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Kansas Jayhawks Recruiting Rumors: Stephen Zimmerman Would Be A Fit

By Joel Wagler

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The Kansas Jayhawks recruiting is in full flow right now, and Stephen Zimmerman might be a nice fit the the Jayhawks. Cliff Alexander, after a very brief, disappointing career at Kansas, has moved on, and will need to be replaced. 

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It won’t be easy for Bill Self to reel Stephen Zimmerman in. There will be roster openings galore at Kentucky, and who knows how many of the top, uncommitted recruits will land there.

The Kansas Jayhawks certainly need an intimidating force in the middle, on both ends of the court. It was hoped Cliff Alexander would fill that role, but he never really found his comfort zone with Kansas before an NCAA investigation shut him down for the season.

Enter Stephen Zimmerman.

ESPN has Zimmerman, who is 7’0″, 230 pounds, listed as the tenth best prospect in the land, and the fifth best center. According to ESPN, Zimmerman has Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Arizona, and UNLV on his short list. From ESPN’s scouting report, he seems like a great fit for the Jayhawks.

"Zimmerman is the most skilled big man in his class both in the low post and from the high post. Inside he demonstrates an extremely soft touch with a high release point that is hard to block."

The Kansas Jayhawks basketball team has already added Carlton Bragg for next season, and are hot after Jaylen Brown, Cheick Diallo, and Charlotte transfer Mike Thorne Jr.

Jerry Meyer, Director of Basketball Scouting for 247 Sports, has Zimmerman going to Kentucky.

Meyer thinks Kentucky and UNLV are running neck-in-neck for Zimmerman, with Kansas still in the mix.

Self needs a win with one of the big men that are still available. It will become even more imperative if the Jayhawks would somehow lose Perry Ellis to the 2015 NBA Draft. As crazy at that may seem, according the Gary Bedore, from KUSports.com, Ellis has gathered all his information about his draft position. Hopefully, Ellis will make his decision soon.

The Jayhawks missed having a big shot changer in the paint on defense. Guys like Joel Embiid, Jeff Withey, and Cole Aldrich have long anchored the defensive game plan for Self, and the team didn’t look the same this past season without that presence.

The Kansas Jayhawks have a total of three more scholarships to give, and after the departures of Conner Frankamp (transferred to Wichita State in 2014), Kelly Oubre (to the NBA), and Alexander, Bill Self has some holes to fill.

Stephen Zimmerman looks as if he has the skill set to fill a big man spot for the Jayhawks. Whether or not Self can slow down the Kentucky recruiting machine enough to pull in Zimmerman and Jaylen Brown, remains to be seen.

Stay tuned for more Kansas Jayhawks recruiting rumors.

Check out these Stephen Zimmerman highlights from Courtside Films.

Next: Jaylen Brown Would Be A Great Option For KU

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