Less than a month after both declaring for the NBA Draft and entering the NCAA transfer portal, former Kankakee boys basketball standout and second-team All-Big Ten guard AJ Storr has a new collegiate home, announcing Thursday he officially is transferring from Wisconsin to Kansas.
Storr posted his announcement <a href="https://twitter.com/storr_aj/status/1781046628930973816" target="_blank">on X</a>, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday, confirming reports first made by The Athletic.
“With great excitement and humility, I announce my commitment to the University of Kansas Basketball program,” Storr posted. “Joining the Jayhawks is a dream realized, and I’m incredibly honored for this opportunity to be a part of the tradition and culture of Kansas Basketball. [All glory to God].”
The Athletic/Stadium’s Shams Charania reported Storr chose the Jayhawks over Illinois, Texas and Arkansas, where legendary head coach John Calipari was hired earlier this month. His commitment means he officially will withdraw from this year’s draft.
Storr was named a second-team All-Big ten selection after averaging 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds for a Badgers team that went 22-14 this season (11-9 in the Big Ten), including a trip to the Big Ten Tournament championship game and a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they were upset by 12-seed James Madison. Storr was named a second-team All-Big Ten pick by both the coaches and media.
Now headed to the Jayhawks, who are led by former Illinois head coach Bill Self. Kansas has won four NCAA Men’s Basketball national championships, seventh all-time, and made 15 Final Four appearances, fifth all-time.
He spent his freshman year at St. John’s two seasons ago, where he entered college as a four-star recruit after reclassifying from the class of 2021 to 2022. During his lone season at SJU, Storr saw his role progressively climb, finishing the year averaging 10.5 points per game in Big East Conference play, before making the move to Wisconsin for his sophomore year.
Storr’s final game with the Kays was a 72-51 win over current Indiana State phenom Robbie Avila and Oak Forest in the 2020 IHSA Class 3A Thornridge Sectional semifinal, with COVID-19 putting an end to the season a day before the Kays were set to face current Arizona State guard Adam Miller and Morgan Park in the sectional finals.
In his final season with Kankakee, Storr was a Daily Journal All-Area and Southland Athletic All-Conference pick, averaging 13 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He was also a special mention to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A All-State team.
During the pandemic, Storr transferred to Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas and then Arizona Compass Prep in Chandler, evnetually reclassifying from the class of 2021 to 2022. He spent a post-graduate year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., developing into a four-star recruit in the class of 2022.
He was briefly committed to Illinois during that time, initially announcing his commitment April 2021. He decommitted a month later, telling the Daily Journal at the time he decommitted after former Fighting Illini assistant coaches Chin Coleman and Orlando Antigua took jobs at Kentucky. The pair area currently a part of Calipari’s Arkansas staff.