LAWRENCE – Kansas basketball has added some standout freshmen ahead of next season, one of them being Rakease Passmore.
Passmore is a four-star 247Sports Composite prospect in the 2024 recruiting class and ranked as the No. 39 player in his class overall. While there are several veterans on the roster, for a team that will be favored to enjoy national and Big 12 Conference success, there is potential for him to carve out a role if he continues to impress this summer.
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Here are some things to think about as Passmore’s first college basketball season approaches:
Rakease Passmore is not afraid of competition
Passmore, listed as a 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard when he signed in November, was watching as Kansas added talented guard after talented guard through the transfer portal during the offseason. But he told reporters earlier this month that he will always have confidence in himself, even if people think he would decide to start his college career elsewhere. He still wanted to be a part of the Jayhawks’ program and predicted the competition would bring out the best in him.
What role Passmore will play is to be determined, but he said he can offer defense, shooting ability and energy. He anticipated that coach Bill Self would play him at the 2nd or 3rd position. Passmore noted that the most significant adjustment he will have to make is playing in front of crowds like the ones he will see this season inside Allen Fieldhouse.
Rakease Passmore made a comparison with Ochai Agbaji
Ochai Agbaji became one of the best players in college basketball during his career at Kansas. That development culminated in Agbaji helping the Jayhawks win a national championship in 2022 before being selected in the first round of that year’s NBA Draft. And, according to Passmore, there have been some comparisons between the two – especially when it comes to their ability to knock down shots.
Passmore acknowledged how cool it is to be compared to someone who enjoyed the career Agbaji had. Passmore added that he has a lot of work to do to achieve what Agbaji has achieved. This work is already underway.
Rakease Passmore is already impressing teammates
Passmore hasn’t been on campus long, but he is impressing his teammates. Both forward Zach Clemence and center Hunter Dickinson, from last season’s team, praised Passmore earlier this month. Considering these two are attacking talents, they are likely to share the court with Passmore at times this season.
Clemency told reporters Passmore does a lot of things well, can shoot the ball and is athletic. Dickinson highlighted how well Passmore played during a scrimmage at a local camp and noted how excited he is to play with Passmore. Passmore just needs to keep that momentum going as the season approaches.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association Sportswriter of the Year for the state of Kansas in 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal: 3 Things to Consider When Basketball in Rakease Passmore, Kansas
