self,” McCullar said on Twitter.

“At this stage of my life, KU offers me an opportunity to continue to improve my game while still being close to my family. I am extremely thankful and excited for this opportunity, to represent such a historic basketball program. It’s an honor of a lifetime!”

He also said in his Twitter post he was “forever grateful for the experience to attend Texas Tech University and play the game I love.”

McCullar entered his name in the transfer portal on April 27. He has two years of college eligibility remaining.

Known as an outstanding defensive player, McCullar ranked third on the Red Raiders in scoring in 2021-22 (10.1 points a game on 40.2% shooting) and second in rebounding (4.6). He hit 28 of 90 threes for 31.1%. He also made 72.5% of his free throws. McCullar dished a team-leading 89 assists against 57 turnovers.

He missed eight games because of an ankle injury, an injury that hampered him much of the season.

McCullar scored in double digits in 16 of the 29 games he played in last season and scored 20-plus points two times. He scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting (1 of 4 threes) in a 78-73 season-ending loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament

He did not play in Tech’s 75-67 win over KU on Jan. 8 in Lubbock because of the injury. He had two points on 1-of-11 shooting and three rebounds while playing 44 minutes in a 94-91 double overtime loss to KU on Jan. 24 at Allen Fieldhouse. And he had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting with five assists and three rebounds in Tech’s 74-65 loss to KU in the Big 12 Tournament final March 12

McCullar, who received all-Big 12 honorable mention, has been working out in advance of the draft with other prospects in New Jersey.

Asked to describe his game by Corey Tulaba of noceilingsnba.com, McCullar said after a recent workout: “(I am) a versatile player that can do it on both ends of the floor, can guard one through four. On the offensive end, I can create my own shot and also create for others.

“In the Big 12, you have to play everybody twice, home and away. It’s a battle every night and matching up with guys like Ochai Agbaji on a night-in basis is gonna help me (at the next level) ... I’m ready to match up with anybody.”

Coming out of high school in the Class of 2019, McCullar was rated as a four-star recruit by the 247Sports.com staff. He was the No. 135-ranked recruit nationally and the No. 15-ranked recruit in the state of Texas in his class. He initially picked Texas Tech over Kansas State, Louisville, Baylor, Oklahoma and TCU. He was not ranked by Rivals.com in high school.