LAWRENCE — As this past Friday’s game approached eight minutes left in the second half, with Kansas basketball trailing 52-47 against UConn, a Jayhawks guard hit a 3-pointer that helped start to swing the momentum back their way.

The basket brought Kansas’ deficit to 52-50. It helped quell a run by the Huskies that had allowed the visitors to take that five-point lead inside Allen Fieldhouse. Counting the 3-pointer, Kansas went on a 22-13 run to end the game that allowed coach Bill Self and company to earn a 69-65 win.

But the guard who hit that consequential 3-pointer wasn’t graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. McCullar hit a couple significant 3s not too long after, but that initial bucket from deep wasn’t his. It was freshman Johnny Furphy, who’d say a few days later that he had “absolutely not” played on a stage like that before.

“I was just talking about it with one of my friends the other day,” said Furphy, who was referencing how he reclassified to start college a year early. “I was watching UConn win the national championship a few months ago on TV, and now I’m getting the opportunity to play against them. It was a pretty, pretty special moment. And yeah, I’ll remember it for a long time.”

Self noted Monday that there isn’t going to be any high school athlete who comes to Kansas having experienced an environment like that before. He noted as well that a lot of guys won’t have experienced something like that unless they’ve played for the No. 3 Jayhawks (7-1). But Furphy showed that, among the players who would fit that description, he’s someone who can be relied upon to be a factor.

In a game that saw Self rely heavily on his starters, Furphy was the only guy off the bench to play more than just limited minutes. He finished with 13:42 in playing time, while graduate senior forward Parker Braun had 2:28, graduate senior guard Nicolas Timberlake had 2:02 and freshman guard Jamari McDowell had less than a minute. Furphy finished with six points, a rebound and a turnover.

Furphy said Monday he hasn’t been the kind of player in the past who’s been relied upon to be a 3-point shooter, but those six points came on 2-for-3 shooting from behind the arc and he’s enjoyed how his role has developed. Self explained he doesn’t look at Furphy’s role exactly that way, and expects Furphy to become more aggressive offensively in other ways as Furphy becomes more comfortable. It’s all a part of the progression of Furphy’s first year with the program.

“They know that I’m definitely new to everything here, being kind of thrown into the deep end,” said Furphy, who’s started one of the eight games he’s played and is averaging 14.6 minutes per game. “They’ve been, yeah, pretty positive with me. They know that it’s going to take me a few months to get adjusted.”

The biggest thing Furphy said the coaches want him to work on is his confidence, and that will certainly serve him well in the weeks ahead. After Kansas plays Kansas City on Tuesday at home, it has Missouri on Saturday at home and Indiana on Dec. 16 on the road. Those are two more high-profile matchups upcoming, with the Missouri matchup being a rivalry game as well.

Furphy, though, will continue to try to not think too much as heplays. His mindset will maintain the same priority. It’s all about being himself, and not trying to do too much.

“I think it’s definitely important just trying not to get distracted by anything,” said Furphy, who's averaging 5.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. “I’m not trying to put extra pressure on myself, just being relaxed.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Freshman Johnny Furphy stepped up as Kansas basketball defeated UConn