Big 12: Who Is Kansas’ Hidden Gem Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk?

By Cody Daniel | Sep 20, 2014

Feb 24, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; A general view of the court prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners and the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

It would sound egregious if I were to tell you a 17-year-old kid from Cherkasy, Ukraine, could come in and ultimately become the prized possession on a Kansas Jayhawks’ roster, which features veteran Perry Ellis, former All-American Wayne Selden and the incoming class of All-Americans with Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre.

But it would also be just as irrational for a player with the talent level of freshman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk to be seen as anything less than an elite caliber player.

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The first thing that strikes you about Mykhailiuk is his apparent maturity and understanding of the game and how to play it at the highest level, despite being so young. If you didn’t know better, it wouldn’t be hard to assume he already had at least a year of college experience under his belt, simply based on the evident control he has over the game as a facilitator and scorer.

Listed at 6’8”, Mykhailiuk is a natural scorer who can fill it up from just about any spot on the court under any circumstances. You name it and he can do it, whether it be knocking down shots from behind the arc, pulling up after pick-and-rolls, attacking the basket and finishing with explosive dunks or nifty layups, hitting step back jumpers and even going down into the post as well as facilitate with great success, which might be where he’s most underrated.

In a nutshell, he’s a do it all and do it with style and composure kind of player who make the game look effortless and simplistic on nearly every possession. He has great body control and the intangibles that will translate to ensure his star caliber performances carry over to his Kansas days.

But Mykhailiuk isn’t just a one-dimensional player who becomes a near useless asset on the defensive end of the court. With his tremendous length coupled with great anticipation, he is consistently finding himself coming up with steals from playing the passing lanes or rejections from competing all the way through each play.

There’s no doubt this kid is going to become a very, very special player in Lawrence. Mykhailiuk is an exceptionally rare breed of skill, athleticism, upside and most notably, maturity. With his ability to make those around him better as well as dominate in his own right, it shouldn’t come as a surprise in Mykhailiuk becomes the primary factor in Kansas’ run to dominate the conference yet again.