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‘When he does it, it’s over’: Storr draws admiration from Jayhawks after two-way performance against TCU

‘When he does it, it’s over’: Storr draws admiration from Jayhawks after two-way performance against TCU

On January 23, 2025By Littum

Photo by AP/Tony Gutierrez

Kansas guard AJ Storr knocks the ball away from TCU guard Vasean Allette, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

Fort Worth, Texas – Kansas coach Bill Self doesn’t think his team has had a dramatic past few months.

In November, he said, the Jayhawks played at a better pace. They also had a defensive edge at first before they “went soft” and have had to fight to regain it since.

When KU beat TCU at Schollmaier Arena on Wednesday, the performances of key reserves suggested the Jayhawks could be close to making a jump.

“I haven’t seen a significant increase,” he continued, “because we’ve had inconsistent production from a couple of key players who really played well tonight … For us to be really good, AJ Storr has to come through. Rylan Griffen have to go through. So maybe tonight will be the first step.”

Griffen didn’t stand out as much against the Horned Frogs, though he played solid minutes, especially defensively; However, Storr put together what he said was probably his best all-around game as a Jayhawk.

The junior wing from Rockford, Ill., a transfer from Wisconsin who has struggled to find his place in KU’s lineup, looked much more comfortable on offense as he scored 12 points — matching his second-highest total of the season — on 6-for- 10 shooting. However, his real breakthrough was demonstrated by his peripheral stats: six rebounds, three steals.

“It was good just to be active on that side,” Storr said. “It was really communicating with my teammates on that side and just reading the offense, (to) see how I can skip lanes and stuff like that.”

He thus played a decisive role in the Jayhawks’ comeback from down with 14 points. At halftime, when KU trailed, he had just two points and two rebounds on 1-for-4 shooting. Down the stretch, however, he caught fire.

It started with just under 15 minutes to go when he read an unmarked pass by Noah Reynolds and initiated a one-man fast break for a dunk. It continued with another steal from Vasean Allette, setting up Shakeel Moore for a bucket, and then there was the layup to clean up Moore’s miss and give KU its first six-point lead of the night.

He eventually scored another second-chance layup off a missed 3-pointer by Dajuan Harris Jr. to end the 14-2 run that effectively won KU the game.

All Storr didn’t do was make 3s as he went 0-for-2 from beyond the arc, though he did hit the long-range stepback 2-pointer that put KU ahead 49-48. The Horned Frogs never led again.

Freshman center Flory Bidunga said Storr was not only “a big part of why we came back” but “the reason why we won.”

“We know what he’s capable of,” Moore said, “and it’s all part of figuring that out, and once he does that, it’s over.”

Storr owes his increased playing time — his 22 minutes Wednesday was his highest total since Dec. 4 at Creighton — in part to the absence of KJ Adams, who is out with a separated shoulder. Self has already said on his “Hawk Talk” radio show that he also doesn’t expect Adams to play against Houston on Saturday.

But in Adams’ second game out, Storr did a lot more than he did Saturday against Kansas State to take advantage of the minutes he got. Even called him “fantastic”.

“He was more aggressive and running the ball and everything and scoring the ball,” Self said. “And that’s probably the longest stay he’s been able to play through fouls. So I thought he was really good tonight.”