🏀 Kyle Cuffe Jr. Signs NLI to Play at Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Kansas, KU head coach Bill Self announced Thursday. 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.

A four-star signee, Cuffe’s rankings are for the 2022 class where he is ranked No. 56 by Rivals.com.

Cuffe is the son of former St. John’s power forward Kyle Cuffe Sr., who attended Rice High School in New York City, the same high school as former KU standout guard Russell Robinson.

Cuffe is the fourth KU spring signee for 2021 along with forwards Cam Martin and Sydney Curry and guard Joseph Yesufu. The aforementioned join forwards KJ Adams and Zach Clemence who signed with Kansas in November 2020.

Kansas Men’s Basketball Signees

KJ Adams (Fr., 6-7, 200, F, Austin, Texas, Westlake HS)

Zach Clemence (Fr., 6-10, 215, F, San Antonio, Texas, Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.])

Kyle Cuffe Jr. (6-2, 180, G, Toms River, N.J., Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J.)

Sydney Curry (Jr., 6-8, 260, F, Fort Wayne, Ind., Northrop HS, John A. Logan College)

Cam Martin (Sr., 6-9, 240, F, Yukon, Okla., Yukon HS, Missouri Southern)

Joseph Yesufu (6-0, 180, G, Bolingbrook, Ill., Bolingbrook HS, Drake)

(photos courtesy Blair Academy)