LAWRENCE (AP) – Kansas has signed highly touted forward Perry Ellis to a national letter of intent during the early signing period.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Wichita is a five-star recruit and the 24th-ranked player in the nation for the 2012 recruiting class. He averaged 22.1 points and 7.9 rebounds his junior season, guiding Wichita Heights to its second straight undefeated record.

The Falcons will try to win their fourth consecutive state title this season.

Ellis chose the Jayhawks over offers from Duke, Kentucky and Kansas State, among others.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self said in a statement today: “We’ve been recruiting Perry pretty hard for a while. We felt like he was as important of a recruit as we have had since we’ve been here.”