Four-star junior shooting guard Parker McDaniel left Lawrence with a strong impression after his Sept. 11 trip to Kansas, and he didn’t hide how much the place stood out to him.
Growing up in Bixby, Oklahoma, just a few hours from Lawrence, McDaniel said the visit felt unlike anything else he’s seen on the recruiting trail.
“KU is different,” he said on Monday. “To see all of it, take it all in… Kansas is definitely a legendary program.”
The trip came as McDaniel continues a growing run of interest from major programs, and he described the Kansas stop as a success as he begins a nationwide tour of visits. He told ZAGSBLOG that the day included a look at practice, time with the players and breakfast with the coaching staff and Bill Self.
“It was great. We got to watch a practice… and hang out with the players,” McDaniel told ZAGSBLOG.
“We got to eat breakfast with the whole coaching staff and coach (Bill) Self. It was a great experience.”
One of the biggest connections for Kansas has been assistant coach Jeremy Case, another Oklahoman. McDaniel said that relationship has already made an impression.
“I love coach Case,” he said. “He’s a great guy.
I got to know him a lot better this past weekend. He has a high IQ for the game and he’s from Oklahoma too, so we have a connection there.”
McDaniel also noted that he shares his birth state with Self, who was born and raised in Oklahoma before playing college basketball at Oklahoma State.
Allen Fieldhouse made its own case, too. McDaniel said he wants to get back to Lawrence for a game this season.
“Allen Fieldhouse is on the next level. I’m definitely going to have to get up to a game for their season,” McDaniel said.
On the court, McDaniel described himself as a player whose value comes from doing the dirty work and making winning plays.
“I impact winning at a high level,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to win. I score the ball at a high level and I guard at a high level.”
His recruitment is moving fast, but McDaniel said he’s open to hearing from anyone as long as the conversation feels real.
Where things go next, he already has several visits lined up. McDaniel recently went to Iowa during the first weekend of September, and he plans to visit Nebraska, Washington, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State later this fall before setting official visits after his high school season. He has also been in contact with Cincinnati, Northwestern, LSU, Minnesota and Purdue despite not visiting those schools.
After a summer spent on the AAU circuit with the Southern Assault, McDaniel said one way Kansas fans can spot him in his downtime is on the golf course, where he describes his game as “casual.”
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For the Jayhawks, the matchup carries the feel of a needed response game, especially with the pressure of staying on track in conference play. Kansas is the underdog here, which only sharpens the questions around how it matches up, how it handles the stage, and whether it can avoid letting one loss start a tougher slide. [Read more 🡒]