The latest Kansas basketball social media campaign, featuring Australian forward Johnny Furphy, has drawn plenty of reactions from fans online. Some fans within the realm of "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawks" love the silly graphics, but plenty of others are between incredulous and disturbed by the latest "images" of Furphy.
Australia isn't exactly best known for Kansas basketball players, but instead for kangaroos. That was all it took to whip the Kansas promotional team into action.
From the ubiquitous use of the kangaroo to honor Johnny Furphy's heritage to the implausible pasting of the forward's head on the marsupial's body, a lot is happening here. Add in the homage to MS Paint with an unlikely Kansas "jersey," and it's a sensation or something closer to a desecration to many fans.
“This is horrible,” a fan posted.
More about Aussie forward Johnny Furphy
It's not hard to see why Kansas found Johnny Furphy to be a good candidate for a little social media joking. Furphy is the child of a professional Australian soccer player and a diver. He reclassified into the 2023 class and played for Australia's Center for Excellence, which has a long pedigree with players like NBA standout Josh Giddey.
Furphy seems to be growing increasingly comfortable with American college basketball. After scoring in double figures just twice in his first 15 games, Furphy's done so in each of the last three matchups. The most recent contest was Kansas' hard-fought 74-69 win over Cincinnati, in which Furphy set season highs with 23 points and 11 rebounds (as reflected in one of the comments above).
Johnny Furphy averages 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the season while connecting on just over 51% of his shots.
Up next for Kansas
The 16-3 Jayhawks are No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll. Last week included a loss at West Virginia, just the team's second loss in Big 12 play. After Monday's win over West Virginia, the Jayhawks will head to Iowa State for a showdown with the No. 22 Cyclones.
Furphy is emerging as a fourth scoring option for Kansas, behind All-American candidates guard Kevin McCullar (20.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) and center Hunter Dickinson (18.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game). The Jayhawks also rely on continued success from Furphy's fellow freshman, K.J. Adams, who has 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
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