Jalen Wilson drains game-winning three-pointer during KU’s Late Night in Phog scrimmage

Jalen Wilson, a starter on Kansas’ 2022 NCAA championship men’s basketball team, emerged as the hero of Friday’s Late Night in the Phog intrasquad scrimmage before 16,300 fans at Allen Fieldhouse.

Wilson, a 6-foot-8 redshirt junior forward from Denton, Texas, stroked a perfect straight-on three-point shot with 4 seconds left in the White Team’s 32-31 victory over the Blue squad.

Wilson led the White team with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting. He was 2 of 3 from three including the shot that won the season-opening 15 minute scrimmage.

“I think it ended exactly the way it should end,” KU coach Bill Self said of the scrimmage. “You have your best returning player make a shot at his last Late Night.”

Wilson, who went through the NBA early-entry draft process last spring before electing to return to KU, has three years of eligibility remaining counting this season but is expected to turn pro after the 2022-23 campaign.

The most threes in the 15-minute scrimmage were made by walk-on Michael Jankovich. He was 3 for 3 from three-point range and scored a scrimmage-high nine points for the losing Blue team.

“Jankovich was unbelievable. You can’t guard him,” Self said of the 6-5 senior from Dallas.

“To me,” Self added in discussing the scrimmage, “if I was just going to say, ‘Forget about who played well,’ I’d say that Ernest (Udeh) looked like he can play above the rim and make some plays above the rim. I thought that was impressive.”

Udeh, a 6-11 freshman from Orlando, Florida, scored six points off three dunks. He flushed a pair of lob passes from KJ Adams (seven points, three rebounds) and also had a dunk off a lob from Dajuan Harris (six points, four assists) for the White squad.

“I think Zuby is a really good athlete and can do some similar things,” Self added of Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-9 freshman from Garland, Texas, who had six points for the Blue team. On one dunk, super senior guard Kevin McCullar (four assists, two points) threw the ball off the backboard to a trailing Ejiofor who slammed the ball home.

“I don’t know I’d say anybody played well other than Jank shooting the ball. I don’t think it (scrimmage) was bad at all. The ball didn’t move. We don’t know how to play yet, don’t know how to guard. For that type of night I don’t think it was awful,” Self said.

Self doesn’t put any stock in Late Night scrimmages.

“I won’t even watch it,” he said.

He said the highlight of Late Night was the unveiling of the 2022 NCAA title banner in the north rafters.

“That was the coolest part of the night,” Self said.

“Programs that have the success we’ve had over time, there’s multiple ones out there, but not many. Getting one (title) was special (in 2008), but during every introduction the last 12, 13 years I’ve watched Mario (Chalmers) make that shot (to force OT in 2008 title win over Memphis). It’d be nice to have that shot in the introductory video, but not one that caps it. We’ll certainly have something else we can go to now.”

Unveiling of 2022 NCAA title banner thrills fans at Kansas Jayhawks’ Late Night in Phog

Self applauded Shaquille O’Neal, aka DJ Diesel, who performed a set at the conclusion of Late Night. O’Neal also spoke to the KU team after Late Night.

“I don’t know if Shaq is going to play Bon Jovi and Journey at most of the clubs he DJ’s at moving forward. It was great he included everybody in the stands in how he did it tonight,” Self said of O’Neal’s diverse playlist.

“I love the guy. He was so humble with our guys. He talked to them: ‘Now that you won it all, here is your responsibility moving forward.’ It was a message, not a pat-on-the-back message, but, ‘Now let’s see what you are really made of,’ type message.”

Self continued: “He has a personality. He’s a winner. He makes everything fun and I thought tonight he did the same thing.”