All jayhawks should be proud. What a great moment.
@CoachBillSelf


Despite what some in the media would have led you to believe, Andrew Wiggins to Cleveland was a pretty easy choice for the Cavs all along.
@DraftExpress


Wiggins on if he can carry Pierce-esque torch for #KUbball: "I think I'm ready."
@mctait

The consensus second-team All-America pick drew a nod of approval from Cavs coach David Blatt while talking about his goals of being NBA Rookie of the Year and eventually making the All-Star team.

Blatt’s most visible reaction, though, came when Andrew Wiggins spoke of wanting to make the league’s All-Defensive team.

“I was smiling about that one,” the coach said. “That all works for me.

“One of Andrew’s great qualities is he can play both ends of the court,” Blatt added. “There’s always minutes for a guy like that.”

That’s one of many lessons Andrew Wiggins learned from his father, and the teachings have stuck.
“I don’t like when my man scores,” said Andrew Wiggins, who held the players he defended last season to 38 percent shooting from the field. “Even when I’m on the bench and he scores, that makes me mad. That’s always been a big priority.”

It will continue to be so with the Cavs, who view their third No. 1 overall pick in four years as a guy who can play shooting guard and small forward.

“He’s a two-way player who has the potential to achieve greatness on both ends of the floor,” general manager David Griffin said. “He’s going to be as good as he works himself to be, and he understands that.”

How could he not, given the environment in which he grew up?

“I’ve got a lot of expectations for myself,” Andrew Wiggins said. “I just want to come in and create an impact right off the bat offensively and defensively.

“What I learned is you can’t really live up to everybody else’s expectations,” he added. “You have to live up to your own.”
Link

His son is the No. 1 overall pick, and Mitchell Wiggins is now unburdened by guilt, embarrassment and disappointment. He’s whole again.

“It just gives me closure,” said Mitchell Wiggins, who was suspended for two full seasons with Houston in the 1980s for drugs. “I’m able to let go of maybe some of the things I was feeling when I left the league and I can sleep better now. This is a big moment.”

The Cavaliers introduced Andrew Wiggins on Friday, one day after the team ended weeks of public debate and internal discussion by selecting the slender small forward from Kansas first in the NBA draft. Wiggins, who probably would have also been chosen before anyone else a year ago, began his news conference by saying his personal expectations are as high as what the Cavaliers believe he can attain

“I just want to come in, create an impact right off the bat, offensively and defensively, bring the team to the next level and just be a good teammate, be a good part of the organization,” he said. “I want to be on the All-Defensive team, be Rookie of the Year, make the All-Star team, all that type of stuff.”

Those comments made new Cavaliers coach David Blatt smile.

“We didn’t bring Andrew in here for a year,” Blatt said. “This isn’t a one-and-done. This is a career player.”

…“He walks his walk and he’s always been a kid who listens and tries to do the right thing,” Mitchell Wiggins said. “I hope he stays true to who he is and stays grounded. He wants to be a Hall of Famer. Hall of Famers work harder than anyone else and make the most sacrifice. I think he’s willing to do that.

“Everybody knows he’s got talent, but you’ve got to put the work ethic with the talent and you’ve got to make some internal sacrifices. I think he’s going to do that.”
AP

The suit was the real star of the show on Thursday night at Barclays Center — a black-and-white floral-patterned tuxedo top, with a gold medallion clipped on the left lapel that matched the gold and wine colors of the Cleveland Cavaliers hat he placed upon his head. That Andrew Wiggins was the kid in the audacious outfit was fitting. The first No. 1 overall pick to shake hands with new Commissioner Adam Silver needed to have a legendary look.

“Just wanted to do something really different to stand out and try to win on both points, stylish points and become No. 1,” a smiling Wiggins said after weeks of suspense, a full college basketball season of debate and an entire NBA season of teams intentionally being bad to possibly get him finally came to an end.

The eclectic garb required a certain amount of confidence and flare, something that the electric Wiggins was dripping in, right along with an undeniable talent that made him impossible for the Cavaliers to pass on.

“It’s a dream come true,” Wiggins said. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid. My dream was to just make the NBA. Now going to high school and college, the opportunity and possibility of going No. 1 came into talk and now I accomplished that. So it’s just a crazy feeling right now. I don’t really know to feel. It doesn’t feel real right now.”
Washington Post

The walk from the green room to the interview room took close to 60 seconds. Andrew Wiggins pushed through a crowd of ushers and reporters and turned left into a hallway inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

This was the walk of a No. 1 pick, slow and confident and a little dazed — a walk that Wiggins had dreamed about since his days on the hardwood of the Dufferin Clark Community Centre in his hometown of Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto. Now it was real. Now the Cleveland Cavaliers had selected Wiggins with the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft on Thursday night. And now it was time to take a strut.

…He had hugged his mother, embraced his college coach and shaken the hand of NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Then came a television interview, a radio interview and a few minutes of spare time.
And then another announcement. As Wiggins waited on the floor of the Barclays Center, Silver came to the microphone again:

“With the third pick in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Joel Embiid from the University of Kansas.”

The noised filtered through the crowd. Wiggins got word. And he smiled again. Embiid was back in the Los Angeles area after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot last week. But the Sixers had taken a chance. Just moments after Wiggins became the first Kansas player to be selected No. 1 overall since Danny Manning in 1988, now another Jayhawk was off the board.

“I was just proud,” Wiggins said. “It was a proud day … we became so close this year at Kansas.”

One year ago, Wiggins and Embiid had arrived together in Lawrence. Wiggins was the presumptive No. 1 pick in 2014, and Embiid was the long-term project with an immense ceiling. Now they were just the fourth set of college teammates to go in the top three of the same draft.

“This is a boost for us,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

…But in the days before Wiggins took his draft walk, he thought about his days at Kansas. He thought about his coach. He thought about what he learned. He thought about his teammates.
He hoped, he said, that Kansas gained as much from him as he did from Kansas.

“College teaches you a lot,” Wiggins said, “about just sacrifice, hard work, eliminating all the distractions. Especially at a school like Kansas.”

…After Thursday, Self has produced 12 first-round picks in 11 seasons at Kansas. But he also knows the perception that none of those players have become stars.

“We’ve put a lot of guys in the league, but we haven’t put NBA All-Stars in the league,” Self said. “But you know what? I’m not sure their ceilings were All-Stars.”

This is where Wiggins and Embiid come in. Wiggins will go to Cleveland, where he’ll play alongside point guard Kyrie Irving and fellow Canadian No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett. Embiid will go to Philly and should have time to get healthy. Self believes both players can become franchise players and play in multiple All-Star Games — and maybe that can bolster their Kansas legacies. They were one-and-done players, yes, but that doesn’t mean they won’t help Self’s cause in the future.

“You want kids to time it right to come out, and obviously these two have timed it right,” Self said. “And it kind of cracks me up. We had some people say with Andrew, ‘We want more, we want more.’ Well, people that are paid a lot of money to evaluate guys know what he can eventually do. He’s just scratching the surface.”
KC Star


He was the trophy wife, the bling. Andrew Wiggins did more for Kansas basketball in five minutes on Thursday night than he did in the previous five months combined.

National championship? Been there.

Final Fours? Twice over, son.

Big 12 titles? Ten in a row, baby.

But there was one thing missing in the Bill Self pamphlet, one notable unsaid in the media guide, one bauble left unpainted on the murals at Allen Fieldhouse.

No. 1 draft pick.

Since 1974, Kentucky's had two. Duke? Two. North Carolina? Two. Purdue? Two.

Kansas? One.

Until Wiggins.

Until now.

"(There's) something about that label, being No. 1, that will certainly bode well for our program," Self said Thursday night after Wiggins, his freshman wing guard, was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. "To me, as many great players as Kansas has had, it's been 26 years, I guess, since we've had a No. 1 pick. I certainly don't want to wait another 26 years, but it's certainly very exciting."
FoxSports

This time, Dan Gilbert made sure he got his man. Time will tell whether or not he’s correct.
A billionaire who owns more than 70 companies and has made his fortune swinging for the fences and believing in upside now believes in Andrew Wiggins.

The Cavaliers selected Wiggins first overall in Thursday’s NBA Draft because, by all accounts, he has a higher upside than Jabari Parker. And Gilbert loves upside.

The Cavs’ scouting department felt differently. They had Parker ranked ahead of Wiggins throughout the season, multiple sources have confirmed, but Wiggins is headed to Cleveland as another terrific young piece that now gives the Cavs five players who have been selected in the top four of the past four drafts.

The selection certainly isn’t a reach. Wiggins was projected to go No. 1 overall in this draft for at least the past year, but Cavs executives were intrigued with Parker’s scoring, had little concern he could handle the small forward position and didn’t seem scared off by Parker’s lack of interest in coming to Cleveland.

One source with knowledge of the Cavs’ draft plans said late Tuesday night that Gilbert preferred Wiggins. History perhaps indicates why.

Gilbert wanted Victor Oladipo last year, according to multiple sources, but deferred to a front office that instead drafted Anthony Bennett.

The Cavs’ front office viewed Oladipo as an athletic, high-motor guy who lacked a discernible skill. Bennett, meanwhile, was viewed as a tweener who arrived overweight and struggled through a miserable rookie season.

Wiggins and Parker certainly have brighter futures than both Oladipo and Bennett. But when Parker showed up for his Cavs workout overweight, and with questions around the league regarding what position he plays, the comparisons to the Bennett situation last year were inevitable. And Gilbert apparently didn’t want another replay of the Oladipo/Bennett situation.

Now the focus shifts to Wiggins and whether his presence, along with Kyrie Irving, can lure Miami Heat star LeBron James back to Cleveland. Within hours of becoming a member of the Cavs, Wiggins was asked repeatedly about the possibility of playing alongside James.

“I want to win,” Wiggins said. “If he wants to win, we’d be good together.”
Akron Beacon Journal


VIDEO: CavsTV 1-on-1 with Andrew Wiggins


VIDEO: Behind-the-scenes Wiggins pre-draft workout with the Cleveland Cavs


Wiggins: NBA draft interview quotes

6/26/14, 7:35 PM
You gotta have the hat.
@SteveMartinToGo


Wiggs got the best draft day fit ! That suit jacket tough boa
@WayneSeldenJr


Top pick Andrew Wiggins didn't wear just any old thing to the NBA draft on Thursday. No, the 19-year-old called on fashion stylist Brandon Williams and tailor Waraire Boswell to get him ready for the big day in a shawl-collar, rose print jacket and satin pants. Accessories included smoking slippers, bowtie, a brooch in his lapel and an Audemars Piguet diamond watch on his wrist. "Always dress like you're going somewhere better," the soon-to-be Cleveland Cavalier told WWD as he dressed.
LA Times


“@CoachBLoos: @rfulford is fired up for his guy @AndrewWiggins . #1” was shocked the people in Shakespeare's didn't boo.. Lol
@rfulford


So excited for this Draft! Pay the guys maan! They've earned it. So proud of Andrew, Tyler, and Stauskas!!! Canadian Basketball on the rise!
@Drake

Wiggins fist pumping the air furiously after Embiid is selected third overall.
@stackmack

The real moment my name was called.... let's goooooo @Sixers!!!
@JoelEmbiid


"He has a big heart & he's going to do big things. Potential is there for him to be great." Andrew Wiggins on Joel Embiid right before draft
@abaker6sports


Self said Embiid thought he might fall to 6-8 but Self heard today from Sam Hinkie that they would take him at 3
@AdamZagoria


Proud moment. So proud of Joel and Andrew. Only wish joe could be here. Tarik is next
@CoachBillSelf


Congrats to them KU boys!!
@BRush_25


"Disappointed not to be there, but I'm excited. I still can't believe it. It just means anything is possible." Joel Embiid on being #3 pick
@abaker6sports


Just got statement from Embiid saying in part, "I'm more determined than ever and looking forward to getting back to work with my new team."
@ESPNAndyKatz


"Kansas has the best fans in the world. They support me through a good game and a bad game. This is a proud moment for me and JoJo"
Andrew Wiggins via @Ben_Felderstein


For the first time in #Big12MBB history, three of the top six overall picks in the @NBADraft are from the Big 12. #Big12Strong
@Big12Conference


VIDEO: Draft night exclusive: Kansas coach Bill Self talks to Campus Insiders' Shae Peppler about former Jayhawks Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid joining the NBA

I’d like to tell you about Joel Embiid. After all, he’s the reason we’re here, running through traffic on a May morning in Cameroon, begging drivers to not run us over and, if possible, to also give us a ride.

I’d like to tell you about the court nearby where Embiid first dunked a basketball, about the men who had to plead with Embiid’s parents to let him play. About the way he used to cry when conditioning drills reached their sadistic apex, and how, when the workouts ended, he’d ask the coach to make him do them again. Embiid was just selected third overall in the NBA draft; he’ll be heading to Philadelphia even after foot surgery threatened to tank his stock. But before he made his way to Florida for high school or to Lawrence, Kansas, for college, or, now, to the 76ers, Embiid first picked up a ball here in Yaoundé.

…There’s a reason why Melvin fills every silence with his observations on the NBA. It’s the same reason why the coaches we will soon meet under a tree introduce themselves by asking me to predict who will reach the NBA Finals. Cameroon is inhospitable to hoops obsessives. If you want to be technical, you’d call it the second most popular sport in the country, but technicalities are often lies. “It’s football, football, football,” Melvin says. “No one cares about basketball — not really. There is only one sport in Cameroon.”

Embiid might be the next great African big man, but if you ask randomly around his home country, you’ll be lucky to find anyone who even knows he exists. So out in the fields where boys in Samuel Eto’o jerseys kick soccer balls, and down in the streets where traffic convulses its way through rush hour, Joel Embiid doesn’t really mean anything. But Melvin is here to show me the sliver of Cameroonian society where basketball does matter, where Carlos Boozer causes justifiable outrage, and where Embiid is not just another member of the Cameroonian diaspora, but rather the culmination of several lives’ worth of work.

…We start in Yaoundé. It’s the capital and Embiid’s hometown, a French- and English-speaking city that sits in the center of the country and veins outward over and around seven hills. In the neighborhood of Nlongkak, on a patch of land tucked behind a row of apartments, we find the basketball court.

“Oui, oui, let’s go!” shouts a man in a polo shirt and a baseball cap, wandering up and down the sideline. He organizes a group of teenagers, mostly boys but one girl, into formation for a three-man weave. Up and down the court they run.

This is the court where Embiid learned to play basketball. It’s beat to shit. It slopes. It cracks. In places it juts. Wayward dribbles bounce off course. Bounce passes travel according to the ravaged blacktop’s whims. It’s home to a few divots and more than a few empty beer bottles.

…All this is to say that Cameroon’s coaches have gotten used to working with teenage athletic marvels who have absolutely no idea how to play basketball. Embiid was no exception. “He thought he was Kevin Durant,” says Moudio. Embiid had never been taught to shoot, but that didn’t stop him from launching (and missing) 3s. He had never learned to dribble, but from the moment he picked up a ball he was trying to cross up defenders at every opportunity. And when those crossovers led to Embiid chasing the ball into the street, as they often did, he would just get back on the court and try the same move — with the same disastrous results — all over again.

In his first organized basketball game, Embiid faced a team running a full-court press. Unsure of his assignment, he floated to half court, where a teammate passed him the ball. Defenders swarmed. Embiid held the ball to the sky, maintained his pivot foot, and turned — to his coach. “What do I do?” he yelled at the sideline. “What do I do?”

“Pass!” yelled Moudio, so he did. Crisis averted. It could only get better from there. Two games later, Embiid bragged to his teammates that he was going to hit a 3. On his very first touch, busted shooting form and all, he did just that. Within weeks he was wrestling away most every rebound and lording over the paint, and now, if you look at the basket on the near side of this court, you can still see players shooting on a bent, nearly unhinged rim. That was Embiid’s doing. He dunked too hard.
More at Grantland

Jason King spent Draft Day with Embiid


General manager Sam Hinkie hinted Friday that Joel Embiid, who was drafted third overall, probably won't play in the 2014-15 season. That's because the 7-foot center out of Kansas will miss more time than reported while recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot.

"I've seen reported some four to six months," Hinkie said. "That's not the number I heard. The number I heard from the surgeon himself was five to eight months.

"Guess what our approach will be? We will focus on the long-term health of the player. We had that discussion before. I don't want that to sound glib, because it's not. It is all that matters, honestly."

…Hinkie was an assistant general manager at Houston when Yao went through his ailments.
He consulted with Richard Ferkel, the doctor who performed Embiid's surgery. The Sixers also did extensive research on the injury in the days leading up to the draft.

"We were sort of averaging it out over time," Hinkie said of drafting Embiid. "In the end, we felt good that this is a calculated risk, and he's a remarkable talent in our mind. Only in this scenario does he fall to three."
philly.com

Embiid's selection ensures that the franchise will have the 2015-16 version of the twin towers.

Sixers coach Brett Brown said Embiid might be the power forward in that scenario. He's the better shooter. Yet at 250 pounds, Embiid is more equipped to take a pounding at center than the 228-pound Noel. Both players are stellar shot blockers.

"I think that once you see these guys get older and playing together, you will figure it out," Brown said. "Center, power forward, I feel like in my head, without getting too coachspeak, I can see how you can make it work.

"And the bottom line is: I do think that Nerlens and Joel can coexist."

That's because the former San Antonio Spurs assistant has memories of winning NBA titles with twin towers David Robinson (7-foot) and Tim Duncan (6-11) in 1999 and 2003.

"I think I can find a way to play those two guys together and develop a program," Brown said. "It's a really good problem to have."
philly.com


Former Kansas University center Joel Embiid had no inside information regarding his draft stock entering Thursday’s 2014 NBA Draft.

“I actually knew when they called my name,” the 7-footer from Cameroon said on Friday’s Dan Patrick/ESPN radio show.

Sitting in front of a TV in the house of agent Arn Tellem in Los Angeles, Embiid and his parents applauded wildly when commissioner Adam Silver announced that he’d been selected No. 3 overall by Philadelphia.

“I thought with the latest injury I was going to drop to maybe top 15, maybe second round,” added Embiid, who had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot the week before the draft.

“People were talking everywhere, on social media. I bought into that.
“I was also listening to my agent. He told me good things. I mean I thought I was going to drop to second round. I was kind of surprised they took me at 3,” Embiid noted.
LJW


Speaking with a pack of reporters from Philadelphia following Embiid’s selection on Thursday night in Brooklyn, Self did not hold back his thoughts about Embiid and what he believes awaits the 7-foot Cameroon native in the NBA.

“I’ll be disappointed if he’s not a six- or eight-time all-star,” Self said. “I think that’s fair. For one thing, there’s not as many (dominant) big guys in the league as there has been in the past. But, when he gets healthy, he’ll be one of the better bigs in the league. That may be Year 2, but Joel’s gonna be an all-star. And if he’s an all-star once, he’ll be an all-star many times.”

Speaking from experience, Self also said he thought Embiid would become one of the more well-liked players on his new team’s roster.

“I believe Philadelphia will fall in love with Jo,” Self said. “He’ll be a fan favorite because he’s got more personality than just about anybody. He knows how to make fun of himself and he’s got a smile that would make you melt. I would be very surprised if people don’t really, really take to this guy.”

Of course, the biggest obstacle to that happening in Philadelphia is the expectation of a fan base famous for once having booed Santa Claus at an Eagles game. Still, Self preached patience to the die-hard 76ers fans.

“From what I (understand), they’re building for the future,” Self said. “You’ve got the rookie of the year (point guard Michael Carter-Williams), Nerlens, who will obviously be a good player, and then you’ve got Jo, who is a franchise-type player. The pieces are in place. I’d be excited if I’m a Sixers fan, even though they’re gonna have to exercise a little bit more patience, which I’ve heard the fans are known for there in Philly.”
LJW


Former KU All-American Danny Manning spoke to Philly.com about Joel Embiid, who was taken third in the draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

“Every time I watched Joel play, he impressed me, because he got better every time I saw him,” said first-year Wake Forest coach Manning, who coached at Tulsa the past two seasons. “He really has a presence defensively, has soft hands and is always continuing to improve his offense. Joel is obviously a very talented young man with a huge upside. Every time I watched him play, he added something different. He has great timing and can instinctively block shots. He has great hands and will continue to improve on the offensive side of the ball. He’s comfortable at stepping out and playing the pick-and-pop game, which is so big in the NBA.”
LJW

The Celtics would have selected Joel Embiid with the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft had the Kansas center slipped to them, Ainge told the Toucher & Rich show Friday morning.

"He was not red-flagged, meaning, “Stay away at all costs.” said Ainge. "He was rated a little bit less than that with risk, but he was guy that we were looking at had he fallen."

Asked directly if he would have selected Embiid, Ainge said, "Yes, we would’ve."
Boston.com

Cleveland Cavaliers — A

There was ample temptation out there for Cleveland to do something stupid, and if the past year has taught us anything, it is that the Cavaliers rarely pass on the opportunity to do something stupid. New GM David Griffin, though, wears fancy glasses, and as the old saying goes, “People in fancy glasses don’t do stupid things.” Taking Andrew Wiggins first was the right move, and picking up outstanding shooter Joe Harris in the second round was a bonus.

Philadelphia Sixers — B

There is eventually going to be a draft in which Sam Hinkie owns 59 of the 60 picks (with one left over for the Spurs at No. 30) and uses them all on players with significant injuries or international contracts. Seriously, if you’re a prospect looking to work out for the Sixers, here’s some advice: Bring crutches. They love that stuff. Still, huge upside in this bunch for the Sixers, with Joel Embiid and Dario Saric coming in the first round and first-round talents K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant and Vasilije “The Wonder Jelly” Micic in the second round.
The Sporting News


Before Wiggins and Embiid could even bend the bills on their new team caps, the focus was shifting toward incoming freshmen Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre Jr. - two top recruits who, conveniently, can help fill the gaps left by Wiggins and Embiid. But as Self listened to a question about his next crop of potential one-and-dones, he quickly sidestepped any comparison.

"They're good players," said Self, who also mentioned fellow freshmen guards Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Devonte Graham. "(But) they're not exceptional prospects by NBA standards. They can all - if they work hard and things fall right - get to a point where they can play at the next level, but we can't anticipate them stepping in and doing what Jo did or what Andrew did as freshmen."

And so the cycle goes. Every summer, Self takes stock of his roster and thinks towards the fall, crafting a mental template for the season ahead. But for all the bland, mechanical routine, there is a delicate touch that is needed.

This latest Kansas reloading project, just like all the others, will be unique.

In the days after No. 2 seed Kansas lost to Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, Bill Self and his staff sketched together something of a recruiting wish list for the spring. They had been working on it, naturally, but now they could focus on it full time.

…The glut of options leaves Self in an unusual position. On Thursday, Self sat in Brooklyn as two of his players were drafted in the top three for the first time. And yet, he thinks this upcoming reloading project can leave a longer-lasting legacy on the court.

"If you have two of the top three picks, I don't see how you could be more talented," Self said. "But I do think we could have a better team. Last year, I think that because we were so young, I think we didn't play as well consistently as what we had hoped for."

…"If we would have had Jo healthy - ifs and buts, candy and nuts - we wouldn't have ended the season the way we did," Self said. "At least, I totally believe that."

Self will never know, of course. But Thursday's night at the draft provided some closure. Wiggins and Embiid moved onto the next level, and back home in Lawrence, the players from another reloading project waited for the fall.

"If things fall right," Self said, "this could be a better basketball team."
KC Star


Excited to share that @TarikBlack25 of @KUHoops will play for the @HoustonRockets in both the Orlando & Vegas @NBASummerLeague! #SIGFam
@SportsIntGroup

“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Wiggins on Embiid: "JoJo is my best friend. He's doing great. We joke about the number one pick a lot. He wishes he could be here."
@Ben_Felderstein


Wiggins on Self: "we just talked yesterday. He had a tremendous impact on me. I'll never forget what he taught me."
@Ben_Felderstein


Wanna say good luck to them KU guys tonight @22wiggins @JoelEmbiid @TarikBlack25 #DreamsReallyComesTrue
@BenMcLemore


Good luck to my young boys @JoelEmbiid @22wiggins @TarikBlack25 in the draft tonight. #RockChalk #NBADraft
@colea45


Can't wait to see my brothas names called 1 & 2...I still believe but regardless I'm praying for you guys @JoelEmbiid @22wiggins
@TarikBlack


One thing that hasn’t changed all that much has been Wiggins status among his peers. There was never much doubt he was headed to the NBA. The question was how soon and how high he would be drafted.

Nik Stauskas of Michigan by way of Mississauga and Tyler Ennis of Syracuse by way of Brampton – expected to be drafted in the 9-to-12 and the 12-to-23 range respectively – were to quick to recognize that Wiggins was different.

“I remember playing AAU with Andrew when he was 13 years old and the first time I ever saw him he did a 360 [degree] behind-the-back dunk and I was like, ‘I think this kid is going to the NBA,’” said Stauskas.

Ennis saw it even earlier: “First time I watched him I was maybe 10 or 11 and he’s a year younger and we played and then watched him and he was way more athletic and taller than everyone else and then he came over and played with us when were 15-and-under and his talent – you can watch him for a few minutes and see how good he is and how natural he is.”

Wiggins rocketed to the top of his draft class on the strength of a legendary AAU showdown between his CIA Bounce team – with Ennis running the point – and Julius Randle’s Texas Titans. Randle, a star at the University of Kentucky, is also expected to be a lottery pick tomorrow night.

Wiggins scored an easy 28 points and frustrated Randle — who fouled out with a miserly 15 points.
“It was awesome,” said Ennis.

…“He’s just a great teammate,” says Ennis. “A lot of people who got that kind of hype could have let it go to their head and changed the way they acted and changed the way they approached the game, but he’s the exact same as he was when I met him.”

Wiggins has been on the radar for nearly seven years, even if he is just 19 years old. A YouTube video of him tearing up competition as a 13-year-old is approaching five-million views.

That was the beginning and Thursday night marks the end of a chapter that’s been years in the making.

He’s excited. As he talked about where he’s been and where’s he’s going, his knees were jiggling. He was hunched forward, as if he was anticipating his future rushing toward him. It’s been for a long time, and now it’s here.

“You always want to be the best,” he said. “In high school there were people above you, so you wanted to be No.1. Going into college you want to win national championships and be the best. In the NBA you’re playing the world’s best, not in your area or region.”

“So that’s motivation to conquer being one of those elite players at the highest levels of basketball.”
Andrew Wiggins, Canada’s first ever basketball prodigy, gets his chance to deliver on all that promise starting Thursday night.
Link


Wiggins said that he and Embiid both owe a lot of their success to their time under coach Bill Self.

Self’s traditional high-low offense suits a player like Embiid more than it does a guy like Wiggins who needs room to operate and use his athleticism. However, Wiggins doesn’t think Kansas’ system was a detriment to him at all.

“Kansas is one of the best basketball programs in the country,” Wiggins said. “My time at Kansas was great, I bought into the system right away and it made me a much better player.”

Wiggins had nothing but great things to say about Bill Self:  “Coach Self is a legendary basketball coach. We just talked yesterday actually. He’s had a tremendous impact on my career and where I am today.”
UDK


LJW: Wiggins keeps calm


Late Wednesday evening, in the dying light of lower Manhattan, Steve Nash stepped onto a soccer field at Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Nash, a former NBA All-Star and a Canadian basketball icon, began to lace up his soccer cleats for an annual charity soccer match as a few dozen fans milled around the pitch.

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki stood 20 feet away, juggling a soccer ball, while French star Thierry Henry prepared to coach. But for a moment, Nash’s thoughts drifted away from soccer and back to basketball and his home country. Earlier in the day, he’d exchanged texts with former Kansas star Andrew Wiggins and former Michigan standout Nik Stauskus, fellow Canadians who had arrived in New York for Thursday’s NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“I feel like a proud uncle or something,” said Nash, who grew up in the Vancouver area. “I’m fired up for tomorrow.”

…In Canadian basketball circles, perceptions have turned into familiar stereotypes. Wiggins, the 6-foot-8 swingman, is too nice. Stauskas is just a jump shooter. The competition just doesn’t measure up to the States. And so on.

“Maybe Canadians are just nice,” Stauskas said. “Maybe we’re just a little too nice. We all grew up and we were humble and hungry, and I think being from Canada, we’ve always had a chip on our shoulder.”

Now comes draft night, million-dollar contracts, and the next step in a basketball life. Wiggins dreams of a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. For years, Wiggins was pre-ordained to be the Canadian LeBron James. He was nicknamed “Maple Jordan,” the hype swelled, and everyone expected him to spend one year at Kansas and go No. 1 in the draft.

Some of that hype faded. But Wiggins might still go first overall — unless the Cavaliers opt for Duke star Jabari Parker, a native of basketball hotbed Chicago.

You don’t get much more American basketball than Chicago, of course, and it’s led to a natural rivalry. There is Wiggins, the prodigy from the great white north, and Parker, the son of Chicago. Only one can go No. 1.

“It’s never a rivalry,” Wiggins counters. “The media portrays it to be something like that, but we’re all friends.”
KC Star


VIDEO: Draft Express - Wiggins NBA Draft Media Day Interview


Here are five spots to watch for potential deals on Thursday night:

    ▪    No. 1: The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly trying to decide between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker for the first overall pick. They also are taking calls on trade offers and are looking to make a splash in an effort to entice LeBron James to come back home. The Cavs were interested in dealing for Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Love, but Love has given them the cold shoulder so far.
    ▪    No. 3: The Philadelphia 76ers have two picks in the top 10 and GM Sam Hinkie already has a reputation as a wheeler and dealer in just over a year on the job. If the Sixers decide to pass on Joel Embiid, the Kansas big man who just had foot surgery, they could be looking to move up for Wiggins, or down to accumulate assets and continue their rebuild.
    ▪    No. 5: The Utah Jazz have a frontcourt stocked with good, young talent. And by the time they land on the clock, the best players available figure to be power forwards like Indiana's Noah Vonleh and Kentucky's Julius Randle. That has prompted speculation that the Jazz will try to move up for a chance at grabbing Parker.
    ▪    No. 6: The Boston Celtics have two picks in the first round and also covet Love. But the Wolves have rebuffed their advances so far. Would packaging Nos. 6 and 17 be enough to get the No. 1 pick from Cleveland, which they could in turn try to flip to Minnesota for Love?
    ▪    No. 11: The Denver Nuggets are coming off a disappointing season in GM Tim Connelly's first year on the job. They want back into the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, and the 11th pick in a deep draft is one of their more attractive assets to help Connelly make something happen.
Link


Lost Lettermen: The cautionary tale of Josh Selby


Nike Big Man Skills Academies: Ellis and Alexander attend
College Roster
HS Roster

There's a rhythm inside the gym in West Dallas. It's always been the rhythm of Isaiah Austin's life.
But life suddenly changed its tune.

"I just want these young kids out here to understand that you don't take anything for granted. It can be taken away from you with the snap of a finger," Austin said, looking over his shoulder at the court with about a dozen highly-recruited teens working out... just like he did when he was their age.

Austin played high school ball for Grace Christian Academy in Arlington, then college ball at Baylor. He worked out with Portland Trail Blazers guard Mo Williams at the Mo Williams Academy in West Dallas.

Austin decided to leave Baylor and go pro. He was projected as a second or third round pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft. But he had to undergo a series of medical tests before the NBA would clear him.

On Saturday night, Austin got word that his basketball career was over. He has Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that puts his heart in serious jeopardy during intense physical activity.

Austin said he sees the diagnosis as a blessing, because the disease could have already killed him during his basketball career.

Isaiah Austin is still flying to New York as he had planned. And he'll still be honored during the NBA Draft.

"That's going to be the happiest day of my life," he said. "Even though I'm not going to be able to participate in games in the NBA, it's going to be a blessing for me. And I'm thankful for it."
USA Today


A string of underwhelming NCAA tournament performances made many forget that the Big 12 was perhaps the best league in the country in 2013-14.

A flurry of moves in the past two months should help keep the Big 12 stocked with talent for next season.

Texas recently signed the nation's top remaining recruit in forward Myles Turner. League champion Kansas added point guard Devonte Graham following the departure of Naadir Tharpe last month, and Iowa State replaced DeAndre Kane with former UNLV star Bryce Dejean-Jones.

Though Oklahoma already has an impressive roster, it's also hoping to add an impact player for next season. Standout Houston transfer TaShawn Thomas joined the Sooners three weeks ago but will need an NCAA waiver to be eligible right away.

It's no coincidence that the Longhorns, Jayhawks, Cyclones and Sooners will be among the favorites in a conference that should again be loaded in 2014-15.

"There are a lot of teams in the league that have signed players in the late signing period that I think will maybe make a difference," said Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith during the Big 12's annual summer teleconference. "It's hard to believe, but I believe the (Big 12) could be better."

The Longhorns were already expected to be one of the deeper teams in the country since most of their starters will return next season. After adding Turner, they might now be one of the best teams in the country heading into November.

…Though Tharpe's departure won't hurt the Jayhawks as much as losing Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, it still left a hole in the backcourt.

Coach Bill Self believes that Graham — who initially committed to Appalachian State and was widely considered the best point guard left unsigned — should help fill that void.

"Devonte's a point guard, but probably the best term is a lead guard," Self said. "He doesn't have to have the ball in his hands, but he thinks like a point guard. He can be like an extension of the coach. He certainly has the intangibles to lead and get guys to follow him."
AP


In sum, a shade over 25 million people paid to watch college basketball in 351 D-I barns last season, according to the NCAA's recent release of its attendance records. Given the different shapes, sizes and capacities of the biggest (Cuse's Carrier Dome, which holds in the neighborhood of 33,000) and the smallest (USC Upstate's G.B. Hodge Center lists its capacity at 818) the average college basketball crowd at a given game was 4,817 people.

Not great, but not terrible. Remember, we're dealing with an array of arenas and gyms here; this is a very different sport to judge off attendance than football. The 4,817 is a somewhat signifanct dip from a year ago, though. An average of 104 fewer people attended college basketball games last season, with a total of 353,532 fewer tickets sold than what the 2012-13 season offered.

Suprising and a little curious, given there more were games in college basketball last season than ever before, and the 2013-14 barnstorm was expected to be the best season for the sport in more than five years. And that was the just the regular season; the NCAA Tournament -- which has long underperformed in attendance -- dipped more than 61,000 in tickets sold compared to 2013. (Part of this amounts to the phasing out of using stadiums for regional sites, though.)

The Final Four totaled 158,682 in attendance, which did set a record. The gargantuan alien rotunda in Arlington, Texas, is to thank for that.

In terms of who played in front of the most souls at their home venue, the top two are no surprise. For what must be the hundredth year in a row, Syracuse and Kentucky occupy the top spots.
Here are the top 10 teams in home attendance, by average:

1. Syracuse: 26,253 

2. Kentucky: 22,964 

3. Louisville: 21,282 

4. North Carolina: 18,025

5. Creighton: 17,896

6. Indiana: 17,359 

7. Wisconsin: 17,104 

8. Ohio State: 16,474 

9. Kansas: 16,437 

10. Memphis: 16,121
CBS Sports (Still contains the fatal flaw of not giving venue capacity/% of capacity)


The Big Ten said Tuesday that it supports guaranteed four-year scholarships and improved medical coverage for its athletes.

The league announced in a statement signed Tuesday by its 14 presidents that it proposes working within the NCAA structure to provide greater academic security for its athletes by guaranteeing scholarships for four years, even if an athlete can no longer compete or has left for a professional career.

The Big Ten also said the NCAA must do "whatever it takes" to compensate athletes for the full cost of their college education as defined by the federal government — rather than just tuition, fees and room and board.

The conference also said it would like to review the NCAA rules on medical insurance and provide more consistent coverage.
Link

Andrew Wiggins, 6-8 forward, Kansas. "Just a freak athlete. He'll be one of the top 10 or 12 athletes in the NBA. What concerns me is his motor. Does he care enough? Does it matter to him? I just don't think he has any 'f--- you' in him. I've watched him a lot since high school, and there are times you don't know he's on the court. Then again, for someone who got so maligned, he still averaged 17 and 6 in one of the best conferences in America as an 18-year-old. Shows how warped our perspectives are."

Joel Embiid, 7-foot center, Kansas. "I don't know if you can say he's injury prone. He's had two injuries. The foot injury is fixable, but there are certainly better places to break it. Anytime you hear about a back injury with a person that big, it's a concern. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if he really is injury prone, but it's odd that it happened close together. So it's another piece of information. I was at his workout in L.A. He's so big and quick off his feet. He's more athletic than Greg Oden was. His upside is ridiculous. He's been playing for four years, and he has moves that 12-year vets don't have."
A tradition unlike any other: "Finch" assesses all the NBA draft prospects. Warning: Candor!
@sethdavishoops

Elijah Johnson, who played pro basketball in Poland last season, considered taking the potential game-winning shot in Wednesday’s Bill Self campers game in Horejsi Center.

Instead, the former Kansas University combo guard deferred to current Jayhawk sophomore Frank Mason, who sped through the lane for a driving layup with 7.8 seconds left in overtime, giving the Red team an 84-83 victory over the Blue squad.

“He told me, ‘Give me the ball,’ so I slipped it to him. He did his thing on his own. He kept going and going, and I like it in him,” Johnson said after watching the 5-foot-11 Mason tie Conner Frankamp for team-high scoring honors with 20 points.

“I didn’t see a game-winner. I saw him finishing the game in my eyes,” added Johnson, who also dished to Mason for a three that tied the game at 80 with 1:20 left in OT.

...Petersburg, Virginia, native Mason, who is battling Devonté Graham (six points for Blues) and Frankamp for the starting point-guard position, also played for the winning team in last week’s camp game, potting 16 points.

“Any game I play, I always want to win. I take pride in it. Today it was just a camp game, but still I just wanted to win it,” Mason said.

“I was excited to get the last game-winning basket for my team. I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to get the win.”

... Mason’s layup answered a three by Tyrel Reed (16 points, four threes) that had given the Blues an 83-82 lead at :37. The Blues actually re-gained possession with that one-point advantage. Blue freshman Kelly Oubre missed a three from the side at :14, giving the Reds a last shot at victory. The Blues didn’t get a shot off on their final possession following the Mason hoop.

“I don’t think he (Oubre, who had 14 points) knew the shot-clock awareness,” said Blue forward Travis Releford, who scored two points. “He’ll learn that once he gets familiar with coach Self.”

Brannen Greene, who had 23 points in a camp victory last week, scored 21 points for the losing Blue team, while Jamari Traylor had 11 points. Perry Ellis scored 16 for the Reds.

“I think the new guys did pretty well. They could have done better. They are getting a feel for everything,” Mason said. Freshman center Cliff Alexander had eight points off four hard dunks to go with Oubre’s 14 points and Graham’s six.
LJW



In some ways, the less you notice a point guard, the better he’s playing. It can mean he’s keeping the ball moving, getting it into the right hands at the right time, not monopolizing it.

I didn’t hear much about freshman point guard Devonté Graham’s play in last week’s Bill Self Camp exhibition game featuring past and present Kansas University basketball players, so I decided to take in the camp game Wednesday.

Camp games can devolve into breakaway dunk shows, entertaining for the campers, but pretty ugly to watch.

Not this one. It felt more like a basketball game, and it went into overtime. Graham had a view from the bench in the closing minutes and the two-minute overtime period, while veterans Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed formed the backcourt.

“Tyshawn (Taylor) told me I should have been in there at the end of the game,” Graham said with a smile.

Self introduced all of the players with a quick comment and said of Graham, “He’s going to play a ton this year.”

It’s easy to see why. Graham wasn’t the guy the campers left the Horejsi Center buzzing about, but he did a lot of productive things. As soon as he saw a scorer, he delivered him the ball. When he saw shots, he took them, and he never looked as if he was forcing anything.
LJW Keegan


LJW Photo Gallery



Hunter Mickelson never knew what he never knew.

Before he came to Kansas as a transfer last year, the 6-foot-10 forward did his time in the weight room and didn’t think much about it.

“I would just go in there and lift supposedly how I thought I was supposed to lift. I thought I was doing something really good,” Mickelson said Wednesday at Washburn coach Bob Chipman’s camp. “Then you come here, and it’s like, ‘Nah.’”

After a quick visit with KU basketball strength coach Andrea Hudy and also some time with Kansas’ Sparta Force Plate technology, Mickelson quickly learned he was doing things all wrong.

...After a year with better mechanics, Hudy said Mickelson has become a “totally different” basketball athlete. The junior also said he’s starting to see results.

That might be most evident in his vertical jump, which Mickelson aid he has increased by 5 or 6 inches since he arrived at KU.

“I feel like I’m more athletic. I feel like I’m bouncy a little bit, which is a good thing playing basketball,” Mickelson said. “I’m getting stronger in general. I’m getting in better shape. It’s pretty much all of the above.”
TCJ


If this is indeed the new Mason, KU could potentially have a different kind of offensive weapon. The Jayhawks have gone a couple seasons without a penetrating guard with an ability to finish at the rim, with Tyshawn Taylor best fitting that mold during KU’s run to the national championship game in 2012.

...In his two camp scrimmage games, Mason averaged 18 points on combined 14-for-22 shooting (64 percent).
TCJ

First-half highlights (5:17)

Frank Mason lofted a perfectly-timed pass to fellow Kansas University sophomore Wayne Selden, who threw down a vicious one-handed slam dunk Wednesday in Horejsi Center.

The 6-foot-5 Selden, who scored 17 points off an assortment of drives, dunks and jumpers in the Blue Team’s 79-67 Bill Self camp game victory over Ben McLemore and Cole Aldrich’s Red squad, showed he’s recovered nicely from offseason knee surgery.

“I’m still not to the point where I want to be. I need to get my body to the point where it needs to be,” said Selden, who, in playing point guard and shooting guard actually looked like one of the most athletic players in the game.

“I feel I’m jumping pretty well,” Selden added. “I’ve got a lot more energy. That might have been just the time off, the rest I had. You never really know. I feel I’m moving pretty well right now.”

The Roxbury, Massachusetts, native grinned when asked if his knee surgery was a simple arthroscopic procedure.

“I believe so,” he said with a smile, noting it was “my left one (knee), my jumping one.”

...“He’s focused in. He’s been getting in the gym a lot more. He wants it so bad. Physically, mentally he’s one of the toughest players I’ve been around. I just respect his game,” Greene added.

Selden, who said he’s “more comfortable” as a sophomore, promises to be leader of what he calls a more intense KU team this season.

“We are a tough group. Last year to be honest, we weren’t tough. We were soft,” Selden said of a 25-10 team that won the Big 12 title and went 1-1 in the NCAAs. “We didn’t win last year. That was the biggest thing. We did the bare minimum of what we needed to do. We had the pieces in place. We just didn’t come through. Now we’ve got a second chance. We’ve got to be a tougher team, a more defensive-minded team,” Selden added.

Greene, 6-7 from Juliette, Georgia, backed Selden on the toughness issue.

“There were a couple times in practice we weren’t the regular Kansas team that coach (Bill Self) was used to. We’d take it too easy,” Greene said. “As older guys we came together and decided we were going to be tougher every day and work hard. That was a weak point for us last year. We’re not going to let it happen this year.

“There is definitely some unfinished business,” Greene added.
LJW


LJW Photo Gallery


Jamari Traylor faked an 18-foot jumpshot on the baseline, catching his defender Cole Aldrich leaning forward just a bit.

That was enough. The junior forward tucked the ball and drove with his right hand, taking one dribble and two steps by Aldrich before putting down a vicious one-handed dunk over a contesting Kelly Oubre.

The play was one of many highlights for the improving Traylor, as his 11 points helped the Blue team to a 79-67 victory over the Red squad featuring a mix of alums like Aldrich, Tyrel Reed and Ben McLemore along with younger KU players.

One of Traylor’s biggest goals of the offseason is to become more of an offensive threat after averaging less than three field-goal attempts per game last year.

“I’ve been working on my ball handling, passing, everything to create opportunities for other people. I did that a couple times today,” Traylor said. “I’m going to be different. I’m trying to improve myself all around.”

The bouncy 6-foot-8 forward was assertive from the start Wednesday, going 5 for 8 from the floor and 1 for 1 from the free-throw line.

He also displayed a new skill he’s been working on: his mid-range jumpshot.

...Sophomore guard Brannen Greene led all scorers with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting with 4-for-5 3-point accuracy.
TCJ



Bill Self cradled a microphone in his right hand, looking out into a sea of young faces. It was an afternoon in June, and Self was finishing up a short speech to a couple hundred kids at his Kansas basketball camp.

But first, the Kansas coach had a question:

“Who do you think the most athletic player on our team is?” Self asked, looking back toward his team, lined up near midcourt.

A moment later, Self began to name off players.

“Who thinks its Wayne Selden?” he said.

“Who thinks its Jamari Traylor?”

“Who thinks its Perry Ellis?”

Each time Self called out a name, a few dozen hands would shoot into the air. But this was just a setup, of course, a ruse for the campers, something Self had planned out beforehand. Finally, Self called out a final name.

“Frank,” Self said.

Self summoned sophomore guard Frank Mason to the front, provided a short cue, and then stepped aside for a rather dizzying display of tumbling. Mason, if you can believe this, began to reel off a succession of back handsprings across the floor inside the Horejsi Center — and then he kept going.

“I think Frank is the most athletic player on our team,” Self said.

So Mason’s flip game is not necessarily a new development. He pulled off a couple of standing back flips during an open practice before the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament games in March. But here it was again, a reminder of Mason’s natural explosiveness.
KC Star

McLemore, who is working out in Lawrence this summer to prepare for his second season with the Sacramento Kings, oftentimes has found himself matched up against KU sophomore Wayne Selden.

The one-on-one battles have been fun and also competitive.

“After that (knee) surgery, he’s definitely getting his bounce back,” McLemore said. “He’s been looking very good.”

…McLemore also has been able to get a close look at KU’s three freshmen on campus.

That includes Devonte’ Graham, a 6-foot-1½ point guard from Raleigh, N.C.

“Devonte’ … oh man. Speed, quickness,” McLemore said. “And that’s one thing, he can shoot the ball pretty good. He can shoot.

“To be that small, he’s pretty long and a quick defender. He’ll stay in front of his man pretty good.”

…A day after 6-8½ freshman forward Cliff Alexander described himself as a player built on his power, McLemore agreed with the assessment.

“He’s a big guy,” McLemore said. “He can do a lot of damage on this college level and also with this program, he can help a lot. The big body that he has, athleticism … he’s going to be good.”

Kelly Oubre, a 6-foot-7 wing, is KU’s third freshman on campus.

“When we first started, I didn’t know he was left-handed. I didn’t know he was left-handed until he shot the ball. I was like, ‘Wow ...’” McLemore said. “He’s going to be good. Once he gets to learn how to play the game and the system and stuff, he’s definitely going to be good. He can shoot the ball.”
TCJ


VIDEO: Wayne's bounce is back!


McLemore addressed a variety of topics with the media and the campers.

Of his one-day summer event in Lawrence to raise funds for the fight against childhood hunger, he said: “It’s something I thought of to be part of for the people of Lawrence. Everybody can have fun and just enjoy it.” The day includes a “Brunch with Ben” and a basketball run and dribbling event down Mass Street.

“It’s going to be good,” he added.

Of getting dunked on by LeBron James in a video that went viral last season, he said: “It wasn’t that bad. I mean that’s LeBron James, right? Everybody in the league gets dunked on once in a while. I was making a basketball play at the wrong time. At the same time, I had fun out there playing against one of my role models. I felt kind of bad after I was getting texts and pictures of me getting dunked on by LeBron. He told reporters he hated it had to be me, but at the same time, it’s basketball.”

On James being one of his childhood idols: “I was trying to mimic my game just like his. LeBron and Paul Pierce, another guy from Kansas, are two guys I looked up to. Just the little things they did.”

Of Joel Embiid’s chances of being a dominant NBA center: “If he keeps working he can definitely be. I think Joel has that potential to be great, one of the best kids in the NBA. Not too many freshmen show a showcase like that early in a season like that. He definitely did it early.”
LJW

Alexander arrives after a senior season in which he averaged 24 points, 15 rebounds and six assists a game for Curie High.

“One word ... power,” the McDonald’s All-American exclaimed, asked how to characterize his game.

KU coach Bill Self would agree with that assertion.

“He’s a guy who will definitely attack the rim,” Self said Sunday at camp. “I’d say right now he is a hybrid. He’s a post that can play away from the basket or he’s a 4-man that can post. He’s kind of both of those guys. He’s certainly got some work to do offensively and defensively ... but offensively, as far as developing some go-to moves because he’s used to being more athletic than people and overpowering them. Of course, at this level, he won’t be able to do that quite as easy.”

…Self on Sunday said all players are on campus for summer school with the exception of Ukraine’s Mykhailiuk, who will work out with his national team this summer.
LJW


For now, Alexander is enjoying his first days in the Kansas program. He’s bonded with fellow freshmen Kelly Oubre Jr. and Devonte’ Graham and began to explore the campus. He’s rooming with sophomore guard Conner Frankamp.

Earlier this spring, Self was quite bullish on his latest freshman class, comparing them with some of his best. Alexander is not going to argue.

“Hopefully it comes true, if we come in and do what we need to do,” Alexander said.
KC Star


There was a moment during four-on-four drills Tuesday when wing Kelly Oubre was blocked (and hacked, really) by junior forward Jamari Traylor.

After Oubre came down with the ball, Traylor swarmed him again. The two struggled a bit until Oubre finally secured possession, pushing Traylor away before the two finally separated.

Welcome to the rough-and-tumble life of a freshman trying to earn his keep on the KU basketball team.

“As you can tell by the way we practice, we’re all savages on the court. Nobody wants to get anything easy,” Oubre said. “We all are going to go after every dead ball like it’s something to eat, like we’re starving.”

…Oubre, who arrived at KU two weeks ago, didn’t stay on campus for long. He immediately made his way to Wichita, where he helped with a youth basketball camp run by Washburn coach Bob Chipman.

“It was beautiful man. Playing with the kids, putting a smile on their faces, making their day every day,” Oubre said. “It’s just a blessing to be able to do that with this name (Kansas) across my chest.”

As for his immediate goals, Oubre said he hopes he can being a positive attitude and also some grit to KU’s program.

“I don’t take no for an answer,” Oubre said. “I’m going to go as hard as I can while I’m on the court, and I’m going to give coach everything I have.”
TCJ


If you listen to what Bill Self is saying about his team’s point-guard position, it may sound as if he’s embracing some kind of radical innovation.

“I don’t want to play a point guard anymore,” Self is saying.

But let him explain: What Self is really hoping for is a return to a style that often defined some of his best teams at Kansas: Multiple combo guards on the floor, versatile playmakers in the backcourt, and a shared responsibility at the point guard spot.

“I want to play, ‘You play three guards and whoever gets it brings it,’” Self says. “That’s how we’ve always had our best teams.”

For the last two seasons, of course, Kansas didn’t have the personnel to play like a classic Self backcourt. Two years ago, Elijah Johnson was the primary ball handler while playing alongside bigger wings in Ben McLemore and Travis Releford. And Naadir Tharpe was thrust into a similar role last season. Self had other options in freshmen guards Frank Mason and Conner Frankamp, but more often than not, the Jayhawks were stuck with one ball handler on the floor.

…“Last year, it was obviously Naadir and we didn’t have any primary handlers besides him,” Self said. “I want Wayne to be able to play the point. I want Frank, I want Conner, I want Devonte’, I want Svi when he gets here. I want all these guys to be able to be a guy that can get it and bring it, so we’re playing a bunch of combo guards that can all play point.”

The template, of course, looks something like the 2008 backcourt, which featured Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins, or the 2010 backcourt with Collins and Tyshawn Taylor.

“Late-game situations, you need a guy that can be a closer and do certain things,” Self said. “But up until the last five to seven minutes, I hope we can have three point guards out there, or at least the appearance of three.”
KC Star


KU sophomore forward Landen Lucas bumped his knee Monday and is ticketed to miss a day or two of workouts and pick-up action, Self said. ... KU soph Mason did a series of five backflips for Self’s campers. “In the NCAA (practice) he did three in a row then dunked it,” Self said. ... Self said NBA representatives of the Cavaliers, Bucks and Sixers all have been to town to talk about Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins. “From what I’ve heard, they all have a chance to go in the top three,” Self cracked. ... Self said Mykhailiuk would be playing for Ukraine’s junior national team then hopefully work out with the senior national team, which is coached by Mike Fratella and assisted by former KU coach Bob Hill. He could arrive at KU as late as September if he plays for the national team. “I know he’s in the gym, no question about that,” Self said. ... Self was happy with his two spring signees — Mykhailiuk and Graham. “What we got was more of the (KU) needs than even getting the big kid from Texas (Myles Turner),” Self said. “He (Turner, UT) is going to be a terrific player, but I felt if we could get an unbelievable shooter and true point guard I think that would probably offset maybe not having so much standing height inside.”
LJW


LJW Video: Cliff Alexander block and dunk


LJW Video: Jayhawks go through drills at Bill Self’s camp

A week after Curie High School won the city basketball championship, a Chicago Public Schools investigation revealed that seven Curie basketball players had been ineligible for the entire season because the correct paperwork hadn’t been filed. The Sun-Times’ No. 1-ranked team was stripped of its city title and 24 victories for the season. 

Now, a Sun-Times investigation has found that CPS officials can’t say for sure that basketball players at every school — including the top teams — were eligible. That’s because the school district is missing most of the paperwork required to show team and player eligibility, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show. The district ignored initial requests for the data and later released it. 

The lack of accountability regarding the academic eligibility of student-athletes raises serious questions about the academic success of the students, the lessons the students are learning from school leaders and what it means for the future of the players, education experts said. Though the CPS sports administration department is required by CPS bylaws to have official computer-generated eligibility sheets on file for each team for every game, the district only could provide 46 of those sheets on file — despite the 460 scheduled conference games this school year that should have produced 920 certificates.  

But there is at least one instance where each team in the game followed the rules and submitted the correct paperwork, according to CPS records. That game was played by Roosevelt and North-Grand high schools. Apparently, no forms were on file for any of the 31 games in the city championship tournament, which Curie was forced to forfeit. CPS officials only could provide the Central Office Records Sheet, a form submitted at the start of the season listing eligible players, for 30 of the 96 CPS boys basketball teams. Some of the documents, which were redacted by CPS, appeared to be unsigned. None of the forms appear to be from teams in the top conferences, the Red South and Red West. At least two teams from the Red Central, DuSable and King high schools, submitted the forms. 

…“We played four games in front of all the CPS administrators, and not one time did anyone check,” Curie coach Mike Oliver said. “Why are we the only team being penalized? Why out of all these years were we the only ones getting penalized for not turning in sheets? No one turned anything in.” Oliver said he has paid a substantial personal price for the scandal. “Everywhere I go, people point and say, ‘That’s the coach that cheated,’ ” he said. “I was waiting on that city championship for 22 years. To go through that, and they don’t have eligibility stuff for any of the teams? Wow.” 

…An anonymous tip to CPS just hours before Curie faced Young on Feb. 21 triggered an investigation into the eligibility of the Curie players, whose names have not been released. Despite the allegations, CPS officials encouraged the game be played. It drew thousands of spectators, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to Chicago State University, the neutral site where the game was played. It was televised locally on WCIU-Channel 26.2 and was available live on ESPN3.com. CPS officials opened an investigation and a week later determined seven players had been ineligible since the beginning of the season. That same investigation found that the players would have been deemed eligible if the proper paperwork had been filed, CPS said at the time. Before every game, teams are supposed to exchange computer-generated eligibility sheets, according to CPS policy. But the rule rarely is followed or enforced, coaches told the Sun-Times. Those sheets also are supposed to be filed with CPS.  To play sports, CPS students must maintain a 2.0 grade-point average or be in an “individual study plan” and have a form certifying that. Curie had none of the required forms on file, CPS officials said.  For Oliver and his team, it “feels personal.”
Chicago Sun-Times

Link to above ESPN video

"I picked KU because I clicked more with the coaches and the fans. Walking in the Fieldhouse it's hard to say no" Andrew Wiggins on KU
@abaker6sports


6/10/14, 6:44 PM
Joel Embiid has arrived in Cleveland, will work out & undergo medical eval for Cavs. Could decide whether he's No. 1 pick, source told ESPN.
@GoodmanESPN


Here is SI.com's Mock Draft 2.0, which features a new name at the top:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers -- Joel Embiid, C, Kansas freshman, 7-foot-0, 250 pounds

Cleveland isn't tipping its hand, but league sources continue to believe that the decision is down to Embiid and Andrew Wiggins. Embiid alleviated some concerns about his back during a workout for teams last month, when executives in attendance came away impressed with his superior athleticism and two-way potential. New Cavs general manager David Griffin has the luxury of being able to draft a player who needs time to develop like the 20-year-old Embiid, who started playing at age 16.

2. Milwaukee Bucks -- Andrew Wiggins, F/G, Kansas freshman, 6-8, 200

There is conflicting information here, with sources indicating that the Bucks like both Wiggins and Jabari Parker -- if Embiid is off the board. The guess here is that they settle on Wiggins, whose ceiling, many executives believe, is slightly higher than Parker's. The rebuilding Bucks need a franchise player, and Wiggins has that potential.
SI


The Sixers apparently aren't satisfied with having the Nos. 3 and 10 picks in this year's draft.

They, not surprisingly, reportedly have been trying to get No. 1 from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

According to ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford's mock draft, the Sixers have "engaged the Cavs about moving to No. 1" -- and presumably using the first overall pick to take Andrew Wiggins. Ford has the Sixers' selecting Wiggins with the third pick but admits it's a "dream scenario" and a "godsend" and then says the Sixers have inquired about the top pick.

According to Ford, the Sixers "aren't willing" to give up both the No. 3 and No. 10 picks to land the No. 1 pick but could be willing to part with a package of the No. 3 pick and Thaddeus Young.

But that's just one interesting nugget in Ford's mock.

He also mentions that the "camp" for Wiggins prefers the Sixers as the "best possible fit." And if the Sixers can't land the top pick or Wiggins, Ford says "he's told" the Sixers will take either Joel Embiid or Jabari Parker. 
Yahoo Sports

Excited to get back to Lawrence
@colea45


Russell Robinson (ex-KU) put Big Apple Ballers into the TBT semis on a buzzer-beating 3. W/ no Chalmers around, Russ gets to take that shot.
@lukewinn


SI Luke Winn: More on The Basketball Tournament


UDK: Student seating reduced at AFH


ICYMI: DeBruce Center renderings


A special Thank You to @49_Degrees for our new locker room renovations! #WeLoveIt #KUWBB
@KUWBball


Rock Chalk Roundball Classic is June 12th


“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

USA Today: Top colleges athletic finances


Rashad McCants, who starred on the 2005 North Carolina championship team, comes clean about his experience at UNC—and says academics could hardly have been more of a sham. He claims he skipped classes, had his papers written for him, and that Roy Williams and the athletic department "100 percent" knew what the school was doing to keep athletes eligible.

McCants opened up to Outside The Lines yesterday, and everything he said backs up what's been reported about UNC's Department of African and Afro-American Studies over the last few years. But it's something very different to hear it coming out of a player's mouth.
deadspin


Williams responded to McCants’ claims – claims backed by a transcript – by saying, basically, I didn’t do it and I didn’t know.

That’s a response, but not a defense. On the issue of revising the transcript, it will remain a case of conflicting accounts until new information, if any, surfaces. On the issue of sham classes, Williams would seem to be at fault if he didn’t know or if he did.

If he didn’t know, it raises questions: How can a coach who is paid millions of dollars and provided assistant coaches and extensive academic support staff be unaware when one of his top players goes from borderline ineligible to the Dean’s List?

If he was aware of McCants’ academic transformation, didn’t the coach wonder whether the system was being abused? Shouldn’t he have asked questions and tried to protect the university from damage to its academic reputation and a possible NCAA investigation into the eligibility of players ?

And it wasn’t as if McCants got lost in the shuffle. Most of the team’s top players were taking no-show classes. Whistleblower Mary Willingham, who tutored athletes during that period, provided data to The N&O last week that show that five members of the 2005 team accounted for a combined 39 enrollments in classes that never met.

McCants, who left UNC after his junior year for the NBA, told ESPN that Williams and the athletic department knew “100 percent” about what was going on. “We had to run sprints for missing classes if we got caught, so you know, they were very aware of what was going on.”

Williams didn’t refute McCants. Instead, he turned to parsing language. He said he would never say, as McCants alleges, that grades should be “swapped out.” Williams said, “I know I would not have that kind of conversation. I don’t know what swapping out means, and I have never suggested that anybody take any course.”

And the coach said he was confused by what was meant by “paper” classes that required no attendance, only a final paper.

Nowhere in his response or throughout the years of this scandal has Williams expressed disgust or at least dismay that his players were not receiving a true education in return for the athletic skills they provided for the enrichment of UNC and Williams. Instead, the coach has fallen back on legalistic statements that the players “did the work” even when the sham courses required virtually no work.

In the end, Williams’ defense is an appeal for sympathy. He said of McCants’ statements about him, “As a coach, and especially a coach who has probably thin skin like I do, it’s hurtful, it’s harmful, it makes you think...”

Hurtful or not, Williams’ character has been questioned. He needs to provide better answers.
News Observer


Before finalizing a contract extension with the University of Kentucky late last week, John Calipari had gone deep in discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a seven-year, $60 million-plus contract to become president and coach, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert had been persistent in his pursuit and kept returning to Calipari in an effort to deliver full control of basketball operations, sources said.

Gilbert and Calipari had discussed a package in the range of $8 million-plus a year, sources said, and it wasn't until midweek that Calipari finally rejected Cleveland and fully committed to his seven-year, $52 million extension at Kentucky.

If Calipari had gone to Cleveland, the plan would've been for new general manager David Griffin to work with Calipari in the front office, but he would've ceded final decisions on personnel matters to Calipari, sources said.

Beyond the considerable length of the proposed contract – with an annual salary that would've moved Calipari among the highest-paid executives/coaches in the NBA – Calipari had some intrigue with the infrastructure of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and the possibility of the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft.

Calipari has remained intrigued about a return to the NBA in the right situation, and it's unclear how well he believed he could've co-existed with Gilbert, a hands-on owner.
Yahoo Sports


In one setting or another, whether we were shopping for the latest in front-loading washer-and-dryer combos or a new four-pack of all-weather Michelins, we’ve all been on the business end of an aggressive salesman desperate to get product off the floor. Bronco Mendenhall was that sales guy, selling hard last week.

Selling BYU football.

He latched onto the leg of a writer at the Austin American-Statesman on Thursday like a schnauzer loose at the company picnic, making plain and public what BYU football has been pushing privately for months now: It wants into the Big 12 and wants in badly.

What he said and how he said it deserves further review:

"We would love to be in the Big 12," Mendenhall said. "I would love to be a member of that conference. I think that would make a lot of sense. In fact, if that was your headline, that would be great."

He continued: "We have a chip on our shoulder. I could have given you that instead of the longer answer. I’m just wondering who fights for us as an independent? Between myself and my basketball coaches, there’s no two featured programs that have won more games. Our attendance is high enough. And our winning percentage is high enough.

"We have the entire Salt Lake City and Utah market as well as a worldwide following because of the church. There’d be a ton to offer the Big 12, because it’s a money-generated world right now. You’re talking about an amazing kind of brand. I bet I’d have the first plane ticket to whoever I have to see to present our case. How ’bout us?"
Salt Lake Tribune


Kansas State's John Currie and West Virginia's Oliver Luck both said the Big 12 has not had any expansion discussions, nor is it interested in doing so.

"Expansion is one thing we're not talking about," Luck said.

Added Currie: "We see how strong and productive our league is with 10 members. The camaraderie is really good."

Luck and Currie were attending the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention at the Marriott's Orlando World Center.
Link


West Virginia University has announced that men's head basketball coach Bob Huggins is recovering following surgery to replace his right hip.

In released issued by the athletic department, the university stated that Huggins underwent surgery Monday morning.

The Huggins family says the surgery went well and that the coach is ”doing fine.”
AP


The NCAA announced Monday that it will pay $20 million to former football and basketball players who had their images and likenesses used in video games, hoping the settlement will help keep amateurism rules intact for college sports.

Hours before the O'Bannon trial began in California challenging the NCAA's the authority to restrict or prohibit payments to athletes, the largest governing body in college sports said it had settled another potentially damaging lawsuit scheduled to go to trial next March. Keller's attorneys filed the class-action suit in May 2009 and contended the NCAA unfairly deprived college players of revenue.
AP


April 9: NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Application Deadline

April 14: NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Response Deadline

April 15: NCAA Early Entry “Withdrawal” Deadline

April 27: NBA Draft Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 pm ET)

May 2: NBA Draft Early Entry Candidates Released – Underclassmen Contact Permitted

May 14-18: NBA Draft Combine (Chicago)

May 20: NBA Draft Lottery

June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline (5:00 pm ET)

June 26: 2014 NBA Draft

draftexpress.com: Testing the NBA Draft Waters in 2014

Thon Maker, the 7-foot prospect from The Carlisle (Va.) School ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2016, says he’s “50-50″ on reclassifying to 2015, which would then make him eligible for the 2016 NBA Draft.

“The reclassifying, I don’t know yet but it’s a possibility,” Maker told Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.com in this video from the Adidas Eurocamp in Italy where Maker went for 22 points and six rebounds in his first game with Team USA.

Asked if he was leaning toward reclassifying, Maker said, “Fifty-fifty right now.”
Zags Blog


Each 1 Teach 1’s Daniel Giddens will announce his college choice July 4th, his birthday.

The 6-foot-10, 215-pound Giddens out of Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler cut his list in February to six schools: Kansas, Georgia, Ohio State, Arizona, Indiana and Florida.

He recently received an offer from Arkansas as well.

“Arkansas was a good offer. I’m still listening to some other colleges, but my list still stays the same,” Giddens told SNY.tv recently.

The prohibitive favorite has been Ohio State by most accounts, and the Buckeyes are still hard on the trail for the big man.

“I talk to them every week; twice, three times a week maybe. There is a great relationship with Coach [Thad] Matta,” Giddens told SNY.tv. “They just [have] really told me how they are going to use me in the system.”
Zags Blog


Chase Jeter is officially listing six schools, but says four of them are recruiting him the hardest at the moment.

“At this point, the ones that have gotten on me the hardest since I’ve cut down my list are UNLV, Arizona, Duke and UCLA,” the 7-foot, 225-pound Jeter out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman told SNY.tv by phone from the USA Basketball U18 trials in Colorado Springs, Colo. “Those are the schools I talk to the most.”

Jeter also lists Kansas and Oregon, and says he’s still considering both of those as well.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said.
Zags Blog


Callaway's Malik Newman dropped to No. 3 in ESPN's updated rankings for the Class of 2015.

Formerly the ESPN 60, the rankings have been expanded to include the top 100 players in the nation and were released on Wednesday afternoon.

Bishop O'Dowd (Calif.) power forward Ivan Rabb retained his spot as the top player in ESPN's rankings followed by Montverde Academy(Fla.) power forward Ben Simmons, who moves up to No. 2 after a big showing on the Nike EYBL spring circuit.

Newman is still ranked as the top player in the country by 247Sports and Rivals.com and is considered to the most prolific scorer in his class.

"In a class full of scoring guards, Malik Newman stands out as the most talented of them all, and very likely the best pure scorers in the ESPN 100," ESPN recruiting analyst Adam Finklestein wrote.

During his junior season, Newman averaged 29.2 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game on Callaway's 5A state championship team. This spring, the combo guard rejoined the Jackson Tigers on the EYBL circuit and averaged 22.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game.

While the top-10 of the ESPN 100 is saturated with power forwards and centers, Newman is the sole guard among the best and most highly recruited prospects in 2015, which was taken into consideration when ESPN updated its rankings.

"When you look at the Class of 2015, there really was no clear cut choice for the No. 1 player, ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi said. "Ben Simmons, Malik Newman and Diamond Stone were all in the conversation but at the end of the day Ivan Rabb earned himself the No. 1 spot and when you look at the value and the depth of the class, it's the shooting guard and small forward position."
Clarion-Ledger


2014 Peach Jam Schedule


adidas Uprising Spring/Summer Events


2014 Spring/Summer AAU and camp schedule (compiled by CBS Sports)


NBC College basketball fan’s guide to current grassroots basketball scene


WITH THE ADOPTION OF RWG-14-1, the legislation governing all-star games was eliminated.  Consequently there is no longer a two game limit for prospects, so in this scenario it would be permissible for Slam to participate in all three games.

This piece of legislation is effective August 1, 2013, so it will apply to all prospects that enroll at your institution on or after that date.  
http://dailycomplianceitem.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/daily-compliance-item-42313-14-6-all-star-games/


Recruiting Calendar


My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk