Two months after playing into the NCAA tournament championship game, Kansas' men's basketball program got a pat on the back Thursday for its performance in the classroom.

The Jayhawks were one of nine men's tournament qualifiers and more than 950 teams overall handed public recognition awards by the NCAA based on their Academic Progress Rates (APRs). Their scores ranked among the top 10% in their respective sports.

Individual team scores weren't released. The NCAA will make them available next Wednesday, and they'll include the bad as well as the good.
USA Today


Video: LJW talks to Perry Ellis


Sometime before the start of classes in August, Perry Ellis will sit down and write out some new goals on a sheet of paper. He could, of course, write the goals down right now. But that’s not his way. He needs time.

Ellis, a 6-foot-8 forward, has been on campus at the University of Kansas for all of 11 days. And for Ellis, a four-time Kansas 6A basketball champion at Heights High, a list of goals should not be some fluid, half-baked recipe for success. No, these new ideals will be sacred.

“I do that before every school year,” Ellis says. “So that’s something I’m gonna do. I gotta think about it, and just see what I really want to do.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Ellis stood in a lobby of the Jayhawks’ practice facility, minutes removed from his first public scrimmage as a KU player, a 40-minute show for a couple hundred young basketball campers. Just a few weeks after concluding one of the most decorated high school careers in Kansas history, Ellis wore a red KU practice jersey and reflected on his transition from home to college life in Lawrence.

“I just feel real comfortable,” Ellis says. “I’ve been here so many times before, it’s just another home for me — a second home.”

His roommate, freshman walk-on Evan Manning, was a teammate last summer, and the two have already christened their room with three televisions — yep, first thing they accounted for, Ellis says.

Before Wednesday’s scrimmage, KU coach Bill Self told the campers that there was only one player that he could remember recruiting for as long as he pursued Ellis. (That player, Self said, was former Oklahoma State center Bryant Reeves, whose son happened to be a camper this week.)

The hope is that Ellis’ maturity — combined with the skills that made him a McDonald’s All-American — will help him make an impact during his freshman season. The loss of All-American Thomas Robinson has left a hole at power forward alongside center Jeff Withey, and Ellis figures to be among a collection of frontcourt players that will battle for those minutes.
KC Star


Doc Sadler says he’s going to enjoy the Allen Fieldhouse experience a lot more as a member of the home team’s basketball staff than he did as a visitor.

“I promise you the bench on that (northwest) end is a heck of a lot better than the one I’ve been on. I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but I know the view will be a lot better on that end,” former Nebraska coach Sadler joked to the Journal-World on Wednesday after officially being named KU’s director of basketball operations. “To have this opportunity is unbelievable, kind of like a dream come true. I hope to not wake up.”

…“I’ve known Doc for 25 years and have certainly followed his career. Watching his career at UTEP (head coach for two years) and seeing and competing against him when he was at Nebraska sold me on his ability for him to come in here and make us better,” Self said.

“Very few programs in the country have the experience that our staff will have with Joe (Dooley), Kurtis (Townsend), Norm (Roberts) and now adding Doc into the mix,” Self added. “We lost two great coaches this past year due to staff turnover — Danny (Manning) getting the job at Tulsa and Barry (Hinson) getting the job at Southern Illinois. We replace them with Norm Roberts, who is a terrific coach and recruiter and was a head coach at St. John’s for six years, and Doc Sadler, who has done just about everything and has been a head Division I coach for eight years. I’m excited. My batteries are charged, and I know he’s ready to get to work July 1.”
LJW


It’s easy to understand why Landen Lucas missed three floor shots and a pair of free throws during Wednesday’s Bill Self campers game in Horejsi Center.

The huge 6-foot-10, 244-pound Kansas University freshman center has been running on just a handful of hours of sleep all week.

He graduated from Portland (Ore.) Westview High on Monday, followed by an all-night graduation celebration, flew to his new college town Tuesday, then hustled to class and a doctor’s physical exam bright and early Wednesday.

Whew.

“It’s going to take a minute for me to catch my breath, to get my legs under me. That’ll all come. It was just nice getting out there and getting to play,” said Lucas, who grabbed four rebounds while guarding, and being guarded by, senior Jeff Withey, who scored 16 points with 15 rebounds in the Blue team’s 62-51 victory.

“He’s good, really big and long,” Lucas added of 7-footer Withey. “I’m just starting to figure him out now so hopefully in open gyms and stuff I can do little things. I’m trying to see exactly how I can do work against him, but I can see why he got all those blocks and stuff.”

…Former KU forward Julian Wright scored 13 points, while KU freshmen Perry Ellis and Andrew White had 10 and seven points respectively for the losing Red team. Ellis had four rebounds. Withey, Justin Wesley (12 points, six rebounds) and Travis Releford (10) scored in double figures for the winning Blue squad.

Also for the Blues, freshman Ben McLemore scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. He had the day’s signature play — a vicious one-handed dunk that came off his own miss.

“I followed my shot, saw an opening and dunked it,” McLemore said. “It was fun to play against Julian. Being in the NBA ... I’ve worked out with him sometimes. He shows you that hard work in the gym pays off.”

Minor bumps, bruises: KU freshmen Zach Peters and Jamari Traylor did not play because of minor injuries. Peters took an elbow to the head in a workout this week and was held out for precautionary reasons. Traylor has a knee bruise. Traylor coached the Red team, while KU senior Elijah Johnson, who is out until July 11 following offseason arthroscopic knee surgery, coached the Blues.

Red team: Julian Wright 13, Perry Ellis 10, Andrew White 7, Brady Morningstar 7, Aaron Miles 6, Niko Roberts 6, Evan Manning 3, Landen Lucas 2 (players were given credit for a made free throw on the first of two-shot fouls, accounting for Lucas’ two points).

Blue team: Jeff Withey 16, Justin Wesley 12, Travis Releford 10, Ben McLemore 8, Jeff Hawkins 8, Naadir Tharpe 7, Christian Garrett 2.
LJW


Elijah Johnson has been having existential thoughts, the kind that come when you’re a senior on a team that played for a national championship.

Kansas had two clearly defined stars last season in Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson, both of whom will be selected in the NBA draft later this month. Now the Jayhawks have a group of seniors — Johnson, Jeff Withey, Travis Releford and Kevin Young — and the whole question is whether they are ready to take ownership of a team in the same way.

Really, though, do they have a choice?

“That’s the obvious,” said Johnson, the guest instructor Wednesday at the Bob Chipman Basketball Camp at Lee Arena. “I feel like the whole fan base wants us to be the people who do that. For our fans, even if we weren’t the people, we’d have to.

“It’s just a little weird being a senior.”

…If there’s one part of this transition that doesn’t faze Johnson, it’s the idea of having the ball in his hands. Taylor was KU’s point guard last season, but Johnson said he never really stopped thinking of himself as a guy who handles the ball.

“The only time I’ve ever played in my life without the ball has been at Kansas, and that wasn’t really too much time,” Johnson said. “That was just this year. My freshman and sophomore year, Coach put the ball in my hands for the most part.”

Johnson averaged 10.2 points and 3.5 assists last season, shooting 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point range. His role will evolve next season, but whether he’s a lead guard, a point guard or a shooting guard, Johnson doesn’t see much difference.

“I feel like everyone is making it a big deal — it's no big deal,” he said. “Everyone knows I’m a guard. Everyone knows I can dribble the ball. Everyone knows that I make good decisions. It’s something that we’ll just wait and see what happens.”
TCJ


Just three months ago, senior center Jeff Withey was in the process of introducing himself to the country. As Kansas made its run to the NCAA title game, Withey controlled the interior, setting the record for blocks in a single NCAA Tournament.

By the time the six-game run was over, Withey had recorded 31 blocks, eclipsing the mark of 29 set by Florida’s Joakim Noah in 2006. The tourney performance was perhaps the tipping point for a breakout junior season. And it leads to the obvious question: What can the 7-foot center do for an encore?

For Kansas coach Bill Self, the answer starts where it usually begins with Withey — his strength — but then, not surprisingly, it drifts to offense.

“He needs to be a guy that can get 13, 14 (points) a game for us,” Self said Thursday on the Big 12 summer teleconference, “and still hopefully, (he can) protect the rim as well as he did this year on the other end.”

…When everyone is accounted for, it’s likely that the Jayhawks’ breakdown of scholarship players will look like this: four seniors, one sophomore and eight freshmen.

There are, of course, some reasons for the unbalanced classes. (Redshirt freshmen Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor are beginning their second year on campus after sitting out last season as partial qualifiers. And KU’s 2010 recruiting class included just two players: Josh Selby, who left for the NBA after one season, and Royce Woolridge, who transferred to Washington State.)

But it also means that this summer could be a pivotal time for Self and the newcomers. The Jayhawks will have 10 practices in July before taking a four-game exhibition trip to Switzerland and France in August.

From a numbers standpoint, the Jayhawks will certainly be deeper when practice begins this fall. But after losing starters Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, the offseason work could shorten the learning curve during the opening leg of the non-conference schedule.

“Hopefully, the 10 practices will give us a better chance to be [ready],” Self said. “You know, I’m excited about taking our team to Switzerland and Paris this summer, but I’m probably more excited about the opportunity to practice with them 10 times and kind of get a feel for maybe some things guys can do within our schemes, and maybe adjusting some things.

“So I think it will be very beneficial for us and hopefully give us an opportunity to be better early in the season. You know, we’re gonna have four seniors. But other than that, we’re gonna be all young… all young.”

…All signs still point to Anrio Adams, a 6-foot-3 guard from Seattle, and Milton Doyle, a 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago, joining the recruiting class and arriving on campus once all the academic and paperwork hurdles are cleared.  

 When asked about Adams during the teleconference, Self was limited in his comments, saying nothing was official yet. (NCAA rules prohibit coaches from talking specifically about recruits before the official paperwork is processed.)

For now, it appears both players are still in the process of clearing academic hurdles.

"He's gotta finish a couple things,” Self said of Adams, “before anything can really happen."
KC Star


Kansas University’s basketball team will play Richmond on Dec. 18 in Allen Fieldhouse and Oregon State on Nov. 30 in Kansas City’s Sprint Center, KU schedule-maker Larry Keating said Thursday. The Jayhawks will play Temple and Colorado at home to begin a home-and-home series. Also, KU will travel to Ohio State and play Michigan State in Atlanta. The entire nonconference schedule should be announced in the near future.
LJW


Michigan State faces an impending challenge against national runner-up Kansas in the Champions Classic, and it’s the Jayhawks who will get a head start in preparing for the nationally-televised Nov. 13 game in Atlanta.

Kansas is scheduled to play four exhibition games in France and Switzerland in August, and coach Bill Self plans on taking advantage of the NCAA allowing 10 practices in preparation for the foreign tour.

“Michigan State is a huge game out of the gate for us,” Self said Thursday. “We weren’t quite ready (in a Champions Classic loss to Kentucky last season).Hopefully, the 10 practices will give us a better chance. I think it’ll be very beneficial, and we’ll be better early in the season.”

…“They play so hard, and they play tough, and if you follow them, they run a ton of sets that from the scouting standpoint, you can’t get your team to understand everything,” Self said.

“The big thing is, they’re a team that plays hard and plays with a lot of pride. They’re never going to be a team that’s anything but tough to beat when Tom’s coaching the team.”
MLive

Rock Chalk Roundball Classic Photos


Stretching his 6-foot-4 frame as high as possible, Keith Langford caught a lob pass from former Kansas University teammate Aaron Miles and flushed a resounding dunk in the second half of Thursday’s Rock Chalk Roundball Classic at Free State High’s gym.

Langford, KU’s seventh-leading scorer of all time, also wowed a sellout crowd from the outside, hitting eight three-pointers en route to a game-high 47 points in the KU Alumni Blue Team’s 111-110 victory over the Alumni Red squad.

“I said before the game I was going to come out and wanted to have fun, but at the same time I wanted to compete. This is my first time playing since the season ended,” said the 28-year-old shooting guard who led Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv to Adriatic League and Israeli League Final Four titles in 2011-12. “I was feeling pretty good man, feeling pretty good.”

Langford, who hit a deep three with three seconds left to erase a 110-107 deficit, put on a show in front of his brother, KU junior forward Justin Wesley, who watched from the stands.

…T.J. Pugh, a doctor in Houston who specializes in treating individuals with cancer, spoke to the crowd. “I’m much more comfortable walking around a hospital than a basketball court nowadays,” he said with a smile before calling the beneficiaries of the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic — folks bravely fighting cancer — his “heroes.” ... Former KU forward Ron Kellogg hit three halfcourt shots in three tries in a shooting display right before the opening tip. ... Lester Earl — he of the chronic bad knees — had several dunks and scored 11 points. ... Christian Moody, who is in his final year of med school residency in Kansas City, had 11 points. ... Russell Robinson (Turkey) had 21 points and Brady Morningstar (Tulsa, of the NBADL) 18. Miles, who had 11 points, played in Russia last season. ... Darnell Valentine played a few minutes before letting a youngster wear his jersey and compete in the game. ... KU football coach Charlie Weis was an honorary coach. ... Neil Everett of ESPN was emcee. He hit one free throw in one attempt.
LJW

No matter how the NBA Finals end up, at least one former Jayhawk will be an NBA champion.

How many former KU players have won NBA titles?

Good question?

When it's all over, Miami's Mario Chalmers or Oklahoma City's Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich will forever be a part of NBA greatness. They will also join a very short list of former KU Jayhawk basketball players who have won NBA championships.

Six Jayhawks are members of that short list.

It includes Jo Jo White, Wilt Chamberlin, Jacque Vaughn, Wayne Simien, Paul Pierce and Scott Pollard. So at least one, maybe two more 'Hawks will join that list.

Chalmers and Aldrich will do something no other former Jayhawks will do something no other former Jayhawk has ever done: One will be the first former Jayhawk to win both an NCAA Championship and an NBA Championship.
KAKE

As the afternoon workout drew to a close, Thomas Robinson listened and nodded as Washington Wizards coach Randy Wittman told him to get out on the wing and run. Robinson raced up the court, ran around a couple of orange cones, stopped just inside the 3-point line and put up a shot.

Wittman was paying close attention, and so was team president Ernie Grunfeld.

“It was good,” Robinson said of his workout. “It was my first one. My shot didn’t look as pretty as I wanted it to; it was about average. I think I did a good job. My energy level was there.”

Robinson, a future lottery pick, was one of three players invited to work out for the Wizards on Wednesday as they prepare to make what could be a franchise-changing selection with the third pick in the NBA Draft on June 28.

The D.C. native seemed completely at home on the Verizon Center practice court, clad in Wizards gear and joking with jovial assistant coach Sam Cassell.

“I was a lot more comfortable than I thought I’d be,” Robinson said. “They made me feel as if I was already on the team. They guided me through everything. It was more of a learning experience, rather than throwing you out there to see what you can’t do.”
Washington Times


Since declaring for the NBA draft, the 6-foot-9 Robinson has been training in Los Angeles with the likes of former 10-year NBA veteran Pooh Richardson and former Olympic gold medallist Maurice Greene. He has gone to New York for the NBA lottery, to Chicago for the NBA combine, and he will have his first workout for his hometown Wizards on Wednesday at Verizon Center.

“This process is too long,” an agitated Robinson said last week. “I’m ready to start playing. I’m literally tired of everything. I want to get my name called and to start the season.”

Robinson’s impatience seems a little odd, since he backed up the Morris twins for two years at Kansas before finally getting his chance to take on a prominent role. With Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris going with the final two spots in the NBA lottery last June, Robinson took advantage of the opportunity and carried the Jayhawks to the NCAA championship game, averaging 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds as a junior.

He’s now nearly two weeks away from being a top-five pick in the NBA draft. The Wizards have the third overall pick and Robinson would love to start in career at home if the Charlotte Bobcats pass over him. When asked how he was able take an unusual path to near the top of the draft, Robinson used a word that he has struggled to grasp the past few months.

“It’s about being patient,” Robinson said. “I felt that with an opportunity, I’d be a top player, but I still had to work though. I wouldn’t say my freshman year I thought I was a top five pick, but I felt if I had the time and opportunity that I would be.”
Washington Post


NBA Summer League Schedule announced


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule (Work in progress)

College basketball coaches are now allowed two hours of practice with their players per week during the summer after a rules change in January. Players must be enrolled in summer school and the NCAA limits the total length of the workout period to eight weeks. Big 12 coaches, who took part in a teleconference Thursday, all agreed the rule change is great for the game.

Previously, coaches were not allowed to conduct summer practices. Players now are allowed to participate in eight hours of staff-supervised workouts per week, with six of the hours being limited to strength and conditioning.

"I think it's one of the great rules we've done for basketball," Barnes said. "If I was a football coach, I'd be envious of it. It allows us to spend time with our players and get to know them earlier."

…Another rule change, which begins today, includes coaches being able to call or text message recruits who have completed or are finishing their sophomore year of high school.

The deregulation allows coaches unlimited calls and text messages with recruits after June 15 following their sophomore year.

Coaches are permitted to send private messages via social media such as Twitter or Facebook, but public messages are still prohibited because of the NCAA rules preventing institutions from publicizing recruiting efforts.

The rule change, adopted by the Division I Leadership Council in October, hopes to emphasize relationship-building between coaches and recruits, while also limiting the influence of third parties on the recruiting process.

"Since Caller ID came into effect, if recruits want to talk to you, they'll talk to you," Baylor's Scott Drew said. "I don't think any profession likes paperwork. When all of us can save some trees, I think that makes things easier. It's very rare that you get coaches to all agree that they like these rules changes."
FW Star-Tel


Open lines are better than closed, said Kansas coach Bill Self.

"Any time you can put yourself in a situation where there is more communication, where you can get to know the family and recruits, better it's a positive," Self said. "It should help a ton in the long run."
KC Star


Weber, who was fired by Illinois in March after nine seasons, has been impressed with what he's seen so far after being immersed in the Big Ten.

"The success of the Big 12 as a basketball conference, a football conference, is just pretty eye-opening to be honest. Our whole staff, that's the one thing we've talked a lot about," Weber said Thursday in a call with reporters. "Comparing to the Big Ten, probably a little better athlete and maybe a little bit more open, up and down."

Huggins knows all about the Big 12, having spent one memorable season at Kansas State before jumping to his alma mater before the 2007-08 season.

Huggins said that one of the changes that fans in Morgantown are most excited about in the leap from the 16-team Big East to the Big 12 will be the true round-robin schedule.

It should help the Mountaineers generate some heated rivalries before long.

"There were times, I think we played at Syracuse four years in a row and I think Louisville played at our place four years in a row. You don't get to see all the teams," Huggins said. "I don't think you develop the rivalry like you do when you're playing people on a home-and-home basis like we're going to be able to do."

The coach facing the biggest challenge in moving to the Big 12 has got to be TCU's Trent Johnson.

Johnson left LSU after four seasons to take over at a school that got an invitation to the Big 12 based on its football success. But the Horned Frogs went 18-15 last season after winning just one league game in 2010-11, and Johnson sounded confident in the program's ability to compete in the Big 12 right away.

"There's some excitement, but also there's a curiosity and there's a wait-and-see approach or a wait-and-see attitude. Can we compete? Can we get it done at this level? And that's good," Johnson said. "I know what it's like. I know what we're getting into. But it's been good, and I think people are just sitting in the back waiting. But this institution and this program athletically -- it's time. It's time, in my opinion...to take on the challenges of the Big 12."
Link


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Kansas commitment Brannen Greene has a reputation for being a pure shooter from deep. He certainly is that. However, Thursday night the 6-foot-6 wing showed an improved ability to get to the rack in transition and use his body to his advantage off the dribble. He made some alert passes and played strong on both ends of the floor.
Rivals


Mishawaka, Ind., Marian senior-to-be guard Demetrius Jackson said he’s picked up a new team in the recruiting process in recent weeks – Kansas.

The 6-1 Jackson, considered by some as the top 2013 prospect in the state of Indiana, said the Jayhawks have been calling and are “the new school in the mix.”

“I’ve been talking to the coaches and they’re telling me about Jayhawk Nation and how once you are in it, you are always part of it,” Jackson said. “Everything else has been the same with the other schools. It’s all great right now.”

Jackson’s list includes Florida State, Butler, Notre Dame, Missouri, Michigan State and Illinois with him saying there’s “no favorite.”

“It’s a tough decision for me,” he said. “I want to go to the best fit for me.”
LCJ


He's got his own feature article from the first session, but it bears repeating that Anthony Barber was the best player during Thursday's first session. He blew by defenders like they were in cement shoes, made the right passes and was dialed in with his pullup jumper.
Rivals


College coaches certainly feel the blazing fast floor general is a player. Barber rattled off a list of Kansas, Alabama, Virginia, Baylor, Florida State, Duke, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. With a contact period approaching, he knows that things will get hectic.

"It's going to be crazy but it's something that has to be handled," said Barber. "Me and my dad and my coaches will handle it and take the calls as they come in."

For now, Barber says that the plan is to cut his list of schools down to three or four at the end of the summer and then set up visits. While he stopped just short of calling them the flat out favorites, Barber did say that Kansas and Alabama were pushing themselves ahead of the crowd.

"I like Coach Dooley at Kansas a lot," said Barber. "They've called and talked to me a lot and we've gotten to feeling each other out a lot better. Alabama is the same way."
Rivals


As one of the top high school basketball players in Kansas, Semi Ojeleye still has a long way to go in his recruiting process.

Who will he pick? The 6-foot-6 small forward who will soon be a senior at Ottawa is currently considering 11 teams (Arizona, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Wisconsin) and he wants to cut his list to five before making a final decision.

That process will take some time. But a favorite has emerged from the group — Duke.

“He sure likes Duke,” said Ojeleye’s father, Ernest. “He went on a tour there, and that is his No. 1 school choice right now. They talked to him early on and then they officially offered him when he was there. He enjoyed the visit.”

Ojeleye made an unofficial visit to Duke in early June. It was clear he was looking forward to the trip in this interview with Rivals, and meeting Mike Krzyzewski clearly made quite an impression on him.
Wichita Eagle


Devon Hall has had an impressive spring playing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with the Boo Williams 17U club. The Virginia Beach (VA) native that attends Cape Henry Collegiate School is a big and physical point guard who is quickly rising among the ranks of players in the Class of 2014.
While the Boo Williams 17U squad has some big-time players, such as leading scorer Anthony Barber, elite F Troy Williams as well as Allerick Freeman, Brandon Stith and more, who are all big names in the Class of 2013, Hall was a very important player in their EYBL success.

Hall is best known as an offensive facilitator on the floor, using patience and skill to command the offense of his squad. Those traits have attracted the attention of many colleges and he named schools such as Virginia, Maryland, Florida State, Georgetown, Iowa, Florida and Kansas as schools he likes “a lot” at the moment.
NBE Basketball


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Naadir Tharpe (@Ntharpe1)
6/13/12 4:48 PM
Camp Game was fun we had to put a hurting on the old dudes lol #KUCMB


LJW Photos

Former University of Nebraska basketball coach Doc Sadler is expected to soon be named director of basketball operations at Kansas University.

Sources told the Journal-World on Tuesday that Sadler, who has been on campus this week to interview with KU coach Bill Self, has been offered the job. It’s believed he has accepted or will accept and replace Barry Hinson as KU’s director of basketball operations.

…Sadler on Tuesday morning told the Omaha World-Herald he indeed was in Lawrence and there could be discussion with Self about a job. Sadler told the paper it was unlikely anything in the way of any new job would happen before July. He said he has other situations to explore, including TV and the NBA.
LJW


Julian Wright believes an ultra-successful season in the NBA Developmental League has resurrected his basketball career.

The No. 13 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft — who played sparingly for New Orleans and Toronto during his first four seasons in the NBA — averaged 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds a game for the 2012 NBADL champion Austin (Texas) Toros.

More importantly, the 25-year-old former Kansas University forward was the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs. Wright averaged 19.8 points (off 60.5 percent shooting) and 7.8 boards while logging 31.7 minutes a game in nine playoff games.

Former Jayhawk Julian Wright talks about his first ring (an NBDL title) and also says he's confident he can play in the NBA during an interview on Tuesday, June 12, 2012.

“For myself, it was comforting to know I have skills and have what it takes. It’s all about hopefully getting in the right situation to show it,” said the 6-foot-8, 240-pounder, who has accepted an invitation to play for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets in the Orlando Summer League in early July. “It was my first time in a while just being aggressive while scoring and being a guy they could count on.

“I was hoping for a call-up (to the Toros’ affiliate, the San Antonio Spurs), but in hindsight I was glad I was able to get those minutes rather than getting called up and not playing as much.”

…“I’m going back to school,” he said. “I need about 50 hours to graduate. I’ll take online courses, correspondence to earn my degree in the summer of 2013 probably. I’ve taken a few small classes at UCLA, but I said to myself, ‘I can’t get a degree from UCLA,” he exclaimed, noting he’s a Jayhawk forever.
LJW


As scores of NBA Finals media members poured onto the Chesapeake Energy Arena court on Monday, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison was reminded of his experience with the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2003 Final Four.

It’s not a pleasant memory. During an 81-78, national championship loss to Syracuse, Collison was 3-of-10 on free throws. Overall, Kansas was 12-of-30 at the foul line. Otherwise, Collison was great – 8-of-14 from the field, 19 points, 21 rebounds.

“I wasn’t a very good free throw shooter. In that game, it hurt us,’ Collison said. “I worked on it, but I wasn’t very confident with it. I’m much more confident with it now.”

For the Thunder this season, Collison has been a 71 percent shooter at the foul line.

At the age of 22, Collison came up short in his bid for a title. Now, at 31, he gets a second chance at a grand prize – the NBA championship.

The Syracuse disappointment “is always with you. It’s always with me, anyway,” Collison said. “The physical pain you feel in your gut – I’m over that. Every March, it’s difficult. It’s always in the back of my mind, for sure. Playing here in the Finals, it’s on my mind. I’ve wanted a championship for a long time.

“I think it was a good experience, going through that in college. It’s a similar stage in terms of media and all that. It’s easier to handle at this age. I’m more secure with myself as a player and a person.”
Tulsa World


Nick Collison, as we’ve known for a long time out here in Big 12 Country, was born ready. Oklahoma City’s 105-94 victory in the NBA Finals opener Tuesday proved that, again.

The conditions couldn’t have been more perfect.

A mild case of Big Stage fright got Oklahoma City off to a low-energy start.

So Brooks went smaller, went with the 6-10 Collison at center, and stayed with him for the most part.

Only Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha played more minutes that Collison in the second half, when the Thunder outscored Miami 58-40.

“We came out, I think we were a little tight,” Collison said. “They took away some of our energy. It didn’t seem like us in the first half defensively.

“Second half, we just relaxed and played. We were more physical, more aggressive. We started getting into ball handlers. We didn’t have as many breakdowns either. I just think we calmed down and were more comfortable in the second half.”

Ask any Thunder fan: Collison can have that effect on you, on a game. He played all but 29 seconds of a fourth quarter the Thunder led all the way, and the results were spectacular.

Twice he came up with key offensive rebounds on tips — the kind of tips Tyson Chandler made a career out of. Both tips produced big baskets.

Westbrook tossed a cross-court pass to Fisher, who worked off a vintage Collison screen. When the Heat came to help, Fisher fed Sefolosha for a layup. Thunder 78-73.

Later in the fourth, Collison tipped out another miss to Durant for one of his patented step-in 3-pointers and the Thunder led 87-81.

In between those tips, Collison had a steal to trigger Durant’s breakaway dunk.

His final line: eight points on 4-of-5-shooting — three dunks and a tip-in. Of his 10 rebounds, five were offensive.
The Oklahoman


Mario Chalmers saw two different sides to the game Tuesday night.

Of all the stars on the court in Oklahoma City; perhaps none had a better first half than Chalmers.

The third-year floor general out of Kansas, who entered averaging 11.6 points and nearly four assists per game in the 2012 NBA Playoffs; had 10 points and five assists in the first half but was held scoreless in the second until a layup in the middle of the fourth quarter pushed his total to 12.

Often relegated to the playing the off-ball guard spot because of LeBron James’ ability to the play point-forward; Chalmers was able to get his teammates going early; usually finding them standing wide open at the three-point line, where the Heat hit 6 of 10 in the first half.

Chalmers’ defense also took a hit after the first 24 minutes, where he played stifling man-to-man on Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook — whom most figured to pose the biggest matchup problem for the Heat.

Chalmers forced Westbrook to go 3 of 10 in the first half for only nine points. But in the second half, Westbrook was able to get around Chalmers and to the free throw line as he scored 10 points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth, with seven of those coming from the line.
Miami Herald


Wayne Simien kept constant vigil on his cell phone.

With his wife, Katie, expecting to give birth to the couple’s fourth child any day, Wayne, a two-time All-American at the University of Kansas and 2006 NBA champion with the Miami Heat, knew that one phone call was all it would take for him to be forced to leave the 40 campers at the Called To Greatness basketball camp at Osawatomie High School on June 6-7 and drive to Lawrence to be with his newborn.

“There will not be any tweets, texts or words with any of my friends,” he told the campers. “You see, my wife is about to give birth to our fourth child at any time. So, if I get a call, I will have to bolt.”

The baby has yet to arrive.

Teaching the game of basketball to 40 area youths became his focus.

Standing at center court in the auxiliary gymnasium at OHS, Simien outlined the plan for the first day of the event to the 20 campers in third through sixth grades who participated in the morning session.

There were 20 campers in seventh- through 12th grades in the afternoon session.

“There are three things that you need to do to have fun at the camp: one, have a great attitude in the drills and meeting new friends. Two, give great effort. Try your hardest in every single thing you do. Three, be great listeners. When myself or the other coaches are talking, stop what you’re doing and give good eye contact,” he said.
http://www.kccommunitynews.com/osawatomie-graphic-sports/31184153/detail.html

1) Dec. 29 - Kentucky at Louisville

2) Nov. 27 - North Carolina at Indiana (ACC-Big Ten)

3) Nov. 13 - Kentucky vs. Duke, Champions Classic (Atlanta)

4) Nov. 13 - Kansas vs. Michigan State, Champions Classic (Atlanta)

5) Dec. 22 - Kansas at Ohio State
CBS Top Non-con games for 2012-13



2012-13 Early Season Events List

Brannen Greene (@b_greene14)
6/12/12 10:25 AM
Flight at 8:45 tomorrow MORNING for NBA Top 100 Camp! Earliest flight of my ever so young life.


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

McDonald’s All-American Perry Ellis, the all-time leading scorer in Wichita City League history, capped his Wichita Heights basketball career by winning his fourth straight state championship and fourth-straight Gatorade Player of the Year Award.

He had just as impressive an exit on the academic side, serving as one of four valedictorians at Heights’ May 22 graduation ceremony.

“It was great. A lot of people respect me for that,” Ellis, a 4.0 student, said Monday before taking part in drills with his new Kansas University basketball teammates at Bill Self’s hoops camp in Horejsi Center.

“It was real tough. It didn’t come easy to me,” he added of acing all his classes. “I really had to work in the classroom to do that. That’s what I tell a lot of people. Anybody can do it. You just really have to work.”

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Ellis, who plans to major in business at KU, is taking two summer-school courses.

He hopes to keep his streak of A’s alive.

“I’m going to try,” he said of claiming a college 4.0. “It’s going to be tough again, another challenge for me, dealing with school and workouts and weights and all that. I’m going to definitely try.”
LJW


A long and distinguished list of former KU basketball players will descend on Lawrence this week for the Fourth Annual Rock Chalk Roundball Classic at 7 p.m. Thursday at Free State High School.

The event, a benefit for three local families fighting cancer, includes a pregame concert at 5:30 p.m. and a post-game autograph session.

For now, the list of former Jayhawks scheduled to attend includes: Darnell Valentine, Wayne Simien, Russell Robinson, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles, Ron Kellogg, Christian Moody, Brady Morningstar, Ryan Robertson, Julian Wright, Xavier Henry, Tyrel Reed and Conner Teahan.

In addition, former KU standouts Bud Stallworth, Scot Pollard and Patrick Richey will serve as coaches, while KU football coach Charlie Weis will serve as an honorary coach.

Neil Everett, an anchor on ESPN’s SportsCenter, will also be in town to emcee the festivities.

Ticket information: $7; can be purchased before game day in Lawrence at the 23rd St. Brewery, 3512 Clinton Parkway, and the Great Plains Media studios, 3125 W. 6th St.
KC Star


Many people’s dream in athletics is to make the Olympics and experience the event. The Olympic athletes from the United States were robbed of their dream in 1980 as the U.S. boycotted the Moscow games. Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Darnell Valentine joined the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano to not only talk about his NBA career but his experience as a member of the 1980 Olympic basketball team. Valentine and Canzano also talk about his college career at Kansas and the transition to the NBA.

Some NBA athletes have a career resurgence as they are able to extend their career overseas. Valentine talks about playing professional basketball overseas and how the experience was for a former NBA player. Enjoy this exclusive interview with Darnell Valentine found only on 750 The Game.
Audio at the link


University of Kansas basketball fans who follow the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder may have a hard time choosing a team to cheer for.

Mario Chalmers will be on the floor for the Heat, and Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich are with the Thunder as the Finals begin Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

“I’m excited,” Kansas basketball coach Bill Self said. “I think the two best teams are playing. It should be a great experience.”

…“Nick has done great,” Self said. “He’s a smart player. The Thunder is strong inside with (Serge) Ibaka and (Kendrick) Perkins, and Nick is on the same level as those guys. He can guard anybody.”

Aldrich has appeared in just four playoff games this year for the Thunder. His best chance to get in a Finals game is if there is a blowout.

But, Self said, Aldrich is part of the Thunder’s future.

“They are high on Cole and think that he will become an impact player,” Self said.

In addition to the former KU players, Self will be watching Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, who caused the Jayhawks a lot of problems during his college days at Texas.

“He’s unbelievable,” Self said. “The two best players in the world (Durant and James) are playing. It should be real interesting.”

Self said he isn’t sure how the Finals will turn out, but he does give an advantage to Durant and his teammates.

“I think the Thunder has the better team,” Self said. “Either way, KU wins.”
KC Star


Last year’s basketball clinic by Jeff Boschee was a huge success, and now the camp is hoping to make a stop in Augusta once again.

Boschee, a former Kansas basketball great, will team with David Devaney, a former head basketball coach and current assistant coach in the Kansas City area. They will run the clinic Monday, June 25 and Tuesday, June 26 at Augusta High School.

The clinics also feature at least one or two current Jayhawk basketball players, who are kept a surprise until the clinic. Travis Releford was one Jayhawk who helped at the camp last year. Other players who have made an appearance includes Mario Chalmers, Darrell Arthur and Cole Aldrich.
Augusta Gazette

The Big East sued TCU for failing to pay the conference $5 million after the school reneged on an agreement to become a member and chose to join the Big 12 instead.

The Big East filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
AP



Sandusky trial begins



2012-13 Early Season Events List

North senior Conner Frankamp, who played with USA Basketball last summer, has been invited to the training camp starting June 15 and lasting through June 17 with twice-daily practices.

Thirty-one players have been been invited and the 12-member team will be chosen on June 17 to train through June 20. The team will  train and compete June 22-25, in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. During that time the U.S. will participate in the 2012 Spain U17 International Invitational, featuring U17 teams from Australia, Latvia and host Spain, June 24-25.

The USA Basketball team will open its defense of the FIBA U17 World Championship by playing Australia on June 29, the Czech Republic on June 30, Egypt on July 1 and France on July 3 before closing preliminary play against China on July 4. The top four finishing teams from each group will advance to the medal round with the quarterfinals staged on July 6, the semifinals on July 7 and the finals on July 8.
Wichita Eagle


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Zach Peters, the tall Texan who orally committed to play basketball at Kansas University two years and two months ago, has finally arrived in Lawrence to begin his college career.

“It did seem like forever to get up here. Getting here ... it’s been awesome,” said the 6-foot-9, 236-pound forward from Plano’s Prestonwood Christian Academy who chose KU over Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky and many others way back on April 21, 2010.

…Peters checked into his apartment at Jayhawker Towers on June 1. He actually could have sped up his arrival at KU by a year.

A good student, he needed just a couple hours of classwork last summer to graduate high school and be immediately eligible for the 2011-12 collegiate season.

In no hurry, Peters decided to remain in Plano for what turned out to be a memorable senior season, one in which he earned first-team all-state honors for a state-championship basketball team and second-team all-state mention at receiver for a football team that reached the state semifinals.

“It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of new people last year. I got closer with some of my friends,” said Peters, who averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in hoops and caught 13 TD passes for more than 1,000 yards on the gridiron. “One of those things people always talk about ... they say the time of your life is your senior year, then you go on to college. It’s one of the things I felt I needed to do. Experiencing it was awesome — the perks of being a senior and all the experiences that come along with it.”

…“I like all the guys. I think there’s eight of us, a ton of freshmen,” he said of scholarship players McLemore, Traylor, Peters, Perry Ellis, Landen Lucas, Andrew White, as well as Anrio Adams and Milton Doyle, expected to come aboard when they are cleared academically. “We are extremely underrated — actually very underrated. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

Peters enters as Rivals.com’s No. 137-rated player in the class of 2012.

“I didn’t play summer AAU my senior year and didn’t go to any camps,” Peters said of the summer of 2011 in which he prepared for his return to football. “I don’t care about rankings. They don’t say who I am as a person or who I am as a player.”
LJW


Evan Manning sat at a table with fellow Kansas University freshmen Zach Peters and Tyler Self for 21⁄2 hours Sunday afternoon in Booth Family Hall of Athletics, fulfilling his first official obligation as a Jayhawk basketball player.

He posed for pictures with — and signed autographs for — approximately 800 youngsters on orientation day at Bill Self’s KU basketball camp for boys 8 to 18 years old.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Manning, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound walk-on guard out of Free State High and New Hampton (N.H.) Prep School. “Being around all the campers reminded me of when I went (to KU camp). I went here eight years for camp, both coach Self and coach (Roy) Williams. It brought back a lot of memories.”

…Manning likes what he has seen of his fellow KU freshmen. So far, Peters, Self, Perry Ellis and Andrew White have been in town, along with red-shirt freshmen Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor. Landen Lucas graduates today and is expected in town this week. Anrio Adams and Milton Doyle are likely to join the class at some point, once they go through graduation ceremonies and it’s determined they will qualify academically.

“We’ll all get to know each other this summer,” Manning said. “We’re all in the same summer school classes. This summer will be good bonding time for everyone.”

…Here are the jersey numbers of freshmen who attended the camp picture/signing session on Sunday: Ellis (34), Manning (10), McLemore (23), Peters (32), Self (11), Traylor (31), White (3). Landen Lucas will be No. 33.
LJW


If you want to be specific, it’s been more 15 months since Ben McLemore has played in an official basketball game. Real jerseys? Real referees? A scoreboard that mattered? McLemore can hardly remember what it feels like.

…But during the next six months, as Kansas matured into a Final Four team, McLemore began his own transition, morphing into an intriguing curiosity among followers of the program. One week, KU was publishing video of McLemore dunking with his head level with the rim. Another week, KU coach Bill Self was crediting McLemore with helping KU’s guards — including Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson — grow into a unit worthy of a long NCAA run.

On most days, Self says now, McLemore was the third-most talented player in practice behind Taylor and All-American forward Thomas Robinson. Other days, he might have even been better. There is, of course, a difference between talent, skill and being an impact player in the Big 12, and Self is quick to cut a clear line between the categories. But if you were to grade McLemore on talent — shooting, sliding, athletic ability, defending — his skills set him apart.

“If you ask Thomas and Tyshawn,” Self says, “they’ll probably tell you the same thing.”

These days, one year after first arriving on campus, McLemore is finally ready to take the hold off his college career and prepare for life without Taylor and Robinson.

…When he arrived at KU last summer, his lithe, 6-foot-5 frame carried just 185 pounds. And he had never lifted weights — at least, not anything close to the program KU strength and conditioning coach Andrea Hudy preached.

But soon, McLemore was on the Hudy plan, and with no game action to counteract the weight-room work, McLemore says he put on 10 pounds of muscle and is now just a few double cheeseburgers shy of the 200-pound mark. One example: He’s putting up to 300 pounds on the bar during his clean sets.

“In the weight room,” McLemore says, “it’s ridiculous now. I can just lift stuff like crazy, like I never did before.”

…For now, he’s just waiting for his first chance, which could come when the Jayhawks take a summer exhibition trip to Europe in August. The games won’t count, of course. But for McLemore, at least it will finally feel real.

“Can’t wait,” McLemore says. “I think that’s really gonna be my debut.”
KC Star


Former Kansas interim athletic director Drue Jennings was looking for someone to do even more than that when the Jayhawks' position came open in the spring of 2003.

Other than Kentucky, there may not be a coaching job in America that involves as much pressure as the one in Lawrence. The inventor of the game, James Naismith, was the program's first coach. Retired jerseys of former standouts such as Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Paul Pierce hang from the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse, which is packed with 16,300 fans for every game.

Williams is one of the biggest reasons expectations are so high. He won more games in the 1990s than any other coach in America. His final two Kansas teams went a combined 63-12 and reached back-to-back Final Fours.

When Jennings began searching for Williams' replacement, he knew he couldn't afford to make a mistake.

"It was stressful," Jennings said. "At KU, you've got to have someone that's darn near a saint. You've got to have not only the basketball prowess, but the character to go with it. People at KU demand that you run your program with integrity, that you take youngsters and turn them into men and represent your university."

Within a week of Williams' departure, Jennings had hired Self.

"Let's face it," Jennings said. "I got lucky."

It almost didn't happen. A few days before he accepted the job, Self telephoned his father, Bill Sr., and expressed reservations about taking the job. Self had spent the previous three seasons at Illinois.

"What's holding you back?" Self's dad asked.

His son seemed wishy-washy.

"Roy won so much there," Self recalled saying. "Will I be compared to that? I don't know if there's any way we can win that many games. It almost seems impossible."

Self was taken aback by his father's response.

"He told me, 'You're right; maybe you should stay at Illinois,'" Self said. "'If you're scared of following Roy, you're probably not the man for the job.'

"He basically called me a [wimp]."

Fueled by that comment, Self accepted the job and immediately put his stamp on Kansas' program. Under Williams, the Jayhawks were known for a fast-paced offense that routinely scored in the 90s and 100s. Self slowed the game down a bit and employed a high-low attack. There also was a greater emphasis on toughness and defense.

"There was some resistance at first, which was understandable," Self said. "I'm coming in and telling the players, 'This is the best thing ever for you guys. This style and how we do things will be great for you.' In the back of their mind, they're thinking, 'We've won a lot more than you have. If what we were doing was great before, why should we think that your way is better?'

"I had to come to grips with that and try to convince them there are lots of ways to do it."

Nine years later, Self has won eight straight Big 12 titles and an NCAA title -- something Williams was never able to bring to Lawrence.

"We guessed right with Bill," Jennings said. "Someday someone will confront that same kind of pressure when Bill is no longer at KU. To keep that tradition alive puts tremendous pressure on whoever is responsible for it."
ESPN: Replacing a legendary coach is never easy


Nine Kansas athletic teams achieved grade point averages of 3.0 or better and 209 student-athletes earned their way onto the Athletic Director's Honor Roll during the spring semester as the department combined to tally its fourth-highest cumulative GPA ever.

KU was led by volleyball's 3.44 team GPA and saw the football team notch it's single best GPA with a 3.0, topping its previous high of 2.75. Other sports achieving 3.0's included soccer (3.32), softball and swimming & diving (3.25), men's golf (3.14), women's golf (3.11), tennis (3.05), and football and women's track & field at 3.00. The department's overall GPA of 2.99 is its fourth-highest in history.

Thirty-five student-athletes scored a perfect 4.0 GPA, leading a total of 209 who earned GPA's of 3.0 or higher.

Kansas head volleyball coach Ray Bechard was pleased with the work his team put in during the spring semester, their third-consecutive semester at the top of the Jayhawk GPA chart.

"This is a testament to our team's dedication both on the court and in the classroom," Bechard said. "I'm very pleased and proud of them. Not only are they balancing the intense training and conditioning that comes with the spring practice session, we also increase the academic workload with the spring being our off-season. They handle that very well."

The football team jumped more than half a letter grade from the 2.46 it posted during the fall semester, prior to the arrival of new head coach Charlie Weis. 

"I am delighted that the football team achieved a 3.0 GPA," said Weis. "That mark exceeded my expectations by a wide margin. To be able to jump more than half a letter grade in one semester, and exceeding the best GPA ever by a quarter-grade merits my congratulations to the entire team. Good things happen when you go to class, go on time and use academic support."

Student-Athlete Grade Summary
Spring 2012

Team GPA's

Baseball 2.63
Men's Basketball 2.80
Women's Basketball 2.48
Football 3.00 *All-time record for team
Men's Golf 3.14
Women's Golf 3.11
Rowing 2.95
Softball 3.25
Soccer 3.32
Swimming & Diving 3.25
Tennis 3.05
Men's Track & Field 2.84
Women's Track & Field 3.00
Volleyball 3.44

All Sports Combined 2.99 *4th highest for department

Athletics Director's Honor Roll

4.00 = 35
3.00-3.99 = 174

Total = 209 (53% Students on active rosters)
via email from KU

6/8/12 3:13 PM
Finished NBA Combine interviews. Thought Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, Draymond Green, John Henson and Bernard James all did a great job
Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress)


Man of his word: A day after saying he should be the No. 1 pick, Kansas' Thomas Robinson clarified his statement but didn't back off.

"I'm a grown man," he said. "I don't feel like I should hide my thoughts. Anthony Davis, it's pretty obvious that he's going to be the No. 1 pick. But I don't feel that I'm wrong for saying that I also could be the No. 1 pick."

The statement just proves his competitiveness, Robinson said.

"I compete," he said. "Most of the guys aren't saying it, but I'm sure they feel that way. This draft is deep and talented, so there's a lot of guys that could be the No. 1 pick. I compete just like everyone else."

Robinson is more likely to be picked second by the Bobcats. If he slips beyond a certain point, Robinson said he will feel offended. He declined to say how low is too low.

"If I slip low, it'll come out in November," he said.
Chicago Tribune


After quizzing about 15 players for 30 minutes each at the NBA combine in Chicago, the Wizards are now moving on to the next phase of the evaluation process as they will welcome the top candidates for the No. 3 overall pick to Verizon Center this week for individual workouts.

The Wizards will bring in three candidates, beginning Wednesday with local product Thomas Robinson from Kansas. Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal will work out on Thursday, followed by Kentucky swingman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on Friday. All three players are projected to be top-five picks in the June 28 draft.

Robinson has already expressed a desire to play for his hometown Wizards and will have the first opportunity to prove to them that they should invest their top draft pick in the 6-foot-9 power forward.
Washington Post


The Grizzlies plan to take a long look at adding outside shooting during the June 28 NBA draft, and their scouting staff is said to feel strongly about Vanderbilt sharpshooter John Jenkins. So it should come as no surprise that Jenkins will highlight the Grizzlies' first pre-draft workout Monday in FedExForum.

Memphis owns the 25th overall pick in the first round. Jenkins, a 6-4 guard, led the SEC in scoring the past two seasons and shot 44 percent from three-point range during the 2011-12 campaign.

His workout partners will include other shooting guards in Kentucky's 6-4 Doron Lamb and Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor, and point guards Dee Bost of Mississippi State, Tu Holloway of Xavier and Scoop Jardine of Syracuse.
Memphis C-A


Almost a year removed from his first draft as general manager, Blanks made sure the assembled media on Monday afternoon knew he felt last year’s selection of Markieff Morris was the right pick with the benefit of hindsight.

“He exceeded all expectations the way he came in ready to play, he was in shape, and Alvin did a great job of inserting him into the system,” Blanks said. “Now Markieff’s got to build on what he did. Hopefully this is a player who’s not finished growing. Hopefully he can impact this roster next year. Part of that will be on him, and part of that will be on us.”

To that point Blanks stressed the importance of player development, particularly with a soon-to-be sophomore like Morris.

In April ESPN’s David Thorpe wrote a piece advising 20 prominent rookies of a veteran they should seek to emulate, and for Morris that vet was LaMarcus Aldridge.

Thorpe wrote:
“When Aldridge first started his NBA career, he was mildly in love with his jump shot. Then it took over his thinking to the point where experts questioned whether he’d ever reach his vast potential to be an offensive force. He answered them last season by focusing more on paint touches, working hard to get position there first. And now he’s an All-Star.

Morris is an excellent deep shooter, something which will keep him relevant in the NBA for a decade. But he has the potential to be more than just a stretch big if he develops the mindset to do so. Hunting paint shots would be a great start.”
Valley of the Suns

Mike Alden had finished his workout March 16 and walked with associate athletic director Mark Alnutt through downtown Omaha, Neb., from their hotel to Starbucks in search of their customary morning pick-me-up.

An eventful day awaited with the Missouri basketball team set to begin the NCAA Tournament that afternoon against Norfolk State. Frank Haith's squad, fresh off its Big 12 Tournament championship, was at the CenturyLink Center going through its final shootaround with tipoff less than seven hours away.

But the MU athletic director's attention was about to be pulled away from March Madness. He and Alnutt returned to the team hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, and were alerted to news that FBI agents had arrived at the hotel at around 9 a.m. in search of Levi McLean Franklin Coolley.

They found him there and arrested him as part of a wider bust targeting nine individuals — eight from Columbia and another from Kansas City — for their alleged roles in a Boone County cocaine ring. Coolley has been indicted on one count of distributing cocaine and another of possession with intent to distribute and also faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, all felonies.

"First of all, I was shocked. Shocked," Alden said in an interview last month. "I wasn't surprised. I was shocked about that — and because I had no clue of something like that."

Coolley was not a faceless figure to Alden or others around the Missouri program.

Flight manifests obtained by the Tribune through an open records request show that Coolley flew with the team on previous NCAA Tournament trips to Boise, Idaho, and Phoenix in 2009; to Buffalo, N.Y., in 2010; and to Washington, D.C., last year and that he accompanied the team on a flight back from Austin, Texas, in January.

The Buffalo News, in a story about college basketball fans descending on western New York during the 2010 tournament, quoted Coolley as he looked out over Niagara Falls. His words also appeared in a Kansas City Star story published the night before his arrest that detailed the interaction between Missouri and Kansas fans forced into close quarters in Omaha.

A separate records request showed that one or more players left him complementary tickets to eight games at Mizzou Arena during the 2008-09 season and one more in the 2009-10 season.
Columbia Tribune


A summer class at UNC-Chapel Hill that lacked any instruction was enrolled exclusively with football players – and it landed on the school calendar just days before the semester started, university records show.

The records show that in the summer of 2011, 19 students enrolled in AFAM 280: Blacks in North Carolina, 18 of them players on the football team, the other a former player. They also show that academic advisers assigned to athletes helped the players enroll in the class, which is the subject of a criminal investigation.

The advisers also knew that there would be no instruction.

Other records show that football and basketball players made up a majority of the enrollments of nine particularly suspect classes in which the professors listed as instructors have denied involvement, and have claimed that signatures were forged on records related to them.

The new information is more evidence that student athletes, particularly football players, were being steered to classes that university officials now say are evidence of academic fraud because there was little or no instruction. An internal review found 54 such classes, and said all but nine of them were taught by Julius Nyang’oro, the longtime chairman of the African and Afro-American Studies Department. In each case, students were given an assignment such as a term paper and told to turn it in at the end of the semester.

UNC officials released the information in response to a records request by The News & Observer. Before making it public, Chancellor Holden Thorp sent a letter to trustees on Thursday.

“While it appears that academic support staff (for student athletes) were aware that Professor Nyang’oro didn’t intend to teach the class as a standard lecture course, they knew that the students would be required to write a 15-page paper,” Thorp said in the letter. “They saw no reason to question the faculty member’s choice of course format.”

The academic support staff reports to the university’s College of Arts & Sciences, but is housed in the Athletic Department’s student support center within Kenan Stadium.

Thorp could not be reached for comment. In a statement, he said the findings on the class are troubling.

“Anytime you have a class consisting solely of student-athletes, it raises questions,” he said.

Bubba Cunningham, the new athletic director hired after the scandal, said he is also concerned.
Charlotte NO


Kansas is known as the "Cradle of Basketball" for good reason. Dr. James Naismith, the game's inventor, began coaching the Jayhawks in 1899.

The man who built Kentucky's blue blood program, Adolph Rupp, was born in Halstead, Kan., and played at KU.

Dean Smith, the architect of North Carolina's dominant NBA factory on Tobacco Road, played at Topeka (Kan.) High School and was a member of the Jayhawks' 1952 national title team.

The long list of basketball royalty who honed their skills in Lawrence, Kan., includes Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Paul Pierce.

McCloud was recruited to KU by Dr. Forrest C. Allen.

Only an event as consequential as the Great Depression could force a boy from Kansas to say no to the larger-than-life coach known as "Phog."

Shortly after graduating from Newton High School, his father died from a severe case of blood poisoning.

It appeared that young Pete's basketball dreams were over as reality slapped him in the face.

"I had my mother and two brothers to take care of. When Phog Allen called me to go up there I said, 'I'm sorry, but I can't go. I don't have any money and I need a scholarship or something. I have to take care of my family,'" McCloud said. "There was nobody else. I was the oldest one at home and I was already working on railroad cars. As I remember it, (Allen) said, 'I don't think you could make my team anyway.'

"That's all I heard from him."

'A sight to behold'

McCloud tried to forget about what might have been at KU while working hard to put bread on the table.

That winter a life-changing opportunity McCloud had never even considered presented itself.

Cox, a former KU player and assistant coach under Allen who had also grown up in Newton, contacted Lindley about sending some of his boys out to Boulder to play for the Buffs.

"Mr. Lindley called me in and said, 'I want you to go out to school in Colorado,'" McCloud said. "I said, 'Ha, there's not much to that idea. Who's going to take care of my mom?'"

Lindley convinced his star pupil that the community would make sure that his family was taken care of.

McCloud reluctantly packed his bag and headed west, where a scholarship to play at CU was waiting.

…The Buffs-Jayhawks draw in Kansas City, Mo., made for a juicy story line in the national quarterfinals.

Pupil schooled teacher as Cox's crew prevailed 46-44 over Allen and mighty KU for CU's first NCAA Tournament victory.

"Oh, joy," McCloud says when asked about beating the Jayhawks. "Yes, I loved it. I remember we played pretty good as a team. It seemed like I scored pretty good, but I can't remember very much."

Hamburg shut down KU star Ralph Miller, who went on to become a Hall of Fame coach at Iowa and Oregon State.

On the other end, McCloud poured in 19 points.

According to coverage in the March 21, 1942, edition of the Daily Camera, that stat line could have been even more impressive but CU's offensive star developed a stomach cramp in the second half.

"I scored 19 points? Good. It probably should have been 29 points," McCloud said. "With Phog on the bench that was pure joy. That sort of settled the score."
Daily Camera


While Kentucky coach John Calipari has had great success putting players into the NBA draft — and should have six more picked later this month — at least one NBA scout says perception is not always reality.

“The interesting thing, and its not a knock, but there is this Kentucky mystique that Calipari has done a great job creating and perpetuating.  The best part about Kentucky’s system is that can hide so many flaws at first glance,” the scout, who asked not to be identified because his team could draft a UK player, said.

Like what?

” MKG (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist)is a good defensive player, but he isn’t as good as people believe.  Having (Anthony) Davis camped around the rim allowed players to play defense in a way which minimized their weaknesses,” the scout said.

More?

“The threat of the lob made  (Marquis) Teague out to be a better point guard than he really is,” the scout said.

But wait. There’s more.

“In reality, the Kentucky system is smoke and mirrors.  I remember being out in Vegas  for a Summer League and I was sitting and watching games with a long-time Director of Scouting in the league.  He said he was stunned at how unprepared Kentucky players were for the NBA, and he had drafted one of them,” the scout said.
Link


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Yesterday I went up to the UA #GRINDSESSIONS held at Marist HS in Atlanta, GA.  Many of the participants I had not seen so it was very refreshing to see some new faces.  One in particular was Kansas Jayhawk commit Conner Frankamp of Witchita, KS who plays with KC RUN GMC.  I first noticed Frankamp during the 2 on 2 drills when he and Rondae Jefferson ran the table on the competition.  Later in the afternoon when the session of games kicked off 6'0 160lbs point guard was toying with his competition by hitting deep threes, breakdown his defenders, and making plays for others.
courtcred.com


The Amateur Athletic Union is expected to announce new mandatory background screening for all adult coaches, volunteers and staff, as well as stricter training protocols to govern interaction with youth athletes, a person familiar with the situation said.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the AAU has not publicly announced the findings of an internal review of its best practices. The person did not say how the screening would be conducted, but said the system-wide background checks and screenings would not pose an unfair or unreasonable financial hardship on anyone. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday at the AAU's national headquarters.

A six-month review by two task forces focused on youth protection and adult volunteering screening. The panels produced a joint 30-page report with their recommendations for changes to AAU's polices, protocols and procedures. Those recommendations are expected to be revealed Tuesday.
AP


"R U interested in our school? Our facilities are gr8!"

A text message reading along those lines might appear on cellphone screens of basketball recruits starting Friday, after a new NCAA rule takes effect allowing college coaches to send unlimited text messages to players who have completed their sophomore year of high school.

Coaches also will be able to make unlimited calls to those recruits under the new legislation.

A move aimed at weeding out superfluous bylaws in the NCAA manual, the game-changing measure is a departure from current rules that forbid communication via text and limit coaches to one phone call per recruit in a month.
Minimized is the role of high school coaches, used previously by college coaches to circumvent rules restricting phone calls. Instead of navigating back channels to set up a meeting with a recruit, coaches will proceed unassisted.

Other changes include the regulation of workouts. Coaches now can put a recruit through a tryout on his official visit as well as give instruction to freshmen in the summer.

Gone will be many inadvertent recruiting violations.
Toledo Blade

Wayne Selden is also in the process of reclassifying.

The 6-foot-4 small forward will move from 2014 to 2013.

“I believe I am physically and academically ready to go back to my original class,” Selden told ESPN.com’s Paul Biancardi, who broke the news.

“Wayne is a strong student and has enough credits to get back into his original class,” Tilton School coach Marcus O’Neil told ESPN.com. “He has adapted very well academically here at Tilton.”

Selden figures to be one of the hottest recruits in the Class of 2013 and recently told ZAGSBLOG he was hearing a lot from North Carolina and Kansas.

He told ESPN.com his list includes Florida, UCLA, Harvard, Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky and UConn.

“I just want to work hard and develop my game,” he said recently. “That’s all it comes down to.”
Zags Blog


Chris Walker, a 6-9 senior power forward from Holmes County High in Bonifay, Fla., tells JayhawkSlant.com he will visit KU this fall. The No. 6-rated player in the Class of 2013 also likes Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse, Baylor and Ohio State.
LJW


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar 


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Rex Walters (@USFBBallCoach)
6/7/12 10:46 AM
The athletic/basketball facilities on the KU Campus are beyond ridiculous. They didn't have this stuff when I was here! Hahaha.

Just toured the MBB Basketball Facilities (Locker Room, Film Room, Warm Up Room, Players Lounges, Shower Room). Better than NBA Facilities.
https://twitter.com/#!/USFBBallCoach



Thomas Robinson just told me he measured 6-8 3/4 with shoes. 7-3 wingspan and 5 percent body fat. Official measurements released tomorrow.
@GoodmanCBS


Thomas Robinson official measurement from the NBA Combine:
6' 7.75" socks 6' 8.75" shoes and 7' 3.25" wing 8' 10" reach
https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/211085408845570050


Thomas Robinson measures 6-9 with a crazy 7-3 wingspan today. That should end any concerns about his size at the 4
https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/210871397898137601


Height-wise, that's puts him a little bit on the short side, but his wingspan is very encouraging. At 7'3", Robinson has the same wingspan at the draft combine as Tyson Chandler, Tyrus Thomas, Andrew Bogut, and Kawhi Leonard. As we've discussed before, the Wizards struggled defensively at power forward last season. Based on today's results, Robinson should at least be well-equipped to defend his position.
Blog

The annual ritual of NBA prospect chest-puffing took place on Thursday, when Kansas forward Thomas Robinson reiterated his recent stance that he isn't among those buying into the Anthony Davis hype.

The Kentucky forward is seen as the consensus No. 1 pick in the June 28 draft, and he sauntered into the interview room at the draft combine wearing a T-shirt that read "Check my stats." Davis wasn't asked about the meaning of the shirt, but Robinson wasn't afraid to share his thoughts when reporters inquired.

"If you wanted to check the stats, then I'd be the No. 1 pick easily -- if that's what you want to do," he said. "I should get one of those shirts. I'll get a shirt that says, 'Numbers don't lie.' "

Based on the tale of the tape, Robinson -- who could go as high as No. 2 to Charlotte but is widely considered a top five pick -- has a point. He averaged 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game, while Davis averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 4.7 blocks. Robinson was then asked if he would be looking for revenge from any team that passes him in the draft.

"I'm going to go after every team that I step on the floor against," Robinson said. "There's really not going to be a specific team that I'm going to point out and just try to kill. I'm trying to kill everybody."

…The lack of an agent, interestingly, had a ripple effect on Davis' public presentation on Thursday. Because he has no agent, groups that typically help dress the prospects for this event -- like Jhoanna Alba of the fashion company Alba -- were unable to establish a relationship with him and potentially become a partner. As a result, Davis wore the T-shirt that sparked Robinson's ire. Meanwhile, Robinson, a client of Alba's, was widely seen as the fashion winner of the day. He wore a sharp pairing of gray plaid slacks, white-with-brown-checks shirt and brown-with-orange knit tie.
SI


The Charlotte Bobcats are shopping the second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, according to multiple sources. They have yet to contact Thomas Robinson, who many had penciled in as the number two pick after Anthony Davis. On Thursday afternoon, the Bobcats met with a number of players who are projected in the middle of the first round, such as Tyler Zeller, which indicates that they could be looking to move down. The Bobcats don’t seem to be in love with anyone at this point, which means a different team could be selecting second on draft night.
Hoopsworld


With the fourth pick of the SLAMonline Mock Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select…

Thomas Robinson from Kansas.

Let me start off by saying that I don’t believe Thomas Robinson will still be available when the Cavs’ pick rolls around at No. 4. Brad Beal or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will probably be there most likely options. Maybe even Harrison Barnes will get some consideration. But with MKG and Beal both no longer on the market in SLAMonline’s 2012 Mock Draft, I think TRob would be the obvious choice here.

Why Robinson?

Although the Cavs saw some improvements this past season, they still finished with the third worst record in the League. And at times it looked like they could use an extra big in the paint, and yes also a wing! But Robinson’s can do a bit of the both.
SLAMonline


Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor worked out for the Cavaliers about two weeks ago. While Kyrie Irving is entrenched as the starter, the Cavs could still be in the market for a backup.

Besides, Taylor is confident he can play either guard spot.

Taylor averaged 16.6 points and 4.8 assists in leading the Jayhawks to the national championship game. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and believes he can defend either guard position.

"They made it clear they want to be a defensive-minded team," Taylor said Thursday at the NBA combine. "They understand that's something I can bring to the table. With me being able to play the '1' and '2,' they don't see any conflicts. I understand Kyrie is their guy right now and that probably won't change for a while. There's no conflict. I could back him up or play beside him."
Akron Beacon Journal


One trip was enough for Kansas transfer Merv Lindsay.

On Thursday, Lindsay ended his recruiting visit to Albuquerque by giving the New Mexico men’s basketball assistant coach Duane Broussard and the Lobo staff the news it wanted to hear.

“I’m not taking any other visits,” Lindsay told the Journal on Thursday. “After talking to coach Broussard almost daily since I got my release form (from Kansas), they’ve been the most consistent. They set up a visit, and now I’m a Lobo.”

Lindsay, per NCAA transfer rules, must sit out the 2012-13 season and will be a sophomore in the 2013-14 season. The 6-foot-7 guard/forward averaged just 2.2 minutes and played in just 12 games last season as a freshman at Kansas.

He decided to look for a school where he would receive more playing time, and said he also “received interest from Oregon State, Stanford, Nevada-Reno and Denver, but New Mexico took control of the lead. They were calling the most, and they set it up the first (visit).”

Lindsay said he will attend summer school at UNM in early July. He is from Moreno Valley, Calif. Lindsay averaged 15.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game for Canyon Springs High as a senior.

He said he’s not bothered by having to sit out this season.

“It’s not a year off, it’s a year to get better,” he said. “It’s a year to get better on the court, off the court, to get ahead of in classes and take advantage. I get an extra year in school.

“… It wasn’t frustrating at all (at KU). I feel like I learned a lot, I don’t regret my decision at all. We went to the national championship game. And even though I didn’t play in the game, I didn’t disappoint my team. …. I’ll still always be a Jayhawk — and be a Lobo at the same time.”
ABQ Journal


KU basketball season tickets are now on sale for the 2012-13 season. The deadline to order and make a minimum pledge of $100 to the Williams Fund is July 20. Seat locations will be allocated at the Select-A-Seat event, which begins August 13. Season-ticket prices will remain the same for 2012-13, and all ticket packages include 20 home games – all 19 games in Allen Fieldhouse and one game in Sprint Center in Kansas City. Information is available at kuathletics.com or 800-34-HAWKS.

…“We have a great relationship with Colorado, plus we have 4,000 to 5,000 fans in Western Kansas. That’s an opportunity to see us play whenever we play in Boulder,” Self said of fans who likely will find tickets to the game during the 2013-14 season at Coors Events Center. This year’s game is in Allen Fieldhouse.

“It’s a great deal for us and our fans. We are playing a KU grad (CU coach Tad Boyle), who has done a remarkable job there in a short amount of time,” Self added.

As far as the nitty-gritty of the issue ...

“No one ever held Colorado responsible for them leaving the league. They did something they felt they had to do,” Self said. “There were so many rumors they could be left out in the cold, too. Everybody respected that without question. There are no hard feelings there. With the climate, the landscape at that particular time (summer, 2010), with all the talk about Texas, Oklahoma, A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, all those schools going to the Pac-10 back then ... all the talk before that about Missouri and Nebraska going to the Big Ten ... Colorado was just making sure they had a conference affiliation. No hard feelings about that.”
LJW


Kansas University’s women’s basketball team will welcome two future Jayhawks to coach Bonnie Henrickson’s Elite Camp this weekend. They are: Jada Brown, a 6-foot senior forward from Las Vegas Centennial High, and Keyla Morgan, a 5-9 senior guard from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly Tech.

Brown is Nevada’s 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year.
LJW

The Junction City community was in mourning Thursday after learning of the loss of a prominent local family who died in an airplane crash in Florida.

Authorities said Junction City businessman Ronald Bramlage, 45, his wife, Becky, 43, and their four children were killed Thursday afternoon when a small plane bound for Junction City crashed in a swampy area of central Florida near Lake Wales.

The plane, coming from the Bahamas, was being piloted by Ron Bramlage and was carrying his wife and their three boys and girl. Roxanne, Beau, Boston and Brandon were going to be third, seventh, ninth and 10th graders, respectively, next year in Geary County Unified School District 475.

Ron was the grandson of the late Fred Bramlage, a 1935 graduate of Kansas State University and Junction City businessman. Fred Bramlage was the lead contributor to construction of Bramlage Coliseum, a multipurpose arena that opened in 1988 and is home to the K-State men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Becky Bramlage was president of the Geary County USD 475 board of education.
TCJ Condolences to the family and Wildcat Nation


Was Kentucky the most offensively balanced title team of this era? It's not the sort of question that can be definitively answered on deadline, and so I let it slide, but on a slow week in June, there was time to revisit it, build a dossier of data, and figure out where the Wildcats actually stand.

The most effective way to assess offensive balance is through possession usage -- the percent of possessions a player ends by making or missing a shot, or committing a turnover. A perfectly harmonious team would have a usage distribution of 20-20-20-20-20 across its lineup, while a team with a ballhog and four role players might have a 35-17-16-16-16 distribution. By applying a business-analysis formula called the Herfindahl Index, which typically measures market-share concentration, to basketball usage data, we can assess how much teams stray from that 20-20-20-20-20 model. The lower the Herfindahl (HHI), the more balanced a team is; the higher, the more unbalanced. Usage data is available for the past 16 champions, from Arizona's 1996-97 title team onward; while that doesn't exactly constitute an "era," it does provide a decent sample of modern-day champs.

For each team, I averaged two HHI figures -- one across the top five players in percentage of minutes played, and the other across the top six players -- to come up with a final balance score. (The complete chart doesn't appear until the end of the story, for the sake of suspense.) Counting down, these were the three most balanced title teams in the sample:

3. Kansas 2007-08

Top Six in Rotation (Poss%): Mario Chalmers (19.6), Brandon Rush (21.6), Russell Robinson (16.6), Darrell Arthur (24.1), Darnell Jackson (19.9), Sherron Collins (21.1)
Chalmers hit the biggest shot for these Jayhawks and played the most minutes, but he was the second-lowest possession-user in an unselfish rotation. It's incredibly rare to see a team with three NBA-prospect guards (Chalmers, Rush and Collins were all highly regarded at the time) with usage rates near 20.

…WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN No. 2 INSTEAD: Kansas 2011-12

Top Six in Rotation (Poss%): Tyshawn Taylor (27.6), Elijah Johnson (17.3), Thomas Robinson (29.5), Travis Releford (13.8), Jeff Withey (17.9), Conner Teahan (14.0)

This is my favorite footnote to the '11-12 season: Had the Jayhawks managed to upset Kentucky in the final, they would have gone down as the second-most unbalanced champs. Robinson and Taylor formed such a powerful offensive duarchy that everyone else was relegated to sub-18-percent roles. But they fell to a Kentucky D that keyed on T-Rob, and a Kentucky offense with such a multitude of options that it rendered defensive game-plans futile. On that Monday night in New Orleans, it was Doron Lamb who led the Wildcats in scoring, but really, it could have been any of their top six. While balance is not always better, when you are historically loaded with soon-to-be pros, and they are selfless enough to engage in a historically great balancing act, you have to like your odds.
SI Luke Winn


It's Coaches Week on ESPN.com and today we're going conference by conference to rank the best and worst coaching jobs, as voted on by 14 of our writers and television analysts.

A few important notes: This is not an attempt to rank the programs or their histories. A school's tradition was taken into account of course, but more emphasis was given to recent years, and how hard or easy it is for a new coach to win there. Current recruits don't remember much beyond, what, 2008?

When voting, our 14 panelists were asked to take into consideration facilities, expectation level, athletic budget, wins and losses, recruiting base, fan support/pressure, and all of the other factors that go into determining the "best" jobs in the ever-crazy profession of college basketball coaching.

In short: If you were an agent and every single job was open in a particular conference, where would you direct your client? Where would you tell him to avoid if there are better options?

There's no right or wrong answer of course. These rankings are very much up for debate, and we're sure you'll do so in the comments section. But at the very least, this polling of 14 people clued into the inner workings of college basketball offers a glimpse into how the coaching position at your favorite school is perceived on the national scene.

…Big 12

1. Kansas: Only a handful of programs in the country can match the Jayhawks when it comes to tradition, fan support and overall prestige. The job pays exceptionally well -- Bill Self makes $3 million -- and attracts national-level recruits on name alone. Allen Fieldhouse is the top home-court advantage in college basketball, which is one reason KU boasts a national-best 22 straight NCAA tournament appearances and eight consecutive Big 12 titles. Former coaches Larry Brown and Roy Williams are both in the Hall of Fame, and Self eventually will be, too.
ESPN


Now that we've ranked the best jobs in every league in the country, how would we rank the best of the best -- the jobs every aspiring coach spends a lifetime pursuing? Consider what follows my humble attempt to do exactly that.

For the sake of consistency, I'm using the same criteria we established for our initial voting, which was laid out in the rankings (see above link): "This is not an attempt to rank the programs or their histories. … When voting, our 14 panelists were asked to take into consideration facilities, expectation level, athletic budget, wins and losses, recruiting base, fan support/pressure and all of the other factors that go into determining the 'best' jobs in the ever-crazy profession of college basketball coaching."

Based on that criteria, here's how I see the top 10 jobs in college basketball, from No. 10 to No. 1:

3. Kansas
What do college prospects want? Luxe facilities? Sure. A pristine campus? It can't hurt. The chance to go pro? No question. But there are few things more potent in the recruiting game than a truly great home atmosphere -- and no other school in the country can offer the chance to earn a game-ending, goose-bump-raising "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" chant from the die-hards at Allen Fieldhouse. (I'm not sure how many 17-year-olds are impressed by the fact that James Naismith essentially invented college basketball at Kansas, or the fact that his 13 original rules exist permanently in the Phog, but it would certainly impress me.) Just as impressive, perhaps, is the frequency with which KU competes for national titles; it currently holds the active NCAA record for consecutive tournament appearances (23) and has won or shared the last eight Big 12 regular-season titles. If you go play at Kansas, you know two things. One: You're going to win. A lot. Two: You're going to do that winning in one of the greatest venues in sports, packed with one of the nation's best and most intense fan bases. What's not to love about this gig?
ESPN

It's one step closer to being official: West Virginia University's annual Nike fan shirts are available for sale and for the first time they're rocking the Big 12 logo.

WVU won't officially switch conferences until July 1, when the school will sign papers to leave the Big East and join the Big 12, but the new fan shirts already reflect the change.

The gold-colored shirt features the WVU Mountaineer on the front. On the back is the Big 12 logo with a Flying WV logo superimposed.  
Daily Mail


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Last summer, Chris McCullough had a breakout performance during the July live period and established himself as a five-star prospect in the class of 2014.

What does he have in mind as an encore this summer?

“I need to work on my overall game,” McCullough said. “Getting stronger, working on my jump shot.”

McCullough, a 6-foot-9 New York native who attends Salisbury School (Conn.), is an extremely talented forward that uses his length and athleticism to make plays at both ends. He runs the floor well and can guard multiple positions. While McCullough's offensive game still needs refining, his ceiling is extremely high.

At the Pangos All-American Camp last weekend, McCullough simply attempted to make an impact with his effort level.

“I'm just playing hard, and that was my goal: to come and play hard,” he said.

In terms of recruitment, McCullough holds offers from Syracuse, Arizona, Kansas, Connecticut, St. John's, Iowa State, Providence, Rutgers, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Hofstra and Temple, while North Carolina is also showing interest.

The No. 9-ranked prospect plans on trimming his list in the next few months, and wants to take trips to Kansas and Miami (Fla.). For a rising junior, McCullough has already taken plenty of unofficial visits: Syracuse, Villanova, Arizona, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, Iowa State, Seton Hall and Connecticut.

While McCullough has no official favorite, he did say that Syracuse, St. John's, Arizona and Kansas are coming at him the hardest.

“I have a good relationship with the coaches,” he said.
CBS


Five-star power forward Julius Randle headlined a trio of rising seniors selected as finalists for the USA Basketball U18 National Team on Thursday night.

Randle, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound product of Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas), is ranked No. 4 overall in the MaxPreps Class of 2013 Top 100. He joins point guard Nate Britt of Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and forward Austin Nichols of Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) as the only finalists with high school eligibility remaining.

Before the team competes in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship later this month in Brazil, the roster will be cut from 14 to 12. Billy Donovan of Florida is serving as head coach and assisted by Mark Few of Gonzaga and Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth.

"I think it was very, very difficult for the committee to get this group narrowed down just because there were so many good players. I thought for the past three days their effort was great," Donovan said of training.
MaxPreps


Sure, this weekend’s Rose City Showcase AAU boys basketball tournament has its share of national star power.

Chicago’s Jabari Parker, featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated last month as “the best high school basketball player since LeBron James,” and Marcus LoVett Jr., a California guard who set a state scoring record as a freshman last season, are among those committed to play in the eight-team Super 17s division.

But Canaan Chatman, organizer of the 10-year-old event, is just as excited about the quality of talent on the five teams from Oregon and Washington.

“This might be the first year I think we’ve got all of the local kids, which has always been a problem because the month of June has always been a summer-league month,” Chatman said.

The tournament, which begins Friday and ends Sunday, includes 155 of the top AAU boys teams from 9-and-under to 17-and-under at Lewis & Clark College, Beaverton Hoop YMCA and Beaverton Courts.

The Super 17s division will be played exclusively at Lewis & Clark College. Play begins with four games Friday, starting at 5:30 p.m., and finishes with the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Oregonian


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar 


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Draft day is approaching on June 28 and Jeff Withey will be watching intently.

But without a suit and tie, without a return ticket from New York and without any anxious anticipation over getting a phone call from an NBA executive.

Withey is still satisfied playing for Kansas. No seconds thoughts. No reservations about making some big loot.

“I’m happy with my decision,’’ he said Wednesday after working with youngsters in Lee Arena at the Bob Chipman Basketball Camp. “It’s pretty cool to see my teammates working toward their goals, and it’s going to be fun seeing them get called up on stage.

“I definitely thought about possibly going (pro), but at the end of the day, coming back for my senior year and graduating, I think, is more important.’’

…After spending time over break in his hometown of San Diego, Withey is back at KU working on his game.

And, like many Jayhawks before him, he is also working a few camp sessions for Chipman. That means answering youngster’s questions, fulfilling their pleas to dunk a basketball and then signing his name to an exhaustive number of notepads, posters and shirts.

The same goes for any KU player who works the Washburn camps, though the adulation overflows following a national championship run.

Reaching the Final Four also inspires Withey. With two other starters, guards Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, returning, Withey senses the Jayhawks can reload behind a talented group of newcomers.

“We’re going to have a great nucleus, and with all the talent coming back, it’s going to be a fun year,’’ Withey said. “I want to win a championship. When you get that close, you get real hungry. We were just one win away, so hopefully next year we’ll go back and win it all.’’

…“It will be tough, but we definitely have a lot of young guys with talent who will be around me,’’ he said. “Jamari Traylor and Perry Ellis are pretty good four men. It will be a fun year, and I’ll be able to showcase my talents more, because last year Thomas was the focal point of the offense. I’ll get to show more of what I have.’’
TCJ


The NBA Combine gets underway tomorrow and continues Friday in Chicago. They'll be official measurements (height, weight, wingspan, etc.), interviews and plenty of other testing (vertical jump, bench press, sprint, agility). We'll be in attendance and will let you know exactly what goes on -- and what doesn't.

After talking to a dozen or so NBA guys, here are a dozen things that they are interested to see:

1) Measuring up - Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger and Bradley Beal's heights are all in question. Each is considered undersized for their position. Beal told me he's 6-4 1/2 (with shoes) while T-Rob and Sully both say they are 6-9 with shoes. We'll see soon enough.
CBS


A record number of people attended NCAA women’s basketball games during the 2011-12 season. Attendance for all three NCAA divisions was 11,210,832, breaking the record of 11,160,293 set in 2008-09.

Overall attendance surpassed the 11 million mark for the fifth consecutive year as record highs were achieved in Divisions I and III for the second season in a row.

Division I attendance led the way in 2011-12 with an all-time high of 8,177,111, which eclipsed the previous DI mark of 8,127,941 in 2010-11. Division III’s record mark came in at 1,210,080. Division II added 1,729,849 fans to the 2011-12 total.

A record 336 Division I teams averaged 1,634 fans in 5,004 games or sessions this season. That’s down just eight fans per game from 2010-11 and slightly below the record of 1,693 fans a game set in 2007-08.

…The Big 12 Conference led all leagues with 959,993 fans in 2011-12, but the conference couldn’t top its record-setting season of 1,091,289 fans in 2009-10. The Big 12 led the nation for the 13th consecutive year in conference attendance. The league’s 10 teams averaged 5,304 per game, falling just short of the conference’s own national record of 5,381 in 2003-04.
NCAA

The Big 12 is considering issuing a new logo within the next year. Because of that, WVU will not be painting a Big 12 logo on the floor this season.
Link


One guy who’s a little bit less heralded who could be a major player is 6-4 guard Marcus Smart, who’ll join LeBryan Nash at Oklahoma State. Smart was a major winner during his travel-team days and is looking like it again as a candidate for the USA Basketball Under-18 national team, which will compete in the FIBA Americas Championship later this month in Brazil.

In only his second day at the trials, Smart already is making an impact.

“There’s nothing selfish about him,” Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes told Sporting News on Wednesday. “He’s always making plays. He’ll hit the shot. He gets along with all the guys.”

Stokes said when he opposed Smart’s team during the initial get-together Tuesday night, “He beat us by making plays and not scoring.” Happy to have the chance to join forces in Wednesday morning’s session, Stokes said of Smart, “He made my game so much easier.”
TSN


The Texas Tech men’s basketball team is expected to hire Jeremy Cox as its new assistant coach, according to a source.

Cox will replace Jeff Kidder, who left Tech last month to take a job as a high school coach near his hometown in Kentucky.

The hire will bring familiarity to the Tech staff. Cox was an assistant under Red Raider head coach Billy Gillispie during stops at Texas A&M and Kentucky.

During his one season as an assistant at A&M (2006-07), Cox helped Gillispie guide the Aggies to the Sweet 16. He helped Gillispie lead Kentucky to the NCAA tournament the following season and the NIT quarterfinals the season after that.

Following his time at Kentucky, Cox spent two seasons as an assistant at South Florida before serving under Doc Sadler at Nebraska last season.
RedRaiders.com


Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz announced Wednesday that athletic director John Currie has signed a contract extension through the 2018 academic year.

The agreement adds two years to Currie's current contract, securing his services through June 30, 2018. Schulz said that Currie's annual salary will be $450,000 for 2012-13 and will increase by $25,000 for each remaining year on the contract. The extension also includes an enhanced retention incentive structure.

"John has provided tremendous leadership for our athletics department and entire university family since his arrival in 2009," Schulz said. "Over the last three years, our student-athletes have enjoyed unprecedented success in the classroom and on the playing field, the department has seen record fundraising and a dramatic increase in members of the Ahearn Fund and over $100 million in facility improvements benefiting all of our 16 sports are underway."
Press release


On Tuesday during a press conference announcing a University of Kentucky fantasy basketball camp, Kentucky head men’s basketball coach John Calipari took a few verbal shots at Indiana University after the two schools did not renew their annual basketball series for the 2012-13 season.

On Wednesday night, it was IU head men’s coach Tom Crean’s turn to fire back at his friend and rival. Crean addressed Calipari’s latest remarks during the IU Tailgate Tour’s stop at Huber Winery.

“I look at it this way — if it‘s a rivalry, it‘s a two-way street. And the scheduling of a rivalry should be a two-way street,” Crean said at a press conference on Wednesday. “We definitely tried to do that and it didn’t work out that way.”

Calipari said in Tuesday’s press conference that he told Crean in a recent conversation that it was time to move on.

“What I told Tommy (was) ‘Tommy — move on, we have our schedule and you have your schedule and our schedule is tough,” Calipari said.

But Crean gave a somewhat different rendition of the conversation.

“I saw where he said that he told me to move on,” said Crean, whose Hoosiers beat the Wildcats last year at Assembly Hall (73-72) and then lost to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament (102-90). “But I remember us talking about that we should all move on. But I also said to him, ‘Let it go. Pick your next fight.’ It’s interesting reading and I’m sure it’s interesting for you guys to cover. But I don’t have much more to add to that.

“It’s obviously not going to happen. In my opinion, I don’t think he wants to come to Bloomington anymore. I don’t think that’s a secret. But it is what it is.”

An hour later, Crean addressed the approximately 1,000 Hoosier fans about the latest verbal battle with Calipari and the Kentucky faithful by having some fun with the situation.

In the opening moments of his speech, Crean poked fun at Calipari’s lack of knowledge about the locations of some sites in Indiana.

On Tuesday, Calipari addressed the last proposal for the continuation of the IU-Kentucky series, which was two games being played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for two years and then followed by a two-year, home-and-home series at each school’s home arenas. IU athletic director Fred Glass did not like the proposal because the two Lucas Oil Stadium games would not give several IU students the opportunity to attend the game.

“They’re only two hours away. Are they that poor?” said Calipari, who was unaware that the 55-mile drive between Bloomington and Indianapolis only takes an hour. “They couldn’t get to that building? Our students are going. Ours would go up there.”

Crean fired back to that particular comment, telling the fans at the tailgate tour, “I asked John Calipari to come up here tonight and he asked, ‘What is that, about 12 hours away?’”

Crean then took another jab at Calipari when he tried to influence Hoosier fans to attend other IU sporting events.

“Could you imagine that teams didn’t want to come back to our place because it’s too ‘hostile?’” Crean said, signaling quotation marks with his fingers as he said hostile.

Even tailgate tour emcee and the radio voice of IU football and men’s basketball Don Fischer took his shots at Kentucky. Before Crean, IU head football coach Kevin Wilson and new IU head women’s basketball coach Curt Miller spoke to the crowd on Wednesday, Fischer gave the Hoosier faithful a fictional Kentucky scheduling proposal.

“The agenda of the proposal is, No. 1, Kentucky picks the arena and the date,” Fischer quipped. “No. 2, the Kentucky alumni officiates the game. And No. 3, no upperclassmen can play.”
Link


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Great visit at Kansas deffinitley one of my favorites so far #rockchalk
https://twitter.com/Therealgstaff/status/210417818787774464  Austin Grandstaff


Two current high-major verbal commitments, 6-1 point guard Conner Frankamp (Kansas) and 6-3 shooting guard Anton Gill (Louisville) were selected to the Top-30 game that concluded the camp. Both have one season left of high school basketball, but starred all weekend long during the event. Frankamp is a heady, fundamental guard that showcased his automatic trigger from 3-point range. Likewise, Gill showcased a scorer’s DNA and continually put up points in a variety of ways. Both could be ready to contribute as freshmen.
NBC Sports


Having followed the USA Basketball youth teams at every level very closely for most of the past decade, it's safe to say this is one of the deepest and most talented rosters we've seen in quite a while.

USA Basketball Men's National Team Director Sean Ford confirmed as much, telling us that this team is the product of the “highest acceptance percentage of invitations we've seen in quite some time.”

As Ford told us, the availability of many young players is impacted by the dates of the NCAA tournament. “This tournament is ideal for us,” Ford told us. “We avoid a lot of conflicts because everyone is back in time for summer school. No one can't come because of college summer school. We have a little bit of conflict with Nike Skills Academy, but nothing in July.”

…When it's all said and done, the coaching staff might need to put the ball in the hands of Julius Randle and let his terrific skill-level take over. He's been up and down here, able to create very good shots for himself around the basket, but struggling to finish them, and not knocking down his jumper consistently. To his credit, he's done a very good job competing defensively and on the glass, and it's likely only a matter of time before his outstanding talent really starts shining through, even if he's obviously better attacking opponents from the elbow than with his back to the basket.
Draft Express


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar 


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

NBA.com video interview with Tyshawn Taylor


Approximately 100 KC Gym Rats campers huddled around Kansas University veteran basketball player Travis Releford and newcomer Andrew White late Tuesday afternoon at Blue Valley Northwest High School.

The grade schoolers proved they follow KU basketball recruiting as well as the actual games by requesting just as many autographs from 6-foot-6 Charlottesville, Va., freshman guard/forward White as fifth-year senior forward Releford.

“I’ve actually worked some camps in my hometown,” said White, Rivals.com’s No. 51-rated player in the recruiting class of 2012. “This is before I was committed (to KU). I wasn’t as significant to those people as I am in this environment. I’m really enjoying it.

“Just seeing kids, adults, everybody around the city in a Jayhawk shirt is great. I can tell these people really look up to me, and I enjoy working with them.”

In fact, one of the main reasons White chose KU over North Carolina State, Louisville, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Richmond, Texas, Georgetown and others, is the interest of the KU fans.

“I think one of the most amazing things is walking to the local stores and seeing all the Jayhawk gear. That’s a big change for me. I’m getting used to it quick,” White said.

…He admits he’ll miss his mom, who is a professor at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond; dad, Andrew, who is a housing developer and brother, Andrien, a freshman basketball standout at Miller School.

“He’s on track to do some good things. Look out for him. He could be making a little noise sooner or later,” White said of his brother.
LJW

Conner Frankamp: A scorer by nature and out of need on the high school level, Frankamp is also a high-level playmaker for others. His skill on the offensive end serves him equally well as a scorer or facilitator and he's got matching athleticism.

...For a kid who had sat out his entire junior season, Karviar Shepherd looked pretty good playing for Urban DFW in April during the Adidas Exclusive VIP Run held in Las Vegas. Back on the West Coast for Pangos, the Arlington (Texas) Grace Prep big man looked even better. A lot better actually.

Currently ranked No. 44 in the 2013 Rivals150, Shepherd played to and even above that lofty ranking all weekend.

…He's got no favorites, but has recently visited UCLA, LSU and SMU with Louisville and Kansas unofficials in the works. Others involved include Texas A&M (where Shepherd's older brother plays), Georgetown, Oklahoma, Tennessee and more.

…One of the hotter recruits in the country has been Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep's Jarell Martin. Martin was the Pangos camp's top performer of the weekend after leading the camp in scoring and finishing second in rebounding.

Since arriving in Baton Rouge the new staff at LSU has turned things up and Alabama, Louisville and Oklahoma State were already strong. Others taking their chances include Kansas, Baylor, St. John's, Marquette and Ohio State.
Rivals: Pangos AA - What we learned (Video at the link)


Following an Oklahoma visit, the 2015 Team Texas duo of Austin Grandstaff & Elijah Thomas were on the Kansas campus last night.
https://twitter.com/TheRecruitScoop/status/210352930656747520


For the casual high school basketball fan, Monday night's Indiana All-Star exhibition game against the juniors in Seymour may have provided the first look at Demetrius Jackson.

The 6-1 guard from Mishawaka Marian is one of the most highly-recruited guards in the state and was named to the core group of six Junior All-Stars.

But by playing predominantly against teams in the northern part of Indiana, the uncommitted Jackson probably isn't as recognizable as some of the top players in the area.

"I try to just go out and play my game regardless of who is watching," said Jackson, who scored nine points on 4-for-6 shooting in a 104-97 loss to the Indiana All-Stars.

…There is a new wrinkle to Jackson's recruitment. He said Kansas has been calling recently. Jackson has offers from Butler, Florida State, Illinois, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Xavier.

"(Kansas) is a great school," said Jackson, who helped Mishawaka Marian to the Class 3A semistate has a junior. "Jayhawk Nation is great. I've talked to (assistant coach Norm Roberts) a couple times."

Jackson has been invited to the prestigious National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp in Virginia next weekend but hasn't decided if he will attend or compete in the inaugural junior all-star series against Kentucky.

"I'm still figuring that out," he said. "I have a couple more days to decide."
Indy Star


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar 


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

It was several days after Free State High’s graduation ceremony that Firebird shooting guard Tyler Self decided to act on his dad Bill’s offer to join Kansas University’s basketball team.

“It was my mother, him and I eating dinner at a little Mexican restaurant. I said something like, ‘I want to play.’ They were both kind of surprised. I think they both said, ‘Really?’ at the same time. It was pretty funny,” said Tyler, a 6-foot-2, 160-pounder who told the Journal-World on Monday he’d decided to become a non-scholarship walk-on player on Bill Self’s KU team.

Tyler, who averaged 3.9 points and 1.3 rebounds a game for the Firebirds (7-14) a year ago, chose KU over dad’s alma mater, Oklahoma State, where he would not have tried to walk on the hoops team and instead would have solely concentrated on his career path in business.

“I just love Kansas so much. I think it’ll be an amazing experience,“ said Tyler Self, whose sister, Lauren, is starting her senior year at KU.
LJW


Jeff Withey, Kansas

Withey emerged as one of the nation's preeminent shotblockers last season and should continue to blossom even with the loss of Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. A season after the Jayhawks surprised by making the national title game, they should be much deeper, if not as star-powered. A ninth straight Big 12 crown is very much in the offing.
SI


Coach Self featured on Time Warner Metro Sports "Hometown Heroes" tonight at 7pm


The Indiana Pacers held their first predraft workouts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse today.

Draymond Green (Michigan State), Scott Machado (Iona), Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure), Mike Scott (Virginia), Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas) and Royce White (Iowa State) worked out in front of president Larry Bird, coach Frank Vogel and the rest of the basketball operations staff.
Indy Star


While checking off his list of physical attributes, Tyshawn Taylor noted with a sly smile he was "kind of fast."

He is making no attempt, however, to run from his past.

The meteoric Kansas guard knows questions about his on-court inconsistency and off-court disciplinary issues will follow him throughout the NBA pre-draft workout and interview process and he is doing his best to face them head-on.

"A lot of people have questions not about my ability on the court but about some stuff off the court and I think this is kind of a clean slate," said Taylor, among six players that worked out for the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday. "They've definitely got questions and they're going to ask them and I'm going to be honest about it and go from there.

"An 18 or 19-year-old kid in college, you're going to make some mistakes and you're going to mess up sometimes. You've just got to grow from it. I'm 22 now and I've grown from my mistakes so I think this is definitely a fresh start for me and I'm excited."

…"This year was completely different and I think I was a big part of that because I understood how important I was to my team. I gave myself a pep talk and said, 'Look, man, you're in position where you could do some great things or you could totally screw it up. Make the right choice.' I think I did."

..."I think everybody knows I can defend, everybody knows I'm kind of fast, I'm athletic, so I think being able to run a team, make the right decisions at the right time and hit the open shots -- if I come out here and show teams I can do that, then I'll be fine," he said. "Just to be in this situation is humbling and a blessing so I'm going to take full advantage of it. Whatever team drafts me I think is going to be a team willing to look past those questions and see my ability. I think I'll fit good on any team because I'll work hard and I'm a winner."
Fox Sports KC


Spalding, a division of Russell Brands, LLC, and the world's largest basketball equipment supplier, today announced the Spalding "Arena to Driveway" contest, which aims to find the NBA fan who most deserves to play on professional basketball equipment. Now through June 26, fans can upload a picture of their home or neighborhood court to the Spalding Basketball Facebook Page for a chance to win a professional arena style backboard system, NBA leather game basketballs, an NBA authentic ball truck and other Spalding gear. To test the new set-up, NBA point guard Mario Chalmers will visit the winner's new 'arena' for a one-on-one game.

"Fans get to see the best athletes in the world performing on Spalding equipment every game during the NBA season," said Gary Barfield, executive vice president, Russell Brands, LLC, the parent company of Spalding. "We couldn't be happier that we are able to bring an NBA arena experience to someone's driveway and have Mario help christen the court."

Fans can enter the contest by uploading a photo to the Spalding Basketball Facebook Page, "Arena to Driveway" tab, with a brief explanation of why their court or space needs an upgrade. Representatives from Spalding will select one Grand Prize winner on June 28, before the NBA Draft. Five semi-finalists will receive an official size NBA leather game basketball and Spalding accessories.

"Playing in college and now in the NBA, I've been fortunate enough to compete in professional arenas on the best Spalding equipment in the world," said Mario Chalmers. "Just like most basketball fans, I started out hitting shots in driveways and neighborhood parks, and that's why I'm excited to play a fan one-on-one on their new Spalding system."
Press Release


Thomas Robinson
Kansas

Draft Express overall ranking: No. 4

Height/Weight: 6-9, 240 lb (pre-combine numbers)

Key stats: 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds in 2011-12.

The player: After two seasons spent in the shadows of the Morris twins at Kansas, the former Riverdale Baptist star exploded onto the college scene as a junior. The chiseled one used his relentless rebounding and quality low post moves to lead the nation with 27 double-doubles. Finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds against Anthony Davis and Kentucky in the national title game. Became first unanimous AP-All American first team selection since Blake Griffin in 2009.


The fit: Nene is proven and still has miles left on his playing odometer, but turns 30 this season. Trevor Booker and Jan Vesely offers hops and energy at power forward, but their collective offense is still largely dunks and put backs. Even factoring in Kevin Seraphin’s big body, the Wizards do not currently have a dominate rebounder in the mix; last season they ranked 26th in defensive rebounding percentage. Perhaps a full season of Nene - and no season with JaVale McGee - improves the issue in the Wizards’ minds. Drafting Robinson at three might as well.
The issue: The Wizards already have a potentially viable frontcourt. Draft Robinson and that’s some serious roster imbalance - and raises questions about Vesely’s future.  By drafting Robinson, the Wizards are counting on filling their perimeter holes in the second round or in free agency. Then there is the matter of whether Robinson’s power game works against NBA men. Of course, if as some fear he measures out any less than his listed 6-foot-9, then we have a different issue.

The analysis (interviews with CSNwashington)

NBA scout: "The [Wizards] need shooters. The problem with Vesely and Booker and [Chris] Singleton is they don’t make shots. Robinson is a little bit undersized power forward. Hard worker and rebounder, winning attitude. A bit redundant to some degree.”

Andy Glockner, SI.com: "With three years of college experience and 21 years of age, you would expect coming out of the shoot his rookie year he would be the more productive player on the pro level. He has a very safe floor. His rebounding numbers are going to translate. I think that’s the one thing you can be assured of…. I think Robinson is going to be a very good pro player. If you’re asking me who will be the best player five years down the road, I would think somebody like a Brad Beal or if you really believe in Andre Drummond’s physical traits, then somebody like that might be a better upside pro if you’re looking for that.”

Ed Jacobson, NBA Draft Blog: "Not only was he able to step on the court and do a lot of great things (last season), but I don’t even think we’ve seen half of what he’s capable of yet. I was probably the first in line of the doubters before this season started on whether he could translate his strength the first two seasons – coming off the bench in seven, eight-minute spurts and going full speed. This year, he not only was able to adjust playing more than double the playing time he was used to, he became a legitimate post option on offense and still kept his energy levels up.”

The summation: It’s easy to understand the attraction, for the Wizards or another team. In a seemingly worst-case scenario, Robinson’s rebounding and toughness make him a viable rotation player. The fear is that projection may be closer to the ultimate truth unless T-Rob can bully NBA players the way he did the collegians. Considering the Wizards have young bigs and perimeter needs, it’s also to understand if they pass on the hometown kid.
CSN Washington

Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smith will visit Iowa State this upcoming weekend and then possibly Georgetown before making a decision. The Cyclones are a major player for the small forward’s services thanks to rising assistant Matt Abdelmassih, who was the point man when Iowa State recruited Royce White.

…A big reason why Bruce Weber is giddy about the prospects next season at Kansas State? Jordan Henriquez. The 6-foot-11 big man turned things up to another level at the end of last season, averaging 16.75 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks in four postseason games for the Wildcats. “His game went up a notch, there’s no doubt,” Weber said of Henriquez. “Now the question is — can he be consistent throughout the course of the season.” If Henriquez has a senior season to remember and the rest of the Wildcats steadily improve, Weber should have Kansas State right in the mix for a Big 12 title along with Kansas, Baylor, and Texas.
CBS Rothstein


The Big 12 Conference has a lot of money. The Atlantic Coast Conference should be worried. And Florida State fans should not quickly dismiss the rumors.

That is the simplest way to summarize a week spent in Kansas City.

Start first with the obvious: The Big 12 has money right now that the ACC doesn't.

Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis announced last Friday that the Big 12 agreed to distribute $19 million to eight of its members to close out the 2011-12 fiscal year. Departing members Missouri and Texas A&M did not receive payouts; neither did incoming members TCU and West Virginia.

That's $4.9 million more than Florida State received this year as a member of the ACC.

That's $4.9 million that Florida State's athletics department - heck, Florida State's entire campus - sorely needs right now.

That's raises for basketball coaches. That's a new paint job for Doak Campbell Stadium. That's restocking the cash reserves in the athletics department. That's transferring money over to FSU President Eric Barron's budget so he can save some teaching jobs or academic programs - or both.

That's a lot of money. And the Big 12 has it right now.

The pot for Big 12 teams is expected to grow next year. League officials confirmed during the Kansas City meetings that they have agreed to two separate television contracts - one with ESPN and the other with Fox Sports - that will bring in nearly $2.6 billion in total revenues.

Though there are details yet to be worked out syncing the two contracts together, the payouts next year are expected to be $20 million for Big 12 schools. (TCU and West Virginia will only be given a 50-percent share and will not receive full shares until 2016.)

Meanwhile, Florida State won't reach the $20-million mark until the back half of the ACC's deal with ESPN.

And that is why the ACC should be worried right now.
Tallahassee Democrat


Jim Calhoun has done this to himself. Since he's decided to take the past few offseasons with an as-it-comes approach, speculation about his future, especially where I live, here in Connecticut, bubbles up with regularity between April and mid-July.

Then he's spotted or reported on the recruiting trail, and his return is deemed imminent, Calhoun playing none the wiser and happily stringing the media along. He's made claims about releasing a decision about his future in offseasons' past, but it's never come to be.

Last year, he just went about his life, we twiddled our thumbs as the weeks passed. Then Calhoun showed up at preseason media day, and that was it. Let's do this thing again, for the 40th time. In Calhoun's mind, there was never much of a question about coming back. With two years remaining on his contract, that cycle is likely to repeat itself twice more before things really begin to change in Storrs.

Yes, it's becoming increasingly clear that Calhoun will be there on the sidelines, scolding and scowling next season, when UConn won't be playing for anything but pride, really. This assurance comes from the mind and mouth of new wunderkind AD Warde Manuel, who has had quite the respectable, lasting impression in his short few months at his new post. You'll recall Manuel recently publicly stated that the transition from Calhoun to the next UConn coach, whenever that may be, will more or less be his decision, not Calhoun's.

Manuel told Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs that Calhoun's return comes with no doubt.
CBS


Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA have interviewed L.A. Lakers assistant coach Quin Snyder on Monday about their head coaching job. Synder, the former Missouri Tiger men’s basketball coach, got back in the business as the head coach of the NBDL’s Austin Toros for three years. Snyder also worked with the Philadelphia 76ers, in charge of player development in 2010. Snyder is one of ten candidates who have interviewed for the Bobcats job.

While at Missouri, Synder was the fastest in school history to get to 100 wins. As quick as his rise was in college basketball, the descent was even faster. In early 2003, Ricky Clemons was arrested on charges of assault and battery against a former girlfriend and shortly after, accused teammates of receiving payments from assistant coaches. A year later, the NCAA placed Missouri on probation for a handful of minor violations and by then, the Tigers won just 16 games in 03-04 and only 12 the following year, which was Synder’s last at Mizzou.
LOL


Leaders are measured not just on what they achieve personally but also on what the people they mentored go on to do as leaders in their own right. Sports provides many examples, one of the best is Duke’s head Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

The Duke Sports Medicine-John Feagin Leadership Forum, was held on May 18 and 19 in Durham, NC. It focused on connecting leadership lessons in the fields of sports medicine, business, athletics, and military. During the conference, Duke head men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and Harvard head men’s basketball coach Tommy Amaker gave a talk about how their relationship has evolved from player and coach to assistant coach and head coach to recently being peer head coaches.
LOLOL


I guess this one is tailor-made for some rich impresario with ties to the University of Colorado basketball and/or volleyball programs. Because, really, who has the space for a 112-by-60-foot floor?

Rest assured, there is always an insufferable tycoon or two with more than enough room and pocket cash to live out another facet of his athletic dreams.

Still, if you've got $5,000 and a gymnasium in need of some new hardwood, you can prevent that from happening. Colorado's floor from the Coors Event Center was recently posted on your favorite site and mine, Higheredsurplus.com, and is being auctioned at a bargain bin price. (How much do you think Cameron's floor would honestly go for? Six times as much? Ten?)
Link


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Kansas, Temple, and La Salle are three of the schools that are in the running for Villanova transfer Markus Kennedy. The 6-foot-9, 260 pound big man averaged three points and an 4.4 rebounds per game last season as a freshman in only 14.8 minutes per contest. Kennedy will have three years of eligibility remaining.
CBS Rothstein


Conner Frankamp, 2013: Arguably the most impressive guard at the camp, Frankamp made plays throughout the weekend. Moreover, in a setting where it was easy to simply isolate and go one-on-one, Frankamp made an effort to get teammates involved and facilitate offense. He is a knockdown 3-point shooter and is very shifty with the ball. Moreover, the Kansas commit jumps passing lanes and runs the break well.
CBS Pangos recap


Spring/Summer Event Schedule


adidas Grassroots schedule


Nike EYBL Schedule


Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar 


My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube

Incoming KU scholarship basketball players Ellis, Andrew White and Zach Peters, plus walk-on Evan Manning moved into Jayhawker Towers on Sunday. White, 6-6 from Charlottesville, Va., proudly posted a picture of him, KU coach Bill Self and roommate Peters (6-9, Prestonwood Christian, Plano, Texas) to Instagram off his Twitter account Sunday.

Ellis, 6-8 from Wichita, will room with Manning, 6-2 out of Free State High and New Hampton Prep School.

Landen Lucas, 6-9 from Portland’s Westview High, will graduate June 11 and arrive at KU a day later. He’ll be rooming with junior Niko Roberts. Anrio Adams, 6-3 from Seattle, who has orally committed to KU, has said on Twitter he’ll arrive at KU on June 28.
LJW


Incoming Kansas University forward Perry Ellis has been named high school boys basketball player of the year, the National High School Coaches Association announced Friday.

Ellis, a 6-8, 220-pounder out of Wichita Heights, averaged 25.8 points and 9.8 rebounds a game last season for the four-time defending state champions. The McDonald’s All-American and four-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year, who is ranked No. 24 overall in the Class of 2012 by Rivals.com, finished his career as leading scorer in Wichita City League history (2,231 points). He passed former KU center Greg Dreiling, now runner-up with 1,888 points.
LJW


For the first seven weeks, he didn’t bother to relive the disappointment. There just wasn’t a reason. Bill Self has seen just a few clips from that Monday night in New Orleans. And for now, that’s enough.

It’s been 61 days since No. 2 seed Kansas’ amazing NCAA Tournament run came to an end in a 67-59 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA championship game at the Superdome on April 2; since the Jayhawks ran out of time, their final comeback falling a few baskets short in the waning minutes.

“I haven’t watched the game,” Self says.

To that end, the last two months have felt nothing like the aftermath of Self’s first championship-game appearance in 2008, when Mario Chalmers’ late three-pointer was perfect and KU took down Memphis in overtime for the program’s third NCAA title.

“No comparison,” Self says.

In 2008, Chalmers’ shot — and the championship — set off a wild two-month run of parades, appearances and special events. Self still calls it the busiest he’s ever been.

Four years later, Self has been reminded of one of sports’ harsh truths: The Jayhawks’ championship-game loss didn’t add many dates to his April schedule. Not many people, it seems, bother to call the runner-up.

“It’s the American way, though,” Self says. “It is. There’s only room for one first place.”

On a Wednesday morning in mid-May, Self sat in his office and reflected on the Jayhawks’ championship-game loss. Well, that might not be totally accurate. Self says he’s still proud of the run, the way that team came together. He just hasn’t managed to do much reflecting. He and his staff would love to be in that game every year, of course. But the bottom line, he says, is this run just felt different.

“I think if we’d have won it, I’d still think I wouldn’t have reflected as much,” Self says. “Because that ’08 deal was just so fresh and new, and it’d been so long since it’d happened around here — it just made it that much extra special.

“But I’ll go through a day now without even thinking about that game, where as before, I couldn’t go a minute without thinking about how good (the championship) felt.”

…Kansas should be well-positioned to handle the infusion of talent. Earlier this spring, KU announced plans for a trip to Europe in August. Kansas is scheduled to play four games — two in Switzerland and two in France — but it’s the extra practice time that could prove to be most useful.

In accordance with NCAA rules, the Jayhawks will be granted 10 extra practices before the trip, and Self says he plans to spread them out over a three-week period in July. It’s a scenario that’s eerily similar to the last time Kansas took a summer trip in 2008-09. Those Jayhawks, of course, were coming off a championship, and Self was trying to integrate a recruiting class that included Marcus and Markieff Morris and Taylor.

“I could see us going on this trip and Jeff, Elijah and Travis not playing a lot,” Self says. “They’ll play, but I could see them not playing a lot, just to get these other guys minutes.”
KC Star


Kansas University senior Elijah Johnson accepted a pass from Kansas State’s Rodney McGruder, then bounced the basketball off the court into the hands of high-flying Jayhawk junior Justin Wesley, who finished a memorable Memorial Day dunk before 100 KC Gym Rats Collegiate All-Star campers in Blue Valley Northwest High’s gym.

“I don’t think coach (Bill Self) is going to let Elijah bounce it off the floor next year, but it was fun playing with him today, even though he can’t move around like he usually does,” Wesley said with a smile.

Johnson — he also fired a basketball off a wall to a trailing KSU forward Jordan Henriquez, who successfully jammed — was in great spirits while tutoring youths with the three other college players and BV Northwest coach Ed Fritz. The 6-4, 195-pounder from Las Vegas just made sure he jogged straight, making no cutting movements, as he continues his recovery from mid-April arthroscopic left knee surgery.

“I couldn’t do too much today. Rodney couldn’t do too much. I’m still trying to heal up from my surgery, and he is, too,” Johnson said of KSU senior guard McGruder, who had foot surgery last March.

“J.O. (Henriquez) and Justin got to play a little bit, but I was more of a spectator today. It’s always a lot of fun to work with the kids.”
LJW


Former Kansas University guard Keith Langford has returned to the United States with another championship on his resume.

The 28-year-old Maccabi Tel Aviv standout — who was named MVP of the Adriatic League’s Final Four in early May — scored 16 points in last Thursday’s 83-63 Israeli League title game victory over Maccabi Ashdod.

Langford — he is a free agent rumored to be headed to either Italy or Istanbul for about $1.5 million annually — plans on traveling to Lawrence from his offseason home of Austin, Texas, in June.

“He said he’ll be coming back to his old stomping ground and work out with me a little bit,” said KU junior forward Justin Wesley, who is Langford’s brother. Wesley recently spent two weeks working out with his brother’s personal trainer, Celester Collier, in Austin.

“Two weeks every day for three or four hours a day. He not only works me out, but is a mentor, too,” the 6-9, 220-pound Wesley said.

Wesley averaged 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 8.6 minutes in 38 games last season. As far as potential playing time in his junior campaign ...

“I mean I’ve not really looked at who is ranked this or that and who is coming in,” he said of a class of Anrio Adams, Perry Ellis, Landen Lucas, Zach Peters and Andrew White, plus freshmen red-shirts Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor. “We’ll see when everybody gets here and we start playing and working out. I’m not really thinking about that right now.”
LJW


Tyshawn Taylor had his first NBA workout Saturday when he visited the Warriors' downtown Oakland facility.

But the Kansas point guard wasn't close to being overwhelmed by the pressures of professional basketball. He has spent nearly his entire basketball life in the spotlight.

Even before Taylor starred on the under-19, gold-medal winning U.S. World Championships team, he had played on the Big 12's biggest stage. Even before he arrived in Lawrence, Kan., Taylor had his every move at St. Anthony High (New Jersey) captured on film for the documentary "The Street Stops Here."

"When I walked into Kansas, it wasn't like I wasn't impressed, but I already felt comfortable," Taylor said. "I was used to being in the spotlight. My teammates would joke on me and call me 'Hollywood.' "
SF Chronicle

Video interview w/Taylor

Video: Tyshawn Taylor More Than A Number


Decked out in a tan suit and purple bow tie, Thomas Robinson discovered on Wednesday that he probably wouldn’t begin his NBA career in New Orleans. He had a comfortable seat at Disney/ABC Times Square studios in New York and watched the NBA draft lottery unfold in person.

The Hornets are expected to take Kentucky’s Anthony Davis with the first overall pick, but Robinson – a consensus first-team All-American out of Kansas – also knows that there is a possibility that he could wind up in Charlotte at No. 2 or even his hometown Wizards at No. 3.

Unlike Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, who has repeatedly said he has no interest in playing so close to where he grew up, Robinson said after the lottery that he would actually welcome getting drafted by Washington.

“That’s where I started my dream at, in D.C.,” Robinson said, “and to be able to come back home would mean a lot to me, because that’s something that you fantasize in your mind about when you’re little, bringing the city back to where it belongs. That’s something that I definitely wouldn’t mind doing.”

The Wizards certainly like Robinson as a person and a player, with his incredible triumphs over personal loss — his mother, grandmother and grandfather all died within a one-month span from December 2010 to January 2011 — serving as a great example of his character and mental toughness.

…Wizards owner Ted Leonsis had high praise for Robinson when asked about him after the lottery.

“He’s a great player and everyone certainly knows who Thomas Robinson is, his back story. Everyone is proud of what he’s accomplished,” Leonsis said. “And of all the players, he’s the most physically developed. So no one will go wrong picking Thomas Robinson.”
Washington Post


In the NCAA championship game, against a front line that included three players expected to be lottery picks in next month’s NBA Draft, Thomas Robinson scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

That was Robinson’s fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament game of 18-plus points, each achieved against at least one player who eventually will be a first-round selection.

Robinson averaged 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds last season and led his team to 32 victories. He has a strong low-post game and can finish with either hand, demonstrates the ability to score facing the goal and defends viciously along the baseline. He has revealed high character and an uncommon commitment to team by waiting patiently for his opportunity to be a regular—something almost without precedent in the modern game.

So why does everyone seem to believe the Charlotte Bobcats, the runner-up in Wednesday night's NBA Lottery, will be a loser?

If the Bobcats, who are “stuck” with the No. 2 pick, choose Robinson, however, those who have watched him closely have plenty of reason to believe he can perform at an All-Star level, that he can be an important player on quality teams.

“I think his immediate impact will be substantial,” NBA Draft Blog analyst Ed Isaacson told Sporting News, adding that Robinson is “one of a handful of guys in this draft” with the ability to become an NBA team’s primary scoring option.
Link


NBA research has shown that a player from a major school who averages a rebound per every three minutes usually has a successful pro career. Robinson is a rebounding monster. NBA scouts love the "rebounds per 40 minutes" when looking at big men prospects. The top player in that category was Andre Roberson of Colorado. Robinson came in second. Kentucky's Davis was 12th.

This is not to make Robinson a better prospect than Davis, but it is to say he should have a very good pro career.
Another power forward for the Cavs? There is no big-time wing player after Kidd-Gilchrist. Robinson shot 50 percent from the field, 68 percent at the foul line and has all the leadership and intangibles that NBA coaches love.
Cleveland Plain Dealer


Marquette’s Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom are among the 60 players scheduled to participate in the 2012 NBA draft combine to be held Wednesday through Sunday, June 6-10, in Chicago.

Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin is not among the players the league lists as participating.

Among the top prospects scheduled to appear are Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of Kentucky, Bradley Beal of Florida, Andre Drummond of Connecticut, Thomas Robinson of Kansas, Austin Rivers of Duke and Jared Sullinger of Ohio State.

ESPNU is to televise the draft combine on Thursday and Friday, starting at 9 a.m. each day. The channel will offer eight hours of coverage over the two days.

Part of the coverage of the combine will show how the top prospects fair in skill areas: standing vertical leap, maximum vertical leap, lane agility drill, modified land agility drill and three-quarters court sprint.
Link


CU's third-year head coach has added former Big 12 rival Kansas to the non-conference schedule for the next two years. The Buffs will visit Allen Fieldhouse this season on Dec. 8.

And when KU returns to Boulder on Dec. 7, 2013, Boyle doesn't want to hear a "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" chant at the Coors Events Center.

"My challenge to the fans is we have to keep them out," Boyle said. "And we have to expand our season ticket base. I've been saying it since I became the coach here two years ago, until the Coors Events Center is sold out each and every home basketball game, we've got work to do."

…But will the Buffs -- who are 32-4 (.889) at home under Boyle -- have a true home-court advantage when KU comes calling? The Jayhawks won the last 18 Big 12 meetings and are 40-26 all-time in Boulder.

"To me it will be a great challenge and a great test to see where Colorado basketball is two years from now," Boyle said. "We'll see how many Buff fans are in the gym versus how many Jayhawk fans are in the gym. Everybody knows in years past there have been more KU people than there should be."

There isn't a team in the Pac-12 that travels to Boulder the way Nebraska football fans or Kansas basketball fans used to for Big 12 games.
Daily Camera


If you're Kansas and you trust the history of the series isn't going to change much, you're looking at it as an opportunity to get a win in most years over a solid program from another power conference.

It's a quick trip for the visiting team. It's close enough for fans of both programs to travel to see the game. It will have a positive effect on the winning team's RPI each year and not much of a negative effect for the losing team. And playing the Jayhawks always has been one of the highlights of each season for the Buffs.

CU fans even have reason to believe that Boyle will be able to keep things a little more competitive than they have been in the past as long as he continues to recruit at a high level.

Visiting Allen Fieldhouse next season (likely on Dec. 8) will be an introduction to big time college basketball for the six true freshmen Boyle is welcoming into the program. They won't play on a bigger stage in a regular season game. What better opportunity for them to learn to play with poise and patience than having to do so in one of the best atmospheres in the college game?

Trips to UCLA, Arizona, Washington and Oregon will seem tame by comparison.
Daily Camera


LeBron James unleashed another weapon against Indiana, a short floater in the lane that he successfully converted several times in the series.

“It’s something I have in my bag, if I need to go to it,” James said. “It’s something I needed in that series, with (Roy) Hibbert protecting that rim, and not allowing us to get all the way to the rim at times. Myself and D-Wade and Rio all pulled it out in that series. If I need it in this series, I’ll use it as well.”

What did Mario Chalmers, who uses that shot often, think of James’ version?

“It was good,” Chalmers said. “But don’t let him fool you. I taught him that.”

Chalmers said they have practiced it together, but ultimately it comes down to court feel.

“It’s a read,” Chalmers said. “When I used to work on it, I used to have my Dad stand there with a stick, and I would have to float it over the stick. It’s just really knowing where the big man is, and how fast he can get off the floor. The stick was way higher than Roy Hibbert. It’s just working on that, and I perfected it.”

Chalmers believes the floater “is a better shot for me” than driving all the way for a layup in many cases, “because when I get to the rim, they’ve got a lot of size.”
Palm Beach Post


The 2007 Kansas men’s basketball squad and two Jayhawk greats – soccer standout Holly Gault and track and field All-American Egor Agafonov – will be inducted into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame during K Club and Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 26-27, 2012.

Gault, Agafonov and the 2007 men’s basketball team will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame and their pictures will be unveiled in a ceremony at the Booth Family Hall of Athletics on Friday, Oct. 26. The ceremony is open to the public. The following day, the group will be recognized on the field during Kansas’ homecoming football game against Texas.

Under head coach Bill Self, the 2007 Kansas men’s basketball team posted a 33-5 record, won the Big 12 regular-season title with a 14-2 mark, the Big 12 Postseason Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament West Regional championship game. Without a senior on the team, the 2006-07 Jayhawks posted two winning streaks of 10 games or better, and won 14 of their last 15 contests.

In 2007, the Jayhawks were led by Wooden All-American and All-Big 12 First-Team selection Brandon Rush, who averaged 13.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Mario Chalmers was next in scoring at 12.2 ppg, followed closely by sophomore forward Julian Wright at 12.0 ppg. The rest of the 2006-07 team included Darrell Arthur, Brennan Bechard, Jeremy Case, C.J. Giles, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Matt Kleinmann, Brady Morningstar, Russell Robinson and Rodrick Stewart. KU assistant coaches included Tim Jankovich, Joe Dooley and Danny Manning, while the director of basketball operations was Ronnie Chalmers. Call it a foreshadowing: The following season, with the same core of players, Kansas went on to win the 2008 NCAA National Championship with a 37-3 record.
KU AD

The Big 12 tournament will remain at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., through at least the 2016 season, the conference announced at a news conference on Friday afternoon at Sprint Center.

The two-year extension was made public following a vote by the conference Board of Directors at the Big 12 spring business meetings.

“I’m claiming that Kansas City is a Big 12 city,” Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said. “It has been a great place for our tournament.”

The agreement also provides the Big 12 first rights to championship dates after 2016. Officials from both Sprint Center and Kansas City Sports Commission said they were not in discussion with other conferences about hosting a different league tournament in the future.

…Neinas also said a major reason the conference elected to stay in K.C. was attendance. He said that frequently the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament is a “hard” sellout, meaning every one of the tickets is sold.

Some tournaments still claim sellouts when a few hundred tickets are not purchased.

One big reason for the strong sales is the presence of KU supporters at the event.

“I would thank our fanbase for what they’ve done here over the years and encourage them to continue to be even more rabid,” Zenger said, “so that we can continue this tournament here for years to come.”
LJW


DeLoss Dodds fished a shiny Kansas Jayhawks lapel pin out of his pocket Thursday morning and showed it off to about half a dozen reporters.

Said he got it from a couple of friendly Jayhawks fans he ran into the night before.

And so what did the Texas athletic director offer in exchange?

Nothing. Not even a lifetime subscription to the Longhorn Network?

"This isn't about equity," Dodds quipped, tongue in cheekily.

It never is with Texas, is it?

But it is now. Or will be soon.

Texas is keeping its invisible Longhorn Network, of course, but it is on the brink of signing away its prime television rights to the Big 12 for the next 13 years, the same as big fish Oklahoma and little fish Iowa State. All fish are created equal, up to a point, of course.

And Texas took the bait. But then, the Hookems wanted to be hooked. The Longhorns have seen the commitment of their fellow league members, can keep their Tier 3 rights and are ready to climb into the same boat. For all those cynics who are snickering, four schools have left the Big 12, and Texas wasn't one of them.

"The granting of rights is really a foundation for stability," said Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis, who chairs the Big 12 Board of Directors. "As we've seen in recent events, withdrawal fees (for departing schools) are not necessarily an impediment. But leaving one's television rights certainly is."

Asked if any schools feel forced to sign on, Hargis said, "I don't think anybody is agreeing to grant their rights under duress."
Austin Statesman



The Rotary Club of Tulsa is expected to announce Wednesday that new University of Tulsa basketball coach Danny Manning will be the keynote speaker at the 19th annual Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards, scheduled June 18 at the Renaissance Hotel.

The Iba Awards are named in memory of former Oklahoma State and U.S. Olympic basketball coach Henry Iba, who died in 1993.

The Iba Awards were launched the following year to shine a spotlight on sports figures who make headlines for the right reasons.

…Manning will join a fraternity of Iba Awards speakers that includes his former boss. Kansas coach and former TU coach Bill Self spoke at the 2008 Iba Awards a few months after leading KU to a national championship.
Tulsa World


Other than power forward Jamar Samuels, each and every piece returns from last season’s Wildcats team that lost to Syracuse in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The general feeling is that Kansas State should be picked along with Kansas, Baylor, and Texas as part of the handful of teams that have a chance to win the Big 12 in 2012-13 — and a big reason why is Rodney McGruder.

The 6-foot-4 senior to be has steadily improved throughout his college career and should be a legitimate candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year next season. McGruder averaged 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a junior.

“He’s as quality a kid as you come across in this business,” Weber said of McGruder. “He’s made steady improvement throughout his career and if he proves he can become a reliable outside shooter, he’s going to be a guy who can play at the next level.”
NYC CBS


Steve Malchow, ISU senior associate athletic director of communications, said on Wednesday that Hoiberg's new contract will take effect when it is finalized in the next "week or two." The terms will begin with the 2012-13 season.
The contract is set to replace the one Hoiberg signed in August 2010, which had three years remaining, set to run through April 30, 2015. The new contract will run eight years, through the 2019-20 season.
ISU Daily


Norfolk State says men's basketball coach Anthony Evans has agreed to a three-year contract extension that will take him through the 2016-17 season.

Athletics director Marty Miller announced the deal Friday. It comes after Evans guided the Spartans to a team-record 26 victories at the Division I level, their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament championship and their first berth in the Division I NCAA tournament.

Evans also received a $50,000 raise to $175,000. His contract was to expire after the 2013-14 season.

Norfolk State was a No. 15 seed in the tournament, and beat second-seeded Missouri 86-84 in second round. The Spartans then lost 84-50 to Florida in the third round.

Evans has a 78-82 record in his five seasons at Norfolk State.
AP


An eastern Idaho newspaper is reporting that an NCAA investigation at Idaho State was prompted at least in part by a letter written by a former interim men’s basketball coach warning of a booster willing to pay quality basketball players money to get them to the school.

The Idaho State Journal reports that former interim coach Deane Martin sent the letter to Athletic Director Jeff Tingey on March 6, a day after Martin was told he didn’t get picked as the permanent men’s basketball coach.

The newspaper obtained the letter from a university employee. Martin writes that a booster told him “in the presence of another witness, that he wanted to ensure that ISU got the best recruit we could, and he offered his support. Specifically (the booster) indicated that if it took a ‘money handshake’ from him to a coach or a recruit, to seal the deal, he was happy to do that.”

Martin also wrote that the booster “has personally involved himself with the families of potential recruits, and made similar offers to them. He also has made those offers to junior college coaches, that it would be in their best financial interest to steer their players to Idaho State University.”
Link


How Missouri legislators got it wrong: Denying Kansas the opportunity to pay into Missouri's highway maintenance fund.

For some time I have been an avowed socialist when it comes to Missouri license plates. Having been a cop for 30 years, I believe license plates should be kept simple. Their purpose is to identify motor vehicles and show taxes have been paid—not to show your social status.  

Special license plates for the rich, or friends of the governor, or people who want to advertise their colleges, fraternal groups or branches of the service, just make things confusing for cops and the public who are trying to report suspicious cars.

So I think everyone should get the same style license plate. But I’m also apparently in the minority. There are 187 different specialty license plates issued in Missouri.

However, the idea behind the specialty license plates was to produce revenue, pure and simple. The specialty plates cost more. The money goes to the Missouri highway fund.

…It's a $15 additional fee for a specialty plate. A portion of the fee goes to the Missouri highway fund. So here's our chance to trick those annoying KU fans and alumni.

Instead of taking away their beloved Jayhawks license plates, we offer them up by the case. And the Jayhawks are maintaining our Missouri highways, one plate at a time. This seems like a win-win to me.

But what does the Missouri Senate do? Vote unanimously to prevent Jayhawks from contributing to our highway maintenance with their vanity license plate fees.

I spent 16 years in Maryland. Even there you could pay extra for a Jayhawk license plate.
Link


Location also will be considered. Ole Miss A.D. Ross Bjork stressed the importance of attendance, and Kansas City is easily the westernmost school in the new SEC.

“We know Kentucky fans will travel pretty much anywhere,” Bjork said, a comment echoed by Pastides and Machen. “But the rest of the league … we’ve got to make sure it makes sense from the standpoint of where fans can drive.”

However, both Bjork and Machen noted that the league is fairly open-minded when it comes to choosing host cities for the tournament. New Orleans and Tampa, two recent sites, aren’t necessarily what you would call centrally located.

“I don’t think we’re wedded, necessarily, to any one place,” Machen said.

Kansas City does have several things going for it. Several athletic directors and presidents noted its prior history hosting successful basketball tournaments — hello Big 12 — and that the Sprint Center and Power & Light District are centrally located, among other things.

And Machen, the chairman of the league’s presidents and chancellors committee, seemed to acknowledge those strengths, though he added that it remains to be seen whether his SEC comrades will feel the same way about essentially spending their spring break in the state of Missouri.

“I’d love to go up there,” Machen said. “I just don’t know if we’re going to get a lot of people wanting to go up there in March.”
KC Star


Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says he will decide in the fall whether senior guard Andre Dawkins will redshirt this season.
 
Krzyzewski said Wednesday that "Andre's situation, right now we're looking more as a redshirt situation" but added that the final decision won't come until closer to the season.
 
Dawkins' father has said the younger Dawkins is still dealing with his sister's death in 2009 in a car wreck while traveling to one of his games.
 
The school issued a statement last month confirming that Dawkins is a member of the program but saying he could be redshirted. The statement came in response to reports about Dawkins' status with the team.
AP


Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari sent a letter to the team's players to prepare them for next season, after the Wildcats national title in hoops. Then he had it posted on the Internet for fans to read.
LCJ


2012-13 Early Season Events List

2012 Parade All-Americans (Congrats Perry Ellis)


Already committed to one of the nation's most prestigious programs and facing a busy month ahead that will include trips to the Cayman Islands and Lithuania, Conner Frankamp had nothing to prove by showing up this weekend at the Pangos All-American Camp.

But Frankamp, a 6-foot-1 guard from North (Wichita, Kan.), is proving plenty and may find himself walking away with most outstanding player honors Sunday.

…It's tough to circulate around the gym for even a couple of minutes without hearing a fellow camper or observer mention his name.

Committed to Kansas, his dream school, Frankamp will travel with USA Basketball's U17 team to the Cayman Islands later this month, then on to Lithuania for the FIBA World Championships.

"I can't wait, Frankamp said. "It was so fun last year and such an honor to put that USA jersey on. To be a part of that team (which went undefeated en route to the FIBA Americas U16 title) was something I'll never forget."

His play this weekend has caught the attention of renowned trainer and Pangos instructor Jeremy Russotti, whose pupils include UCLA-bound Shabazz Muhammad and former Washington State and California State-Fullerton standout Josh Akognon.

"Everybody here plays really hard, sometimes it's too fast and too crazy," Russotti said. "But he has a super-smooth game. He's effortless. Every right pass, every right decision, every right shot. He is very special. He is game-ready college level right now."
Max Preps


Kansas commit, Connor Frankamp (North, Kans.) and freshman standout Isaiah Briscoe (St. Benedict’s, N.J.) proved to be a dynamic backcourt. Frankamp’s threat from beyond the arc combined with Briscoe’s ability to shake defenders and finish above the rim caused havoc for opponents the entire night.
FiveStar Basketball


Frankamp, Rivals.com’s No. 42-ranked player, was named tri-MVP of the Pangos All-America Camp’s “Top 30 Cream of the Crop Showcase” on Sunday in Long Beach, Calif. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound senior shared the award with Stanley Johnson, 6-6, junior, Mater Dei High, Santa Ana, Calif., who is ranked 18th in the Class of 2014, and unranked Zena Edosomwan, 6-8, senior, Harvard Westlake High, North Hollywood, Calif.

“He’s a tremendous three-point shooter who plays with savvy and great confidence. He was one of the top five guards here, if not top three,” tourney organizer Dinos Trigonis said Sunday night, referring to Frankamp.

“I’d say he reminds me a little bit of (Jeff) Boschee, a little bit of (Kirk) Hinrich. He can shoot threes and is good off the bounce. He’s good at creating separation. He worked hard in the drills. A lot of teams would have interest in him (if KU hadn’t landed a commitment last July 17).”

Here’s what others had to say about Frankamps’s performance at Pangos.

Jason Hickman, of MaxPreps, added: “It’s tough to circulate around the gym for even a couple of minutes without hearing a fellow camper or observer mention his name.”

Ryan Silver, coach of Los Angeles Pump N Run Elite, on Twitter, commented: “Kansas commit Conner Frankamp is much better than I thought. He makes everyone better and is a great kid. He was impressive.”

Dave Telep, ESPN, on Twitter: “Conner Frankamp won me over as PG not just shooter. Cliff Alexander has a chance to be nasty.”

Alexander, the most outstanding performer overall at Pangos, is a 6-9 junior from Chicago Curie, who is ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2014.

… Karviar Shepherd, 6-9 senior from Grace Prep High in Arlington, Texas, who has KU, Louisville, UCLA, LSU, Georgetown, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Tennessee on his list, played well at Pangos.

“Shepherd has always had good hands and played with confidence on the offensive end. Now, he’s catching, turning and facing the defender and going to work with jab steps, jumpers and good decisions. He looked polished and seemed like he was ready to play,” wrote Eric Bossi of Rivals.com.
LJW

Brannen Greene - 6-foot-7, SF, Forsyth (Ga.) Tift County: A skilled forward with a guard-like game from the Florida Rams, the four-star is capable of putting up big scoring numbers in a hurry. Greene is a very good shooter out to the three-point line, with a smooth and high release on his shot. He's a nice athlete who can handle the ball, is strong inside and plays with a confident swagger. As a shooter with size, he's a tough matchup at the high school level. Greene is committed to head coach Bill Self and Kansas.
Rivals


Harris said he felt honored to be pursued by schools as prestigious as Kansas, coached by Bill Self, and Florida, coached by Billy Donovan. Harris chose South Carolina over the Gators, Wake Forest and Maryland coming out of high school as a top-75 prospect with a 200-pound frame.

Now more than 25 pounds heavier, he'll likely have some opportunities to play on the perimeter and display his face-up skills in Florida's offense. Kansas uses two post players in a high-low motion set, with Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey filling those roles during the Jayhawks' run to the 2012 national championship game.

"I really don't see any negativity with either program," Harris said. "It's a comfort level and the coaches I think I can mesh with the most."
Fayetteville Observer

@GatorsAllTheWay – Who do you think leads for Chris Walker and where do you think he lands? Florida, Kansas, Kentucky?

Chris Walker isn't the type of player who is listening to 15-20 schools and has no clue when he wants to narrow down his list. He has a list of a few schools, and is going through the process. As of now, it looks like Kentucky is the favorite. However, the Wildcats have yet to offer the top-10 prospect. If they never offer Walker, Florida could be next on the list. Walker goes to high school in Florida, and has a good relationship with head coach Billy Donovan. He has taken an unofficial visit to Kansas, and Baylor, Ohio State and Syracuse are also involved.
CBS Borzello


CIA Bounce then took on Boo Williams Summer League (Va.), which entered the game with an 8-7 record, and fell 78-68. Two-guard Al Freeman, who played last season at Olympic (Charlotte, Va.) but will spend his senior season at Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), led Boo Williams by draining six 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points. Boo also got excellent play from lead guard Anthony Barber of Hampton (Hampton, Va.), one of the EYBL's quickest guards end-to-end.

"We played as a team in this game," said Freeman, who lists Kansas, UCLA, Villanova, Duke and Ohio State as college choices. "Individually, I thought about doing what I could to help the team. My mindset wasn't to shoot because I got hot. It was if I got an open look to take it."
ESPN


James Young mentioned the following schools: Michigan State, Ohio State, Providence, Kentucky and Kansas in no particular order. Young, who is considering studying business in college (but nothing definite), is looking for a school that has good coaching and facilities in addition to a quality education.

Anthony Barber rattled off the following list: Alabama, Kansas, Virginia Tech, Virginia, NC State, UCLA, Memphis, Syracuse and Connecticut. The two that stand out currently are Kansas and Alabama.
- Al Freeman has a list of five schools that have been most active in his recruitment: Kansas, UCLA, Duke, Villanova and Ohio State. Freeman wants to go to a school where he can play immediately.
NBE Basketball


MaxPreps: Randle vs Parker


"Basketball never stops, so we're getting ready to shut it down for him," Parker's father, Sonny, said. "He just wants to continue to be a kid, watch cartoons, hang out with a friends and everything.

"I think Jabari is the first (high school) player who has experienced this social media stuff. LeBron (James) and Kobe (Bryant) never experienced that. Jabari can't go to the bathroom without being on Twitter. It's the first time a player of his caliber you know he plays a game, gets out of the shower and he's on YouTube."

Sonny said all the attention has gotten to his son.

"It's overwhelming," Sonny said. "It could be a distraction sometimes because he still has to stay in the same routine. I think the distractions sometimes can get overwhelming."

…As for recruiting, Sonny said they'd start creating a list of colleges at the end of the summer. Sonny said it was still wide open at this point.

"He's going to narrow it down," Sonny said. "He's going to take his visits and he's going to make his decision."

Sonny also nixed a rumor he didn't travel on airplanes. He said he flew last week, and it wouldn't impact where his son attended school.
ESPN Chicago


ESPN Team Profiles: Texas Titans


Arlington, Tx., Grace Prep senior-to-be Jordan Mickey has close to 40 scholarship offers from schools all over the country and looks from several others.

So, in order to try and narrow his list Mickey and his father, James Wright, are on the road most of the month of June. He’s attending four camps and visiting a lot of schools.

One of the first stops was the University of Louisville.

The 6-foot-7 Mickey, a consensus top-40 prospect in the Class of 2013, was on the U of L campus on Saturday. He spent time touring he facilities, chatted with the coaching staff and spent a bunch of time with head coach Rick Pitino.

“We were very impressed,” Wright said. “We had a wonderful time there. Coach Pitino spent a lot of time with us, answering all of our questions. His attention to details really impressed us. The visit went great.”

Added Mickey: “Coach Pitino is a real hands-on guys and everything he does is very detailed. He wants perfection out of everyone and I like that.”

Mickey said he saw enough from the visit to “definitely keep” Louisville among the schools he’s considering. He’s also already visited Kansas, LSU, Baylor, Texas A&M and SMU.
LCJ


Next on the list: Tyler Ennis, a Brampton native who was named New Jersey’s state player of the year while toiling for St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark.

There are many in the Canadian basketball community who believe Ennis will be as good or better than any of the guards listed above.

Ennis will lead Canada’s junior national team at the FIBA America’s U18 Championship in Brazil from June 16-20 under the direction of head coach Roy Rana.

He will be coming off of not only a great high school season in New Jersey, but also a summer run which so far has seen him direct AAU squad CIA Bounce to a 17-3 record at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Matching up against the best young hoops talent in America, Ennis’ all-Canadian squad posted the best record in the league, starting 14-0 before losing a pair and forfeiting one last weekend in Oakland.

A week earlier, Ennis was at Ryerson University, trying out for a Canadian team that is expected to contend for a medal in Brazil and to qualify for the FIBA World U19 tourney next year in Prague (top four finishers qualify).

Ennis will be making his debut for Canada and is excited to be in the fold.

“Everybody wants to represent the country,” Ennis told the Toronto Sun recently.

Why now?

“Coach Rana reached out to me. He had me working out a little bit last year with the team and this year he said it’s my team, he wants me to run the show for him.”

Ennis, a 6-foot-2 all-around floor general certainly can do that. He prefers to create for his teammates, but is an adept scorer when necessary.

“He’s a pass-first point guard, a great point guard, looks for his teammates, looks to get everybody involved before himself,” said Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who not only will join with Ennis as a key piece for Canada, but also is his long-time backcourt-mate with CIA Bounce.

“There’s not too many unselfish point guards like that out today.”

Rana knows with Ennis and likely backup Kaza Keane - who he also thinks highly of - point play will be a major strength for the team.

Rana is not surprised Ennis is getting considerable attention from college powerhouses like Syracuse, Kansas and Georgetown, among many others.

“He’s got a very mature game for a young kid,” Rana said of the 17-year-old. “He sees the floor, (is) very calm and patient, settles everybody down. He’s a big-time talent, no question.”
London Free Press


2014 SG Dimitri Thompson (Orlando Christian Prep/ Orlando, Fla.) Thompson participated in his second tournament with the 17U squad of E1T1 at the fourth session of EYBL in Oakland, Calif. Thompson played well and started in two of the games. The team finished up 3-3 for the weekend.

Thompson is starting to receive interest from Kansas. He said UF has not been in contact since Norm Roberts left, which is also why the Jayhawks have started showing interest in him.
Link


Penny Hardaway Hoopfest is back


After 30 years, one of the nation’s longest-running summer basketball tournaments — the Kentucky HoopFest — won’t be played this year. Tournament organizer Eddie Ford said the NCAA denied certification for one year because of an “issue with a team roster” in 2011.

“We look forward to having it again next year and continue forward like we have in the past,” he said Tuesday night.

The HoopFest, which attracts hundreds of teams from dozens of states, is the largest summer tournament in Kentucky. Ford pointed out that the issue didn’t affect his NCAA-certified event in April and his Tennessee HoopFest in Franklin in late July.
LCJ


There is no way Mo Lewis could have anticipated the inevitable father-son chat coming this soon.

Not the one regarding the birds and the bees, but the one about the swarm of college basketball coaches soon to buzz around his young son, Chris.

The elder Lewis, a linebacker for the Jets for 13 seasons through 2003, is no neophyte when it comes to recruiting, even if his own courtship by colleges did not commence until his senior year of high school. He knew this day was approaching. Chris is 6 feet 7 inches, shod in size-16 sneakers. He is agile, assured and ambidextrous, and even more A’s fill his report card.

The day arrived, though, accelerated by a text message from the man who will be Chris’s high school basketball coach, David Boyd. It alerted Mo Lewis to two scholarship offers fielded by Boyd shortly before Chris’s graduation — from middle school. Lewis, in turn, cautioned his son, who turned 14 in January, not to let the affections of college programs lead to an inflated sense of self-importance.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Lewis said in an interview at an Amateur Athletic Union tournament where his son played. “It’s very flattering, but you still have to wait. It just means he has the potential now.

“It’s like telling a 14-year-old you’re going to get him a car when he turns 17. He still has to learn how to drive, study for the test and pass it.”

In fact, there is little risk involved for either the athlete or the university, at least in terms of limiting future possibilities. The acceptance of a verbal offer is not binding for either side. Only a letter of intent, signed by a player during his senior year, constitutes a commitment.

Mo Lewis said he was comfortable with a system that led to the recruiting of athletes so young. He acknowledges that his son has advantages that other adolescents may not: a financially stable household with two former athletes as parents. And Chris Lewis is a seemingly well-rounded youngster who mostly eschews social media and recently opted to attend an engineering camp over an invitation-only basketball showcase.

N.C.A.A. rules allow offers — indirect only, and often through a coach — to students beginning in seventh grade, and some worry that is too young. Jim Haney, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said that some athletes ultimately struggled because they were ill-prepared to cope with the pressure and attention brought on by receiving offers at that age.
NY Times


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