There’s a four-letter word that best describes Bill Self’s Kansas University basketball Boot Camp.

“Pain,” KU freshman guard Rio Adams said Thursday with a smile. “It’s pain you don’t mind going through,” the 6-foot-3 Seattle native quickly added.

…“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m not going to lie,” said KU freshman power forward Zach Peters.

“But it’s good. Everybody is going in there working on things you don’t do in a normal basketball practice,” the 6-9, 240-pounder from Plano, Texas, added of sprints, defensive slides, backboard touches and the like. “Getting that done, you get in the best shape of your life. You don’t like it while you are doing it, but it’s good afterward and it pays off in the long run.”

KU red-shirt freshman guard Ben McLemore says his first Boot Camp has been an eye-opening experience. The 6-5 St. Louis native was on campus a year ago, but unable to participate as he awaited word from the NCAA on his eligibility.

“I mean it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life as far as conditioning and getting into shape,” McLemore said. “Just getting up at 5:30 in the morning for running, doing defensive slides and backboard touches. The hardest part is getting up. It’s what all the upperclassmen told us was the hardest. They were right.”

As far as individual stars so far ...

“I’d say Landen Lucas is doing a great job. For his size ... he’s getting through it (by) working really hard,” McLemore said of the 6-foot-10, 230 pound freshman center from Portland.

Adams said he’s been impressed with “the four returnees (Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford, Jeff Withey and Kevin Young). They are really pushing us and getting us out of our element and our comfort zone which is really important so we can be prepared for the season.”

Peters cited ... “Travis Releford. He’s in really good shape. He is one of the hardest workers I’ve seen.”
LJW

Fans in attendance for the annual "Late Night in the Phog" event on October 12 will have a much clearer view thanks to the installation of a new high-definition (HD) video board and control room inside historic Allen Fieldhouse.

The new Daktronics video board is currently being installed and is scheduled to be completed on October 8, just days prior to the "Late Night in the Phog" event. The center-hung scoreboard will remain as the same structure; however, the new video portion will increase to 18 feet wide and nearly 10 feet tall with HD resolution, which is three feet wider and a foot taller than the previous standard definition board.

To accompany the HD video board, Alpha Video has also been brought into Allen Fieldhouse to upgrade the Rock Chalk Video control room with HD capabilities.

The new Allen Fieldhouse control room will be built in the same location as the current control room and will largely mimic the equipment, functionality and workflow of the HD control room at Memorial Stadium. The new control room will feature five HD studio cameras, a production switcher, an audio and video routing switcher with integrated multi-image viewers, an 8-channel slow-motion system, a dual channel clip server, a character generator and playback/recording equipment.

"We are excited to upgrade the video board and control room in Allen Fieldhouse to HD to give the fans of Kansas the best in-game experience in the country," said Mike Lickert, Director of Rock Chalk Video.
KUAD


JCF: What was the biggest transition for you coming from the University of Kansas to the Houston Rockets?

MM: Just being the man. I got the ball almost every other play in Kansas, so to me the biggest adjustment was just not being the man any more. Definitely, too, I played the four in college – I was just a mobile four because we switched every ball screen with me. Guys are definitely stronger in the NBA as well so I’ve had to spend a lot of time in the weight room to get stronger and be able to compete.
Q&A with Marcus Morris


A federal judge has ruled the former wife of a Kansas University official caught in a ticket scalping scandal cannot keep money and property fraudulently transferred to her in the couple’s divorce settlement.

U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten on Thursday ruled for the government in its lawsuit against Ben Kirtland, the former Kansas associate athletic director in charge of development, and his ex-wife, Mary Jean Kirtland.

The government contends the transferred property and money are worth more than $400,000.

The judge says Mary Kirtland knew of her husband’s precarious legal and financial situation and paid nothing to him before the transfers in the property settlement.
LJW


You can help send two KU fans to Atlanta for the Champions Classic game. Vote for them here.


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

Draft Express: Top NBA prospects in the Big 12, Part One


SI: Gaming the RPI


If you thought the University of North Carolina would put the onus on itself and its faculty for the recent smear against its academic reputation, you'd be wrong. Which probably qualifies you for an "A" in many UNC courses.

Instead of taking a taxing and especially long look in the mirror at itself and the men and women actually on the payroll, UNC has alternatively decided to immediately attempt to make over its reputation by raising the admissions bar for its athletes even higher.

There has been a lot of damage control needed in Chapel Hill for the past few months. On Wednesday, we discovered what UNC plans to do. Namely, hold its teenagers and young-20s students who happen to play sports to a higher degree of responsibility.

Forget the adults, the professors who -- allegedly -- enabled this kind of behavior. The ones who could've constructed ghost classes, handed out ghost grades and ran wings of departments while the facade benefited not only players but regular students, too. Forget looking at the guts of the system and working that out. Forget fighting the tenured ones with power, because who wants to get in that foxhole? The answer going forward must be to pin all the pressure on the players.
CBS


On a recent ESPNU College Basketball podcast, Andy Katz and former Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg discussed several topics, including the challenges awaiting Mark Gottfried in his second season at N.C. State and the coaching situation at North Carolina. Roy Williams had surgery last week to remove a right kidney tumor, which was benign, and it’s possible he won’t need surgery next month on a left kidney tumor.

If Williams, 62, has to miss some practice time, assistant Steve Robinson would likely assume a bigger role given his past experiences as a head coach at Radford, Tulsa and Florida State. A conversation about the short-term impact led Katz and Greenberg to take a long-term look at UNC and discuss who will eventually succeed Williams. Greenberg and Katz agreed that the top candidate is Hubert Davis, a former North Carolina and NBA player who is in his first year as a UNC assistant following a seven-year stint as an ESPN analyst.

"Long term, without a question, no doubt in my mind, it’s going to be Hubert Davis," Greenberg said on the podcast. "He’s part of the family. Hubert Davis, in my mind, was brought in to be the next head basketball coach at North Carolina. He’s got the pedigree. He’s got the network from all his years in the NBA. He’s a great communicator. He’s got a passion and love for the university. He has every trait that you would want in a successful head coach at North Carolina. Tremendous integrity, great character, great network. The word out of Chapel Hill is he’s an absolute terrific teacher that loves to be in the gym. He’s a great reflection of what North Carolina stands for."

Katz then offered his thoughts.

"That’s exactly what I said when he surprised us all and left to go to North Carolina," he said. "There’s been no program like North Carolina that wants to keep things in the family. If you look across their family tree, there’s just no natural person to succeed Roy Williams. It’s not going to be someone with a Kansas tie. It’s going to be someone who played at North Carolina. I just don’t think it’s someone like (East Carolina's) Jeff Lebo or (UNC-Wilmington's) Buzz Peterson or someone like that. We’ll have to wait and see if Hubert wants that and feels he’s comfortable for that role, whenever that occurs. It could be sooner rather than later. It could be in five years, could be in 10 years."
Fayetteville Observer


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Back in December when Brannen Greene committed to Kansas he described it as a "dream come true."

The mere thought of playing in front of thousands of the rowdiest and most passionate fans in college basketball as they chant "Rock-chalk-Jay-Hawk, K-U-U-U" makes Greene, a sharpshooter, giddy with excitement.

He's equally as thrilled that he'll learn under assistant athletic director for sports performance Andrea Hudy, a legendary trainer who developed eight national championship teams at Connecticut before joining Kansas in 2004.

Then there's Bill Self.

"He's a legend," said Greene, a rising senior at Tift County (Forsyth, Ga.). "Having him coach me is enough in itself. I couldn't be happier."

That's why, for the life of him, Greene can't understand why he's still being recruited with the same persistence and passion by college coaches as if he were still uncommitted.

"It's crazy," said Greene, who is ranked No. 22 in the Rivals150. "I'm always thinking in the back of my mind 'you do know I'm committed, right?' They want to know if I'm still open to their schools, but even though I say I'm not they keep coming."

Added Greene's father, Jeffrey: "It used to shock me, but not anymore. After a while you get immune to it."

…Nerlens Noel agreed.

He recalled a conversation with a college coach during his recruitment process who urged him not to let money play a factor in luring him to Kentucky. Noel, a center, eventually picked the Wildcats.

"I was shocked that he would say something crazy like that," said Noel, the No. 2 player in the Rivals150 last season. "Of course I would never accept money and of course Kentucky never offered me money, but to hear that from him turned me off. I didn't hold it against him because I know coaches get jealous at times. I just look at it like they're really just insecure about themselves."

Randle came to the same conclusion.

As the top ranked player in the Rivals150, Randle has had to deal with "an unreal amount" of negative recruiting tactics. Some coaches said that Duke and North Carolina didn't properly develop players, while others said Kentucky was too crowded.

"It's crazy," Randle said. "But I have a mind of my own. Every school has pros and cons and the same school that's dissing a certain school isn't talking about their cons. I look at it as the coaches just hating."

Still, sometimes, even hating yields some degree of truth.

Randle's mother, Carolyn Kyles, said that when coaches down other schools it prompts her to do her own investigating.

"I listen to what the coaches say, but I don't react to it," Kyles said. "But then I go and watch the team play and sometimes what they're saying is true on some level. The biggest thing it does to me is makes me pay closer attention."

Wayne Selden gets a similar urge to be more attentive, just in a different way.

"It makes me pay more attention to the fact that you're steadily talking about this other school," said Selden, a shooting guard at Tilton (Tilton, N.H.) who recently reclassified from 2014 to 2013. "That's not cool. Just talk about why I should come to your school. I don't want to hear all that negativity."
SI


Frank Mason, a 5-11, 160-pound senior point guard from Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., is scheduled to visit KU this weekend. Mason, who is ranked No. 131 nationally by Rivals.com, signed with Towson last November, but elected to attend prep school for academic reasons. He now has KU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and others on his list. Mason averaged 27 points a game last season at Petersburg (Va.) High. He was region player of the year for the two-time state runner-up team.
LJW


Rivals: Jackson to ND


Funny take on Baylor's recruiting tactics from a Kentucky site


3. Rick Pitino now has promised scholarships to 15 players for the 2013-14 season. Do you have any problems with his continued practice of over-signing?

It's not terribly egregious to stumble — once — into a circumstance in which your program winds up with one more scholarship player than the 13 allowed by NCAA rules. It can happen because a player everyone expected to turn pro does not follow that course. Or if a transfer becomes available at the last minute. Or, as was the case at UConn last season, the No. 1 prospect in the high school junior class decides to graduate immediately and wants to join your team. It's awfully hard to turn down that deal.

This is not a one-time thing for Pitino, though. This is becoming a ritual. It happened two springs ago, and three players had to volunteer to surrender scholarships they thought would be theirs. Pitino explained it by claiming Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith — the starting wings on a Final Four team — and reserve point Elisha Justice understood they might one day have to give up their scholarships.

If only that were the end of it.

The Cardinals found themselves over the limit again this summer. So Jared Swopshire left for Northwestern, George Goode for Missouri and Stephan Van Treese left, started looking for a new home and then returned to the Cardinals only when Rakeem Buckles decided he would go to Florida International.

If Louisville were sitting here with four committed recruits, two seniors (Peyton Siva and van Treese) and two players who were dead-solid locks to enter the NBA Draft, there would be no cause for concern. But among the Cardinals' underclassmen, only center Gorgui Dieng appears to be in a fair position to follow that course. So it looks very much Pitino again will be finessing the Louisville roster next spring. That's twice too often.

For someone as meticulous as Pitino in so many other areas, this can't be written off as simple mismanagement.
TSN


New LSU basketball coach Johnny Jones' busy pre-season has apparently yielded another big prize.

Jordan Mickey, a 6-foot-8, 223-pound forward from the Dallas area committed to Jones and the Tigers on Thursday night after a home visit earlier this week from the LSU coach.

"It's a great day," Mickey said Thursday night. "It's a weight off my chest."
NOLA


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Blessed to see another day 🙏 Day 4 complete. 6 more to go!
https://twitter.com/LandenLucas33/status/251303085878689792


Kansas Athletics' Rock Chalk Video is giving fans a chance chance to see your personal videos on the video board at this year's Late Night in the Phog.

Kansas Athletics is looking for videos of you and your friends in reaction to watching the end of a KU men's basketball game last season.KU fans are well known for making Allen Fieldhouse one of the best home court advantages and best places to watch a college basketball game but we want to see those passionate reactions from home, your local sports bar, or your uncle's house.

Kansas had many memorable contests during the 2011-12 season, defeating Missouri at home, and traveling through the NCAA tournament with wins over Detroit, Purdue, NC State, North Carolina and Ohio State during its run to the National Championship game. If you recorded yourself, or your friends, or a scene at a local establishment, or in your own home, upload the video to YouTube, and send us your link at kuathletics@gmail.com.

Please make sure you have permission to share the video, and understand that your submission serves as permission for Kansas Athletics to use the video for Late Night. Submitting a video does not guarantee it will be included in the video, and the video will only be produced if enough videos are submitted.
KUAD


Just left the Children's Mercy Hospital I never felt so good to see how those kids faces changed when we walked into the room
https://twitter.com/ntharpe1/status/251057627138764801


We visited Children's Mercy Hospital today. Tried to put a smile on a few kids faces! #KUbball pic.twitter.com/kpi7udAF
https://twitter.com/ku_hoops/status/251055498370097152



1. A few weeks out from practice and a potential top-10/top-five team that isn’t being given its due is Kansas. KU coach Bill Self said a few weeks ago that he thinks he has an extremely deep team, and one that might be able to score in more ways than last season. Canvass the country and the Jayhawks stack up against as well as any team in the country if newcomers like Ben McLemore and Perry Ellis are as impactful as expected. Jeff Withey will be as talented a big man as any other in the nation and the rotation players are more than serviceable. This is a perfect setup for Self. KU isn’t getting the early-season love -- but Kansas has more experience returning than Kentucky and probably has a better preseason chance of getting back to the Final Four.
Andy Katz


A call went against the Kansas University volleyball team Wednesday night in its match against No. 19 Iowa State and KU basketball coach Bill Self, seated next to director of basketball operations Doc Sadler, slapped the table in front of him.

Basketball players Elijah Johnson, Naadir Tharpe and Justin Wesley sat in the stands on one side of the Horejsi Center, women’s hoops players Angel Goodrich, Carolyn Davis and Monica Engelman and football player Daymond Patterson on the other side.

Legendary former Lawrence High volleyball coach Joan Wells, inducted into more Halls of Fame than Elvis Presley had gold records, took in the match, as did former KU basketball players Bill Hougland, Harry Gibson and Roger Morningstar.

They all came in hopes of watching KU knock off a nationally ranked opponent, No. 19 Iowa State. They all left happy and had reason to feel confident Kansas is headed for the top 25 for what would be the first time since it was No. 24 on Sept. 19, 2005, which also happened to be the same year the Jayhawks made the NCAA tournament.
LJW: Hopes high for non-revenue sports


The alarm sounded Monday night presumably after Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur learned of his latest setback. “Ya boy got a lot of bad luck,” Arthur wrote on his Twitter account.

That bad luck has to do with a bad break, as Arthur recently suffered a fracture in his left leg during voluntary workouts in FedExForum. The 6-9 reserve power forward had been preparing for the season following eight months of rehabilitation from an Achilles injury.

But Arthur, 24, won’t be available when the Griz start training camp Tuesday and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, according to team physicians. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that Arthur has a small, non-displaced fracture in the head of the fibula.

Dr. Fred Azar made the diagnosis earlier this week at Campbell Clinic and will evaluate Arthur weekly. This is the third major injury Arthur has dealt with since being drafted out of Kansas in 2008. He missed all of last season with a torn right Achilles tendon suffered in the days leading up to the December start of the lockout-shortened season. Arthur also missed four months during the 2009-10 season because of surgery to repair a partially torn right pectoral muscle.

Despite the health issues, Arthur received a three-year contract worth more than $9 million as a restricted free agent during the offseason. The third year is a player option.
Memphis CA


Jazz sign free-agent center Brian Butch, forward Trey Gilder, forward Darnell Jackson and guard Chris Quinn.
https://twitter.com/spearsnbayahoo/status/251136820639850496


Google Inc. and Time Warner Cable appear at odds over whether the new player in Kansas City television service will be able to include some regional college basketball games in its subscription package.

Time Warner says it has negotiated in good faith to sell local and regional live sports programming to Google Fiber TV, the TV-and-Internet service set to begin home installations in a few Kansas City, Kan., neighborhoods this fall.

Google, in turn, expressed frustration to federal regulators about its ability to gain access to the regional sporting events from Time Warner’s MetroSports channel.

In a Sept. 21 letter, Google recounted discussions it had with Federal Communications Commission officials and “the continuing ability of competitors and new entrants to access essential regional sports programming.”

At the center of what could represent the budding competition for Kansas City TV subscriptions is Time Warner’s MetroSports channel.

The lineup Google Fiber TV is offering consumers has some notable holes — no HBO, AMC and Fox News — the basic $120-a-month package does include a rich selection of national sports channels. Among its offerings in that basic lineup are eight ESPN channels, NBC Sports, and the NFL and NHL networks.

But so far it lacks local sports. MetroSports, meantime, has been a selling point for Time Warner — presumably an edge over service from satellite providers and competitors such as AT&T’s U-verse.
KC Star


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Director Tom Osborne is stepping down, announcing Wednesday morning his retirement will become effective January 1st.

NU men's basketball coach Tim Miles first broke the news via Twitter moments before Osborne made the announcement at a news conference in Lincoln. The 75-year-old cited his age as the reason for retiring. He said "the perception" that you're getting old "can get in the way." Osborne said he doesn't want to be a distraction. "I'm honored he (UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman) asked me to do this job five years ago."

"He (Osborne) stabilized the department, hired promising coaches and brought facilities to a new level," said Perlman, who added that the move to the Big Ten would not have happened without Osborne.

Perlman said Osborne notified him about his plans to retire in August. Osborne, along with 12-15 "advisers," will help with the search for a replacement.
Link


Gary Harris may very well start at shooting guard as a freshman for Michigan State, but he’s not the only first-year player who will have an impact for the Spartans. We continue to hear tremendous things about 6-foot-five freshman Denzel Valentine, who could very well wind up being Michigan State’s best passer. Look for Valentine to log major minutes in the backcourt along with Harris, Keith Appling, and Travis Trice.
CBS Rothstein


Much was made of Texas A&M's decision to seemingly invent a few more skins for its football program this summer. The Aggies added claims to two more national championships (1919 and 1927) and two more Big 12 championships (1997 and 2010) to the outer wall of Kyle Field, despite the fact that virtually no one had record of the Ags  actually earning titles in those years.

Turns out, Texas A&M got a little creative with its college football history.

The university claimed the two extra conference titles for years in which A&M won or tied atop the Big 12's South Division but didn't win the Big 12 championship game. In '97, the Aggies lost in the Big 12 title game to Kansas State, while they finished in a three-way tie atop the South Division with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in 2010, but lost to OU on a tiebreaker.

But now, Texas A&M has decided to provide a bit more context to their claims. A&M has added the words "South Division" in fine print below the 1997 and 2010 Big 12 title claims on the side of Kyle Field. Deadspin has photos of the wall here.

The school didn't add any additional info to the two new national title claims, which were made on similarly questionable grounds.
Dallas MN


Pastner is building a program. He was left with a great tradition and magnificent support but no elite players and few serviceable ones.

However, when forward Kuran Iverson of Waynesboro, Va., announced Tuesday he would join the Tigers’ 2013 class, this became the third time in four years in which a top-30 prospect from outside the Memphis area said yes to Pastner (following Will Barton and Jelan Kendrick in 2010, Shaq Goodwin in 2012).

Perhaps Calipari made that seem routine, but it’s almost unheard of in the history of Memphis basketball, which long drew nearly all of its best talents from area high schools. Pastner has been able to succeed in recruiting beyond the backyard while still landing the majority of elite Memphis players, including current Tigers Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, Chris Crawford and Adonis Thomas and 2013 prospect Nick King.

Pastner told Sporting News recently that one of his biggest selling points in recruiting is the Memphis fan base.

“You know what’s different?” Pastner said. “You lose at Arizona, everybody’s going out to dinner, there are parties going on, the college kids are still going to the bars. Memphis you take an ‘L,’ people are devastated. They’re sick to their stomach. They take it like a coach. That’s the big difference. There are very few programs that are similar to here, the investment that they have to the team.”
TSN DeCourcy


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

With the scoreboard clock running, Marty Frankamp fires a pass to his son.

“Forty seconds left,” Marty says. “No more misses.”

Conner — a senior at Wichita North High School and a Kansas University basketball commit — doesn’t say a word. He catches the pass and puts up a three from the left wing.

Swish.

Just 45 minutes earlier, Conner had driven his beige Honda Civic — it now has a small silver Jayhawk on the back — a few minutes from North High to Pleasant Valley Middle School.

A couple months ago, after years of prodding from Marty, the middle school finished up its new gym, which includes dark blue paint and a fresh-gym smell to go with it.

On this Wednesday in mid-September, Conner is continuing to break in the nets. He works out nearly every day after school with his dad, who has taught P.E. classes for more than 20 years at the middle school.

The clock is down below 6 seconds now, and Marty’s final pass catches Conner in a bad spot on his hand.

Conner shakes his hand for a second — just a slightly jammed finger —and puts up his final shot from the left corner.

Nothing but net. His 11th in a row.

...The goal is to make 400 shots per day, and though this workout is a bit shorter than normal, Marty guesses afterwards that Conner only missed about 25 shots.

Every shot was from at least 15 feet. And at least two-thirds of them were threes.

Marty says it’s about an average shooting day for his son.

…Conner learned to shoot with his dad in their garage, hoisting up shots on an eight-foot goal.

Playing Biddy Basketball in Wichita at age 8 — the league uses shorter hoops and slightly smaller basketballs to promote work on fundamentals — Conner was named Mr. World Biddy after leading his team to an all-star championship in Louisiana.

When he was 12, Conner also learned about work ethic from native Kansan and former Missouri State guard Jackie Stiles, who helped him for about six months while she worked as a trainer in Wichita.

…Conner had a solid eighth-grade year playing for his dad at Pleasant Valley, but would he do just as well in the City League the next year?

Marty — also an assistant on North’s basketball team — received his answer soon enough when Conner scored 25 points in his first varsity game against perennial power Wichita Heights.

Three years later, Conner is on his way to one of the best basketball careers ever in the state of Kansas.

…Earlier this month, Conner — along with his parents, Marty and Karen — hosted KU coach Bill Self for a two-and-a-half-hour in-home visit over sandwiches from Picadilly.

While there, Marty made sure to ask Self what improvements he’d like to see from Conner before he arrived at KU.

No. 1 was adding muscle.

“I’m not that strong right now, but he said I had a lot of time to get ready for that before I get to KU,” Conner says. “So that’s one thing I work on.”

After his shooting workouts, Conner meets up with Wichita trainer Ray Birch, who is in charge of his strength training and nutrition.

It’s a rare time in the year — from September until November — when the two can actually work on gaining weight with Conner not playing competitive basketball.

Right now, Conner is at about 164 pounds, with the goal to get him to about 172 before the high school season begins; Self would like to have Conner between 170 and 175 pounds when he arrives at KU next summer.

The strength also would put Conner in a better position to play either the 1 or the 2; Self told him to come in prepared to play either.

…Though he’s enjoying his senior year, Conner can’t help but be excited about the future.

He was there at the KU-Missouri game at Allen Fieldhouse last year, saying his ears were still ringing two days later.

After following the program his whole life — Kirk Hinrich was one of his favorite players growing up — Conner says there’s a lot to look forward to.

“Just being up there,” Conner says, “and being at the best school in the country.”

…A couple weeks ago, Marty couldn’t help but be proud after going to parent-teacher conferences and receiving reports that his son was humble, polite and a hard worker.

“The thing that I’m most proud of him is that he’s just a good kid,” Marty says. “ ... Of course, I’m proud of him for his basketball, too. I’m really proud of him. But I’m really proud of his hard work. Nobody really realizes how hard he works.”

The photo shoot ends and Conner stands up to head to another workout, this time to get his body ready for this year and beyond.

“There’s always room to get better,” Conner says. “You’re never perfect at anything.”
LJW


Roddy Peters, one of the top point guards in the Class of 2013, visited Rutgers this past weekend and heads to UCLA Oct 5-7.

“He had a great visit,” DC Assault coach Damon Handon told SNY.tv. “He really enjoyed hanging with Jerome [Seagears] and Wally [Judge]. He was impressed with the talent Rutgers has.”

…Peters is also considering Xavier, Maryland, Georgetown and Kansas, but has no other visits set, Handon said. He has already visited Xavier.

“He’s an old-school combo guard,” Handon said. “He’s crafty, has good size and great vision. He has a high confidence level and a natural feel for the game.

“I think he’s one of the top five guards in the 2013 Class.”

Handon said he expects Peters to decide this fall sometime.

“I believe so,” he said. “He wants to make a decision soon so he can enjoy his senior year.”
Zags Blog


Randle glances down at his phone and smiles.

It’s a text from Kansas coach Bill Self asking Randle if he’s “ready to be blown away?”

“Tomorrow should be good,” he says.

…Randle knows that what he’s saying is redundant, but he laughs it off and goes with it anyway, “Man I loved the visit. I know I said that about all the coaches, but coach Self was just great. His approach was different.”

Tonight’s visit was at Randle’s godfather Jeff Webster’s house. Webster, who played at Oklahoma from 1989-94, has been Randle’s father figure since he was 8 years old.

Self's direct approach won over Randle and Kyles from the beginning. Especially when he opened up by exposing the elephant in the room.

“First thing he said was ‘I don’t have any rings with me,” Randle says. “I thought that was funny and I liked it. He was just really direct. I respected that.”

Even when Self told Randle that he wasn’t looking to be best buds.

“He told J, he wasn’t his friend, but he could get him where he wants to be,” Kyles says. “He was very self-assured. As a mother that made me feel really good.”

“Yeah it sounds crazy, but this was the perfect visit to end the week,” Randle says. “Just straight talk. Coach Self made an impression on me. To be honest, they all did.”
USA Today behind the scenes at Julius Randle's in-home visits


Joel Embiid, a 7-foot senior center from Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., tells Rivals.com he will likely attend the Oct. 12 Late Night in the Phog. Embiid, who is unranked nationally, is considering KU, UCLA, Florida, Louisville and others.

Other seniors expected for Late Night: No. 23-rated Wayne Selden, 6-5 combo guard, Tilton (N.H.) School; No. 5-rated Aaron Gordon, 6-8 forward, Archibishop Mitty High, San Jose, Calif.; No. 29 Tyler Roberson, 6-8 forward, Roselle (N.J.) Catholic; and No. 43 Karviar Shepherd, 6-10 center, Dallas Prime Prep Academy.
LJW


Five years ago, Washington finished second in a recruiting race to land Drew Gordon, a highly touted high school basketball prospect who chose UCLA.

He played 1 ½ seasons with the Bruins before transferring in the middle of his sophomore year to New Mexico.

Losing Gordon could help the Huskies land his younger brother Aaron, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound senior forward who is considered one of the top six players in the country.

"Just going through and seeing what was promised and what was delivered, there was some misunderstandings and communication problems on both ends," said Tim Kennedy, Aaron Gordon's coach at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, Calif. "I don't think they were all on the same page. I think Aaron saw that.

"He wants to find somewhere he's going to be comfortable, even if things aren't going well. He wants to be comfortable with the coach."

Enter Lorenzo Romar.

The Washington coach has known Gordon's father, Ed, a former basketball and football player at San Diego State, since they were in high school. Romar also began building a relationship with Aaron while recruiting his older brother.

Gordon lists Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Kentucky and Kansas among his favorites.

…Gordon, an athletic big man with a 36-inch vertical leap, is the top prospect on the West Coast and one of 20 five-star prospects ranked by ESPN.

As a junior, he averaged 22.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks, leading Mitty to a 31-3 record and a second consecutive California Interscholastic Federation Division II state championship.

"He wants to play for a coach and be in a system that's going to exploit his talents," Kennedy said. "One that's going to get up and down because he's pretty deadly in the open floor.

"He wants a place where he can get developed," Kennedy said. "His goal, of course, is to get to the NBA as fast as possible. Those are some of the things that are important to him."
Seattle Times


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Jeff Withey doing a photo shoot with USA Today. Look for him in their college basketball preview! #RockChalk pic.twitter.com/fbRMrd51
http://twitter.com/KU_Hoops/status/250644103497388033


Day #3 Complete
https://twitter.com/Ntharpe1/status/250958896309600256


Set your DVR for April 6 and 8. Athlon has a Louisville-Kentucky national semifinal game – with the Cards winning the rematch in Atlanta. In the opposite bracket, Indiana defeats Kansas.

Two nights later, the Hoosiers defeat the Cards for the championship.
WDRB Bozich


In April, there was a major change made to the Kansas basketball team that, for the most part, has been overlooked.

This change was on the coaching staff, and no, it is not the departure of Danny Manning.

It is the man who replaced Manning — Norm Roberts, the best assistant coach Bill Self has ever had.

While the players are currently galloping down the court and back during Self’s notoriously demanding boot camp, the coach has to be thrilled to have his old buddy Norm standing next to him.

…There have been some concerns about recruiting for Kansas basketball over the last few years, and whether that’s justified or not, recruiting will pick up with Roberts on the staff.

He returns older and wiser now, too, after his head coaching experience at St. Johns.

He returns as the best assistant Self has ever had.
UDK


Every time a headline informs that Kansas University missed out on a highly rated basketball recruit, many local voices wonder, “Why can’t Bill Self and his staff get anybody anymore?”

It’s human nature to remember losses longer than victories, but a close inspection of the numbers reveals KU’s scoring rate for elite recruits has remained the same for the past quarter-century. That encompasses the reigns of Roy Williams, who spent 15 years on the job, and Bill Self, entering his 10th season heading the region’s dominant basketball program.

…In his 15 recruiting seasons at Kansas, Williams landed 15 McDonald’s All-Americans who played for the Jayhawks:

In nine completed recruiting seasons at Kansas, Self has landed nine McDonald’s All-Americans:

…“Frustrated,” captures how many might feel about the current KU recruiting season, but if Self stopped right now — which he won’t, of course — chances are high one of his two committed recruits will earn McDonald’s All-American honors. Rivals.com ranks Brannen Greene, a 6-foot-7 forward from Forsyth, at No. 22 in the Class of 2013, and has Conner Frankamp, a 6-foot guard from Wichita, ranked 27th.
LJW


4. Which City League basketball standout will have the best career at Kansas? (Yes, we know North’s Conner Frankamp still has one more season of high school basketball.)

a. Perry Ellis 771 (56.2)

b. Conner Frankamp 602 (43.8)

Bob says: This is tough. I think both players are going to have excellent careers at Kansas. But I sense something extra special about Frankamp.

18. Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has been outspoken that the Jayhawks will not play games against Missouri, at least for the foreseeable future. Others at KU have said the same thing. Should Kansas and Missouri continue to meet in athletics even though Mizzou has bolted the Big 12 for the SEC?

a. Yes 450 (32.3)

b. No 942 (67.7)

Bob says: It seems kind of petty to me, but obviously KU fans are going to hold a grudge on this one. It won’t take long before they miss those fun and intense showdowns with the Tigers.
Wichita Eagle survey


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

Don't call Kansas State University, K-State anymore.

K-State President, er, Kansas State President Kirk Schulz said the school wants to be known nationally as Kansas State.

"We are consciously moving in that direction to a single brand," Schulz told Gov. Sam Brownback and business leaders during a meeting of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors.

Schulz said "K-State" works for athletics, but as the school seeks to increase its scholarly rankings among national universities, it needs to be called Kansas State because in Kentucky or other places, K-State refers to different schools.
LJW


The tumor that doctors removed last week from Roy Williams’ right kidney is not malignant, according to a statement released by North Carolina today.

Williams, who is preparing to enter his 10th season as the Tar Heels basketball coach, underwent surgery on Sept. 19. Doctors determined the tumor to be an oncocytoma, which is a benign tumor of the kidney that, according to UNC, “is often indistinguishable from kidney cancer on x-rays.”

Williams also has a tumor on his left kidney. Doctors will perform a biopsy next week to determine its pathology. Doctors are optimistic, according to UNC, that the tumor on Williams’ left kidney is also benign.

“We are pleased with how well coach Williams is doing,” Dr. Eric Wallen, who last week led Williams’ surgical team, said in a statement. “If everything continues to progress as expected, he should be back to his normal activities soon.”
News Observer


Duke men's and women's basketball teams are trading in their paper playbooks for iPads.

The school says it's the nation's first college basketball program to use the Apple gadgets for everything from scouting reports to practice and game video.

Men's associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski says Duke is always trying to equip its players and staff with top-of-the-line resources. Women's coach Joanne P. McCallie says the iPads "can help us get better and more efficient in all areas."

Each iPad will be loaded with practice schedules, weekly plans, scouting reports, stats and videos. They will have tracking software installed so they can be erased if they are stolen or lost. The iPads will belong to university but the players may buy them at market price upon graduation.
AP


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Wayne Selden, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior combo guard from Tilton (N.H.) School, will attend the season-opening Late Night in the Phog as part of an official recruiting visit to Kansas University, Rivals.com reports.

Selden, the No. 23-rated player in the Class of 2013, has a list of KU, Florida, Missouri, UCLA, Syracuse and Ohio State.

…Other seniors expected to attend the Oct. 12 Late Night in the Phog: No. 5-rated Aaron Gordon, 6-8 forward, Archibishop Mitty High, San Jose, Calif.; No. 29 Tyler Roberson, 6-8 forward, Roselle (N.J.) Catholic; and No. 43 Karviar Shepherd, 6-10 center, Dallas Prime Prep Academy.

…No. 131-ranked Frank Mason, a 5-11, 160-pound senior point guard from Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., will visit KU this weekend, JayhawkSlant.com reports.
LJW


What’s up everybody, it’s your boy Tyus Jones here and this is my new blog with USA TODAY High School.

I’m gonna try and give you guys some good stuff up here and let you in on what all goes on in my life so I hope you’ll keep coming back and reading. I’m excited about this!

Right now I’m wearing a splint on my shooting hand. I tore a ligament in my thumb at the beginning of June and played all summer with that. I thought it was just a jammed thumb, but they did an MRI on it and found out it was torn so I had to have surgery on it. I’ll be in this splint for a few more weeks.

…Well, right now my list is Minnesota, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Ohio State, Baylor, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Stanford, Arizona, Iowa, Iowa State and Georgetown. Those are the main ones for me.

Most people ask me when I’m gonna cut my list, but I don’t really have a timetable for that. I think I’ll be cutting that down pretty soon, not sure on how many I’ll cut it down to though.

I’m looking forward to visiting Duke and North Carolina in the next few weeks. I’m excited about that. I’m also working on trying to get out to Kentucky and Kansas pretty soon too. I’ll be at Duke for their Midnight Madness on Oct. 19 then I’ll probably spend a little time there Saturday and head over to North Carolina after.

I’m not sure what to expect, to be honest. I’ve never been there before. I’ve heard that Cameron Crazies are just insane for their team and really loud so I’m looking forward to that. I know they’re famous for chanting the names of recruits they want so I don’t know if they’ll chant my name, but of course I would think that was pretty cool. That would be a good feeling. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for it. Same with North Carolina, I know their fans are really live and that they’ve got a lot of history and tradition so I’m looking forward to seeing the atmosphere there.
USA Today


Jabari Parker is not visiting Michigan State this weekend. Don't read into this, visit should be re-scheduled.
https://twitter.com/DaveTelep/status/250962457470849027


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

The opening day of KU Basketball Boot Camp turned into a two-a-day workout for the Jayhawks on Monday.

“We just didn’t get it done (completed). The young kids were really nervous,” Self said of the 6 to 7 a.m. session in KU’s practice facility.

“It was much better,” he added of the afternoon conditioning drills.

Boot Camp runs Monday to Friday this week and all next week as well.
LJW


On Oct. 12, beginning at 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU and ESPN3 will broadcast live Midnight Madnesses (or their provincially named equivalents) from 13 different locales. You'll get live look-ins at Indiana, Kentucky, NC State, Syracuse, North Carolina, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Georgetown, Maryland, Baylor (both the men's and reigning champion women's programs), Murray State and, last but not least, Kansas. These events will air throughout the evening, with studio coverage from Jay Bilas, Jalen Rose, and one of my favorite human beings, Dickie V himself.
ESPN


The night begins with an in-depth look at what Katz put as the No.1 team in his super-early rankings last April, with ESPNU Midnight Madness: Indiana Practice at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. For the first time, the network will air a Hoosiers’ practice live and in full with commentary from college basketball analysts Jay Williams and Dan Dakich.

ESPN3 will continue complete live coverage of seven school sites throughout the evening. ESPNU studio will provide fans with a “whip-around” look at highlighted teams coast-to-coast from 9 p.m. to midnight. The madness coverage will extend into its final hour on ESPNU’s nightly entertainment show, UNITE, with its inaugural Midnight Madness Special.

ESPNU Midnight Madness 2012 highlights:

In-studio coverage and analysis provided by ESPNU host Dari Nowkhah and college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, Jalen Rose, Katz, as well as contributions from Dick Vitale.

On-site commentators will provide coverage of various elements including scrimmages, player introductions, skill and dunk contests, team skits, head coach and player interviews, along with season previews. ESPN analysts on-site: Stephen Bardo, Doris Burke, Jimmy Dykes, Sean Farnham, Fran Fraschilla, Len Elmore, Miles Simon, Tim Welsh and more.

No.4 Kentucky, No.6 NC State, No.14 Syracuse, No.11 North Carolina, No. 25 Missouri, Pitt and FSU will all be featured live and in their entirety on ESPN3 with additional highlights and analysis on ESPNU throughout the evening

In addition to the teams below, Katz will conduct interviews with various top teams’ head coaches throughout the evening.


Team/ Commentators    Location    Network (Time ET)
No.1 Indiana
TBD, Jay Williams & Dan Dakich    Assembly Hall    ESPNU (5 p.m.)

No. 4 Kentucky
TBD & Jimmy Dykes    Rupp Arena    ESPN3 (7:30 p.m.)

No.6 NC State
Sam Gore & Bruce Pearl    PNC Arena    ESPN3 (7 p.m.)

No.14 Syracuse
Rich Hollenberg & Seth Greenberg    Carrier Dome    ESPN3 (8 p.m.)

No.11 North Carolina
TBD & Doris Burke    Dean Smith Center    ESPN3 (7:30 p.m.)

No.25 Missouri
Mitch Holthus & Stephen Bardo    Mizzou Arena    ESPN3 (8 p.m.)

Pittsburgh
Bob Picozzi & TBD    Bigelow Avenue (Outside)    ESPN3 (10 p.m.)

Florida State
TBD    Donald L. Tucker Center    ESPN3 (7 p.m.)

Georgetown
Tim Welsh    McDonough Arena    ESPNU

Maryland
Len Elmore    Comcast Center    ESPNU

No.10 Baylor (Men & Women)
Fran Fraschilla    Ferrell Center    ESPNU

Murray State
Miles Simon    CFSB Center    ESPNU

No.3 Kansas
Sean Farnham    Allen Fieldhouse    ESPNU
ESPN Media Zone


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

What is the toughest place you have played in your career?

Kansas. Obviously, it’s sold out every single night, and the fans are diehard and would do anything for the team to win. Last year, before the jump ball, I was trying to talk to Kimmie (English) and tell him what defense we were in and he couldn’t even hear me. The game hadn’t even started yet. It was crazy. All he could see was my mouth moving.

Who is the toughest guy you’ve ever had to guard?

Tyshawn Taylor. He always had the green light to shoot, so you never know when and where he was going to shoot it from.
Athlon Q&A with Phil Pressey


What’s the next step for this program?

Scott Drew: We’ve finished second in the Big 12 and we’ve finished second in the Big 12 tournament, and we’ve gone to two Elite Eights in the last three years. The next step would be to win a conference championship or a conference tournament championship or to go to a Final Four and win a national championship. That’s the great thing -- there are still some things we haven’t accomplished. That should excite any player.

Kansas has won eight straight Big 12 titles. What’s it going to take for someone to finally unseat the Jayhawks?

SD: Coach [Bill] Self does a great job every year of preparing his guys to the point where they don’t beat themselves. If someone is going to win the title, they just flat-out have to beat them, they have to be better on that night. Some teams have bouts of inconsistency, some teams give away games. Those things never happen with Kansas. They’re also outstanding on the defensive and offensive end and in rebounding.
ESPN Q&A with Scott Drew


Washington State point guard Reggie Moore was dismissed from the team Monday.

Coach Ken Bone said in a prepared statement that the senior was dismissed for violation of team rules.

Washington State spokeswoman Jessica Schmick declined to provide additional details about the dismissal.
AP


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

KU coach Bill Self tonight will visit the home of No. 5-ranked Aaron Gordon, a 6-8 senior small forward from Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose, Calif. Gordon has a list of KU, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky and Cal.

He visited Oregon last weekend and will visit Washington this weekend, with trips scheduled to KU (Oct. 12) and Arizona (Oct. 19). He still has to schedule a visit to Kentucky.
LJW


Kentucky wasn’t really on Gordon’s radar early this summer, but now they’ve become a factor.

“He’s pretty serious about them. they’ve already done their home visit and he’s impressed with Kentucky,” Kennedy said. “He always wants a challenge to go against the top competition around so they’re always going to be in the mix.”

As for Arizona, freshman forward Brandon Ashley is one of several Oakland Soldiers on the roster, “so he knows them,” Kennedy said.

“He’s done an unofficial out there before so he loves the facilities they have out there and the program they’re building up,” Kennedy said.

Gordon may be the least familiar with Kansas, but will meet with coach Self on Tuesday before the official next month.

“That’s one he kind of doesn’t know a lot about, just for the fact he’s never been out there,” Kennedy said. “But it’s Kansas, kind of like a Kentucky thing where it’s always a top program so he’s interested and he has a connection through knowing the assistant [Kurtis Townsend] for a little while.”

Gordon has always said he’ll wait until the spring to sign and that hasn’t changed.

“He’s been saying he’s not going to pick until April for a while,” Kennedy said. “I thought he might have switched it but he’s staying true to that.”
Zags Blog


Peters' stock is continually rising, and he can no longer be considered a back-up plan on Coach Turgeon's recruiting agenda.

Maryland can't afford to lose out on another local product. The Terps' need to lock down Roddy Peters before a national powerhouse like Kansas encroaches too closely into Maryland's window of opportunity.

With Kansas entering the recruitment of Peters full-force, should Maryland seriously worry Peters will ditch his dream school?

The answer is yes.

Peters is an elite talent. He has ideal size at 6'4'', and his menacing approach on the offensive end would fit perfectly into Bill Self's system at Kansas.

Inevitably, someone as highly regarded as Peters is going to start receiving legitimate national attention. It had always been just a matter of when the big name schools would start calling, and not if.

That time is now.

To state it simply, Kansas is a more appealing destination for a recruit in terms of program history and sending players to the NBA. Peters isn't unique from any other high school prospect in regards to his desire of those two components.
Bleacher Report so TIFWIW


Center Karviar Shepherd (Dallas/Prime Prep Academy), No. 45 overall in the ESPN 100, is preparing to start his official visits this coming weekend, when he will checkout Texas A&M. TCU, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma are also on his short list.

"I want to find a coach that can make me the best I can be and help me improve," Shepherd said. "The way I play fits many styles, and academically I want to be a math teacher and maybe a minor in sports science or sports medicine."
ESPN ($)


Noah Vonleh has reclassified to 2013 from 2014 and several top schools are in hot pursuit.

The news was first reported by ESPN.com.

“He’s a good student,” New Hampton coach Pete Hutchins told InsidetheHall.com. “There were minimal changes that needed to be made to his course load. We just kind of made an easy decision in that he’s certainly talented enough. I think academically, it just made it that much easier to make that decision.”

CBSSports.com reported that Boston College, Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio State were pursuing the 6-foot-7 power forward the hardest. Jeff Goodman of CBS also Tweeted that Louisville coach Rick Pitino was due in to see Vonleh today (Monday).

Hutchins said Vonleh has yet to narrow his list.

“It’s not really fair to list,” he told Inside the Hall. “There’s a long list of schools interested in Noah and he has yet to narrow that list down in part because he just reclassified and I don’t think he has a firm grasp of which schools are going to pursue him and what those rosters look like.”
Zags Blog

Bill Self views his 10th Kansas University basketball Boot Camp as one of the most important in his decade at KU.

“I am real excited for this one, maybe more than the others because I’ve got nine guys who have never been through anything like this,” Self, KU’s coach, said of newcomers Rio Adams, Perry Ellis, Landen Lucas, Evan Manning, Ben McLemore, Zach Peters, Tyler Self, Jamari Traylor and Andrew White III. “If they look at it as punishment, it’ll be hard for them. If they look at it as an opportunity to get in great shape and a team-bonding experience, they’ll end up being very proud of themselves after they complete it.”

…Self was asked to identify the unofficial stars of Boot Camp throughout his KU years.

“When you are talking about the biggest stud of Boot Camp, it’d be hard to impress more than what Tyrel Reed did, and also Travis Releford, I’d say, has been excellent so far,” Self said.
LJW


KU coach Bill Self’s 10th-annual preseason Boot Camp will begin at 6 a.m. Monday in the squad’s hoops practice facility adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse.

The 60-to-90-minute up-before-the-crack-of-dawn sprints, defensive slides and backboard touches will continue daily until Friday, then after a two-day break, will resume until Friday, Oct. 5.

“It’s literally two weeks of hell,” said Taylor, who survived four Boot Camps. “It’s not so much the workout stuff ... it’s the getting up every day at 6 in the morning. It’s added to the already-hectic schedule that we have. Nobody wants to do that for 10 days. It just sucks. It wears on your body, because you still have regular weights. You still have to do individuals (drills). You’ve still got to play pick-up. You’ve still got to go to tutoring, then do it all over again for 10 days in a row. It sucks.”

If a Jayhawk player is lucky, he’s able to sneak in a nap at some point in the early-afternoon hours. If not, he’s off to bed after early-evening tutoring in an attempt to get a good night’s sleep before resuming the drills.

“I’m looking forward to it being over with already, and we haven’t even started,” said KU senior forward Travis Releford, about to embark on his fifth Boot Camp thanks to a red-shirt season. “I’m just going into it telling our young guys how much they have to be motivated and have energy for it. That’ll make things a lot easier, I’ve known from my past experience.”

…KU freshman guard/forward Andrew White III said he’ll be setting two alarms for himself and roomie Zach Peters in their Jayhawker Towers apartment.

“I always set two just to go to class and practice,” White said with a smile. “I definitely won’t be waking up late. I’ll go in there (Peters’ room) and make sure he’s up. We’ll figure it out.”

White said there hasn’t been a lot of discussion about Boot Camp since the start of the semester.

“Everybody has had it in the back of their mind just because you know this is when it’s time to really get going, and the season is right around the corner,” White said of the Oct. 12 Late Night in the Phog. “I know everybody has mixed emotions about it, but we’re ready for the season to get going, so I think everybody is looking forward to it in a way.

“I don’t dread it,” he added. “I think even when it’s over I’m not going to dread it because I know the feeling will be like, ‘You just accomplished the biggest goal possible up to that point.’ If that’s what we have to do, and that’s how coach gets the best response out of his players, I won’t dread it at all.”
LJW


Veteran forward Darnell Jackson is expected to attend the Jazz’s upcoming training camp, The Salt Lake Tribune learned on Friday.

The 6-foot-9, 253-pound Jackson didn’t play in the NBA during the 2011-12 season.
Salt Lake Tribune


Because you come to me for this: Well-placed source tells me Barbara Eden (from "I Dream of Genie" and at the "New Theater") is a KU fan.
https://twitter.com/rustindodd/status/249306356111245312


Kansas head women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson guided the Jayhawks to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance last season and on October 21 area coaches will have the opportunity to be mentored at the ninth annual Bonnie Henrickson Basketball Coaching Clinic at Allen Fieldhouse.

Henrickson and her staff will hold an on-court skill demonstration followed by a "Rock Chalk Talk" on defensive and offensive concepts. The free clinic runs from 2-5 p.m., but participants are invited to attend the Jayhawks' team practice beforehand from 12-2 p.m.

Those interested in attending must fill out the application form on KUAthletics.com, and return it by October 14. Forms can be mailed to:

Kansas Women's Basketball
Allen Fieldhouse
1651 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
KUAD


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

North Carolina has provided information to the NCAA about the hiring of the mother of former basketball star Tyler Hansbrough as a fundraiser and her travels.

In documents faxed to the NCAA on Sept. 13, the school included summaries of Tami Hansbrough's trips in March 2009 that coincided with her son's games in the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments.

The school said then-athletic director Dick Baddour and assistant athletic director for compliance Amy Herman reviewed the trips and determined no violations took place. Athletic spokesman Steve Kirschner said Saturday the fax was meant to brief the NCAA following media reports and the school isn't reporting a violation.
AP


The NCAA is investigating the St. Mary's men's basketball program for potential recruiting violations, ESPN reported Friday, citing multiple sources.

Athletic department spokesman Michael McAlpin confirmed Friday that the school and the NCAA "have been working cooperatively on a matter related to the men's basketball program." McAlpin said the school would have no further comment to "respect the integrity of that process."

According to ESPN, former assistant David Patrick was interviewed by the NCAA as part of an ongoing investigation.

Patrick was instrumental in recruiting Australian players, most notably point guard Patty Mills. The Gaels' steady stream of talent from Australia has helped make them one of the top programs in the WCC.

Australians on the 2012-13 roster are senior forward Mitchell Young, junior center Matt Hodgson and junior guard Jorden Page.
SF Gate


After spending nearly a decade at ESPN, Doug Gottlieb is now a full-fledged member of the CBS Sports family. We had to get him on the podcast, mainly because he's not yet started any of his CBS-related jobs yet, so he's basically bothering people with his unprompted opinions at the local Starbucks. Doug discusses his start in the business, how, when and why he made the decision to leave the Mothership, plus touches on the UConn/Kevin Ollie/Jim Calhoun situation. And which coaching legend will retire next?

…Before we get to the pod guide, here's what Gottlieb will be doing with the company.

Starting Oct. 22: "Lead Off" will be his new late-night TV show. A yet-to-be-announced co-host is also part of it. It will air at midnights, ET, and 9 p.m. PT Monday-Friday.

Starting Dec. 1: General CBS Sports college hoops duty begins. Anything from studio work on CBS/CBS Sports Network to color duty at games for the big network and CBS Sports Network.

Starting Jan. 2: "The Doug Gottlieb Show" will debut on CBS Sports Radio Network. It'll be a weekday radio show airing from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET.

On the site: He'll also be providing written content for CBSSports.com. Just stay the hell away from my Non-BCS Power Pyramid, Gottlieb!
CBS


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Tyler Roberson, a 6-foot-8 senior small forward from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic who is ranked No. 29 nationally by Rivals.com, has cut his list of prospective colleges to six: KU, Kentucky, SMU, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Villanova.

“Coach Self showed me a lot of highlights of Marcus Morris,” Roberson told jayhawkslant.com, asked about last Thursday’s in-home visit. “He said that I’d be doing something similar to what Marcus was doing on offense. I watched Marcus when Kansas was on TV, and I think there are some similarities.”
LJW


Tyler Roberson, one of the top small forwards in the Class of 2013 out of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, will be contributing periodically to ZAGSBLOG entering his senior season.

In this entry, he reveals his top six schools. He has set dates to visit three of the schools: SMU (9/27), Syracuse (10/5) and Kansas (10/12), but not to the other schools:

…These are some of the reasons why I picked these six schools.
Kansas:  Coach [Bill] Self (Head coach) and Coach [Joe] Dooley (Assistant coach) really convinced me about how they could use me in their offense and how I would be a good fit.  They also told me about the history of the school which was interesting.
Zags Blog


Jackson's choice likely comes down to Illinois and #NotreDame. Kansas has worked this week to get him to visit Lawrence. May not happen.
https://mobile.twitter.com/tnoieNDInsider/status/249649277964533762 (H/T wesr)


Des Moines prep Peter Jok must have had a great visit to Iowa City this weekend.

The West Des Moines Valley star decided to end his recruitment process early as he told Fran McCaffery and the rest of the Iowa coaching staff on Sunday that he would be a Hawkeye.
Link


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Check out the latest addition to our Jayhawks in the NBA Jersey wall. More coming soon! @trobinson0 #KUbball pic.twitter.com/y7N071p3
Kansas Basketball
@KU_Hoops
https://twitter.com/KU_Hoops/status/248878037205127168


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

After Billy Gillispie's resignation Thursday night, a number of coaches with Texas Tech and Big 12 ties told ESPN.com the Red Raiders are facing a two-to-three-year setback in recruiting and even lengthier rebuilding period than they were already facing.

"This isn't UCLA or Indiana or Arizona, where you can bounce right back," said a coach with Texas ties who didn't want to use his name. "It's going to be extremely tough to do at a place like Texas Tech that is now at the bottom of the Big 12."

That's why athletic director Kirby Hocutt is facing one of the most important decisions of his career.

…The latter is at Kansas these days. Doc Sadler succeeded his good friend Gillispie at UTEP before landing a head-coaching job at Nebraska, where he was let go this spring. KU coach Bill Self, another friend of Gillispie's, added Sadler to his staff as the director of basketball operations.

Sadler could come in to a league that he knows extremely well after coaching in the Big 12 at Nebraska. He also understands West Texas as a longtime junior college coach who mined the area and had to recruit it again at UTEP.
ESPN


No, they are not hackers turned security consultants. But they are college basketball coaches turned NCAA investigators and two people who are, at least loosely, following the same career path as Mitnick. They both spent years as college assistants -- Smith at places like Dayton and Clemson; Huber at places like Gardner-Webb and Wright State -- before jumping to the so-called other side. They're the only two men on what used to be known as the NCAA's Basketball Focus Group. They're now essentially charged with using their previous career experiences to catch cheating college basketball programs and, in some cases, folks Smith and Huber used to call colleagues and still call friends.

And that got me wondering.

Was it a difficult career choice?

Has the move cost them friendships?

Is catching cheaters as hard as recruiting against cheaters?

I spent some time talking with Smith and Huber about these things this week. Their answers to those three questions (in order) were basically not at all, not really and, man, you don't even know.

"[This job] is a difficult task and an uphill battle," Huber said. "When I was a coach, I don't think I realized how difficult of a job it is. ... I don't want to say all coaches cheat or try to break the rules, but I do think most coaches try to go as far as they can into the gray area without crossing over a line. They are trying to find ways, and I think the common fan would be surprised at some of the ways coaches are trying to get around rules."

Some of those coaches happen to be friends.

Huber and Smith acknowledged as much without naming names.

And while they're both expected to recuse themselves from an investigation if it involves someone who or something that could constitute a perceived or real conflict of interest, they each said they're able to separate their current profession from their former lives and simply do their job without judging targets on a personal level. In fact, they said that's pretty much a requirement.

"In this profession there are going to be people who you come across and build relationships with who have not always done the right things," Smith said. "I kind of liken that to I love my brother to death, but he hasn't always done the right thing. But I still love my brother. You have to deal with that. But my job is to do what's best for college basketball, and I think I'd be doing the job a disservice if I didn't approach the job that way. And if you're not doing anything wrong, there's nothing to worry about anyway."

But coaches still worry.

At least a high percentage of them do.

They're constantly working angles, searching for loopholes and trying to create a competitive advantage by either bending or straight-up breaking the rules. Why? Because most of them believe their competitors are doing it and that they must also, to some degree, just to keep up. That's a common rationalization. Even the so-called clean guys at the high-major level are sometimes put in a position where they must, at the very least, turn their heads, cover their ears and cling to plausible deniability. But they still worry. What happened to Bruce Pearl makes them worry. What's happening to Billy Gillispie makes them worry. What could happen to almost anybody at any time makes them worry, and it is partly the job of Smith and Huber to make the rule-breakers worry more than they might've in years past.
CBS: Ex-coaches now NCAA investigators


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

KU coach Self on Wednesday visited the home of James Young, a 6-foot-6 senior guard/forward from Rochester (Mich.) High. Young, who is ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com, is considering KU, Kentucky, Arizona, Louisville, Michigan State and Syracuse,

“Coach Self is unbelievably impressed with his athleticism,” Young’s godfather, Sean Malone, told JayhawkSlant.com. “Coach Self is impressed with his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter as well as get to the basket. They (coaching staff) said his ability to provide scoring, both inside and out, and what James can do on the break with his athleticism, they are very excited about, not only his first year, but his upside long-term.”

Malone said the family will “sit down and try to narrow it down this week in terms of are we going to visit everybody ... or are we only going to see a few. One of the things we don’t want to do is let this process drag too far out, because out of respect and courtesy to those other programs, we want to respect the recruiting process and give them an opportunity to move on,” he added.

…No. 27-rated Demetrius Jackson, a 6-1 senior point guard from Marian High in Mishawaka Ind., who has been a top recruit of Notre Dame for four years, today makes his official recruiting trip to the South Bend, Ind., campus. He’ll attend Saturday’s Michigan-ND football game. Jackson is said to be deciding between Notre Dame and Illinois with KU attempting to schedule a campus visit. Michigan State, Louisville and Xavier are also on his list.

Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune writes: “Jackson, who has been to Notre Dame almost too many times to count, still plans to have a final decision before the start of his senior season with the Knights.”
LJW


Simeon Career Academy forward Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 1-ranked senior, has added Connecticut to the list of schools he's considering, his father said on Thursday.

…Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, who recently replaced longtime coach Jim Calhoun, will visit Parker's home in Chicago next week, said Parker's father, Sonny Parker.

"It was Jabari's decision," Sonny Parker said. "He's picking all the schools for the home visits. He's talked to Coach Calhoun previously before. That's one of the schools that showed some interest to him. He's had conversations with them previously. Of course, coach Kevin Ollie came in, and (Jabari) wanted them for a home visit."

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo will make his in-home visit Thursday, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will come Friday. Next week, Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins, North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Ollie are scheduled to make visits. Williams' visit was originally scheduled for this week but had to be postponed because Williams had surgery on Wednesday to remove a tumor from his right kidney.

BYU, DePaul, Florida and Kansas have already made in-home visits, and no other schools are expected to come in for visits.

Sonny said he expects his son to narrow his list to five schools in the near future and then set up official visits.
ESPN Chicago


Simeon senior guard Kendrick Nunn may not be the savior of the Illinois basketball program, but he may just attract that player.

The Illini hope Class of 2013 recruits such as shooting guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes and point guard Demetrius Jackson will be attracted to the program even more because of Nunn’s commitment.

Nunn said Wednesday he has spoken to both players and is hopeful they will join him at Illinois.

“Hopefully bring Illinois back to that team where there was Deron Williams, Dee Brown and three guards,” Nunn said. “I hope people open their eyes about Illinois. I think I’m a good teammate. I’ll push you and get better. I’m someone who people like to play with. I’ve been pretty successful.

“My goal is hopefully we can start to make history, make it to the Final Four and hopefully win a national championship.”

There’s a thought that Nunn could also improve the Illini’s stock with Class of 2014 Chicago big men Jahlil Okafor, who is ranked No.3, and Cliff Alexander, who is ranked No. 10.

Okafor’s dad, Chukwudi Okafor, said he didn’t necessarily believe Nunn’s commitment would influence his son.

“Kendrick is a good kid,” Chukwudi said. “I love him as a player and watching him this year. It doesn’t really have an impact on Jahlil’s decision. It doesn’t help or hinder. … The only kid I know Jahlil said he’d like to play with is Tyus (Jones). I’d be surprised if they didn’t end up at the same school together.”
ESPN Chicago


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Roy Williams called a North Carolina team meeting for 10 on Tuesday night. He needed to tell his players something important.

“I was in my bed,” Dexter Strickland, the Tar Heels’ senior guard, said Wednesday. “Got up and went to the gym, and he revealed it.”

Williams, 62, revealed that he needed surgery to remove a tumor from his right kidney. He had the procedure Wednesday morning at UNC Hospitals, where Dr. Eric Wallen led a team of surgeons that conducted a robotic partial nephrectomy.

The surgery “went well and according to plan,” Wallen said in a statement the school released. But now a precarious waiting game begins. Steve Kirschner, as athletic department spokesman, said it was unknown whether Williams’ tumor was malignant.

Doctors might need a week or more to determine that, Kirschner said. Williams might need another surgery, on his left kidney, next month. But Wallen expects him to coach this season.

“I fully expect him to coach this season and for years to come,” Wallen said. “He could miss some practice time if we perform another procedure sometime in October, but he would be able to resume his coaching duties prior to the start of the regular season.”

…If Williams does have to miss practices – or games – it’s unclear who will assume his leadership role over the basketball program. Robinson, a former Florida State head coach who has spent 18 seasons with him at Kansas and North Carolina, said Williams’ assistants would likely work together, if necessary, to fill the void.

“I don’t think we have just one single person to say, ‘OK, this guy – you’re in charge of everything,’ ” Robinson said. “You know who’s in charge? Roy Williams. That’s who’s in charge.”

Members of the local and national college basketball community expressed support for Williams on Twitter. Steve Wojciechowski, the former Duke point guard and current Blue Devils assistant coach, wrote, “Duke basketball family wishing UNC Coach Roy Williams a speedy and complete recovery from his surgery.”
Charlotte Observer


“Obviously, health is more important than basketball. We all wish him a speedy recovery to get himself back to 100 percent real soon,” KU coach Bill Self told the Journal-World. “Roy obviously did a remarkable job at the University of Kansas. Remarkable. He’s a great ambassador for our sport, and certainly everybody in the athletics community I’m sure sends their well-wishes with us.”
LJW


Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro has named Terry Mojahir its new Athletic Director.

Mohajir is an ASU grad (1993) and former athlete (football).

He comes back to campus from Kansas, where he has been on the athletics staff of the University of Kansas since last year.
Link


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

The first Top 25 commitment from the Class of 2014 belongs to the Baylor Bears as forward Leron Black (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) committed to Scott Drew at his high school on Monday.

Black, a five-star recruit and No. 13 in the ESPN 60, had interest from Florida, Memphis, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio State. However, Baylor had one thing that set it apart from the rest of the field.

"At first it was the religion," Black said. "Then, second of all it was the basketball. They've been to the Elite Eight the past two years and this year they sent three players to the NBA. When I was on campus the academics were real good."

Black took an unofficial visit to Waco in early September and sat on his decision. He knew Baylor was the choice for him but it took some convincing with his mother.

"When I went on the unofficial, it was great," Black said. "It looked good and it's the biggest Baptist school in the country and I'm a big Christian.

"I wanted to do it when I was there but my momma said she wanted to wait. I prayed about it. Sunday at church, the preacher said that if God tells you to do something you should listen. People were talking me out of it, but today they came up to the school for open gym and my mom said I could commit so I did."
ESPN


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Kansas seniors Carolyn Davis and Angel Goodrich were two of the 25 NCAA Division I women's basketball student-athletes to be named to the 2012-13 State Farm® Wade Trophy Watch List, as announced Tuesday by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Kansas is one of only six schools to have multiple candidates on the watch list, including Baylor, Duke, Nebraska, Penn State and Connecticut, which has three contenders. This marks the second-straight season that Davis has been recognized on the preseason watch list for the Wade Trophy.

"First and foremost, I'm so proud of Carolyn and Angel and how they have been able to elevate themselves as two of the elite players in the nation," Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "In addition, this is a statement on the type of program we have in helping student-athletes achieve their goals and developing our players."

Davis led the Jayhawks in scoring last season with 16.9 points per game, while becoming the 23rd Jayhawk to score 1,000 career points. She was named 2012 WBCA All-America Honorable Mention and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, despite only playing in 23 games after suffering a season-ending knee injury at Kansas State.

Goodrich led the nation last season in assists per game (7.4) and paced KU with 14.0 points per game as she guided the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, their best postseason run since 1998. Goodrich was named All-America Honorable Mention by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and Associated Press. She also broke a Kansas and Big 12 Conference record, tallying 250 assists on the season.
KUAD


The 2012-13 Kansas women's basketball team will have three league home games featured on the Big 12 Conference's telecast schedule on FOX Sports Net (FSN) this season, as released by the conference office Tuesday.

"It's great to have this kind of national exposure and to have these nationally televised games played in Allen Fieldhouse," Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "This platform allows us to showcase our program, our facilities and our fans, while allowing Jayhawk fans around the world to follow our program."

The three televised home games by FSN include Baylor (Jan. 13), West Virginia (Feb. 9) and Texas Tech (Feb. 24). The Baylor game is scheduled to tip at 1:30 p.m. CT, while West Virginia and Texas Tech will have 2 p.m. CT and 12 p.m. CT start times, respectively.
KUAD


Kansas University’s Terry Mohajir, a senior associate athletic director for external relations, has emerged as a finalist for the vacant athletic director job at Arkansas State and may be the favorite.

Officials at Arkansas State confirmed to the Journal-World late Tuesday that a news conference to introduce the school’s new AD had been scheduled for 10:30 this morning, and sources close to the Arkansas State program said Mohajir fit the profile of what the school was looking for in its next leader of the athletic department.

Mohajir graduated from Arkansas State with a major in sports management and a minor in marketing in 1993 and was a starter on ASU’s football team.
LJW


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

While presenting a unified front publicly and in the courts that athletes are being treated fairly, NCAA leaders privately agonized over the growing use of athlete images in commercial products, with one senior executive proposing to drop the term "student-athlete" after a half century of official use.

The philosophical divide emerges in depositions and frank emails unsealed this week in a class-action lawsuit by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon and other players who challenge the NCAA's licensing of their images to video games manufacturers and other third parties.

In one internal email sent after the lawsuit was filed in 2009, University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman wrote to then-Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe that he disagrees with the NCAA's legal defense that it can sell publicity rights without any compensation to the players.

"This whole area of name and likeness and the NCAA is a disaster leading to catastrophe as far as I can tell," wrote Perlman, a former member of the NCAA Board of Directors and law professor specializing in intellectual property. "I'm still trying to figure out by what authority the NCAA licenses these rights to the game makers and others. I looked at what our student athletes sign by way of waiver and it doesn't come close."

Objecting strongly to Perlman was Chris Plonsky, a longtime University of Texas administrator who oversees women's sports for the Longhorns. She wrote that athletes "voluntarily" sign the standard release waiver that is required for participation in NCAA sports.

"We're like a version of the Army," Plonsky wrote. "We have certain things we have to do a certain way to raise funds and pay for the scholarships and other things s-a's (student-athletes) and their parents expect."

…An NCAA spokesman did not respond to an ESPN request for comment on the legal disclosures, and how they might affect the viability of the NCAA defending itself in the case. The O'Bannon case is scheduled to go to trial in early 2014, pending a judge's ruling on class certification.

…In his interview with ESPN, Hausfeld characterized the documents released by his legal team as insightful into the NCAA's business model, as a trade organization for member colleges.

"For the first time, we are getting behind the veil of the so-called principle of amateurism," he said. "The principle is being tested by what was known by the NCAA and what they did to address its challenges."
ESPN


Billionaire Philip Anschutz said he planned to sell his Anschutz Entertainment Group, manager and operator of the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Anschutz Co., AEG’s Denver-based parent, hired Blackstone Advisory Partners to assist with the sale, according to an emailed statement Tuesday.

It wasn’t clear how far along the company was in the sale process or whether it had entertained any offers. But the price for AEG could be well into the billions.

AEG has a major presence in Kansas City, having provided the key private financing for the Sprint Center. In return for its $53.2 million investment, the entertainment giant received a 35-year contract to manage and operate the facility which opened in October 2007.

Los Angeles-based AEG is second to Live Nation Entertainment Inc. in the concert business, with venues ranging from London’s O2 stadium to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, home of the Lakers NBA team and the Kings NHL franchise.

Given AEG’s size and global reach, there are few potential buyers, said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

“The number of suitors would be small,” Carter said. “It’s hard to tell who could step up to this size of a deal.”

Led by Chief Executive Officer Tim Leiweke, AEG developed L.A. Live, a hotel and entertainment complex adjacent to Staples Center. It owns and operates 100 venues on five continents, as well as holding interests in the Lakers, the Kings and the L.A. Galaxy professional soccer team.

The company’s proposal to build a $1.2 billion NFL stadium next to Staples Center received city planning approval last week.
Bloomberg


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self, who on Tuesday held an in-home recruiting visit with the mother of four-star shooting guard prospect Wayne Selden in New Hampshire, today visits five-star James Young in Rochester Heights, Mich.

Selden, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior from Tilton (N.H.) School, who is ranked No. 23 nationally by Rivals.com, has a list of KU, Florida, Missouri, Ohio State, Syracuse and UCLA. He told Jayhawkslant.com he’d like to make a recruiting visit to KU.

“I’ve just become very fond of the Kansas program over the years,” Selden said. “The staff sees me as a guy that can come in and play the one (point guard), the two (shooting guard) or the three (small forward)."
LJW


During a visit to Roselle (N.J.) Catholic High School Tuesday night, Kentucky head coach John Calipari and assistant Orlando Antigua offered 2013 forward Tyler Roberson a scholarship.

“They did offer,” RC coach Dave Boff told SNY.tv. “They extended an offer to come down and take an official. Tyler will make that decision in the coming days as to whether or not he’s coming down there.”

The 6-foot-8 Roberson currently has officials set up to SMU, Syracuse and Kansas, but has yet to decide on the other two.

Florida coach Billy Donovan comes in Friday to watch him, and then Roberson will likely decide on his final two visits.

…Kentucky is involved with several other forwards, including Marcus Lee, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle, among others.

“They explained that they recurit a handful of guys in each class,” Boff said. “The reason why it takes longer for them to offer kids is they only recruit a handful of kids each year.

“It’s a longer process for Kentucky because of the way their team is made up, because they have to make sure they get the right kids.”
Zag's Blog


Forty-six of the nation’s best young high school players have accepted invitations to attend the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team mini-camp on Oct. 6-7 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The USA Basketball newcomers will be directed by lead clinician Don Showalter (Iowa City H.S., Iowa), who has captured four straight gold medals as head coach of the USA Developmental National Team from 2009-2012. Invitations were extended by the USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team Committee.

The mini-camp, which will be utilized to help USA Basketball train and evaluate members of the classes of 2015 and 2016 in preparation for upcoming Developmental National Team events, will include four training sessions – at 9 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (times listed are MDT) on Oct. 6 and 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 7.
USA Basketball


Sam Davis, the father of Xavier recruit Myles Davis, has hired an attorney to battle the NCAA after his son was declared ineligible for the upcoming season.

Sam Davis told SNY.tv he has retained Stuart Brown of Ice Miller LLP in Indianapolis to handle the case.

“We have retained a law firm to see if could do something about this decision by the NCAA,” Davis said. “This firm has dealt with issues in the past against the NCAA and they feel that there be a chance to change the ruling.”
Zags Blog

As the championship battle heats up at the newly reconfigured Kansas Speedway, actor-comedian Rob Riggle, has decided to join in on the action and has been named Grand Marshal for the Hollywood Casino 400, the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Riggle recently hosted the 20th annual ESPY Awards on ESPN, which is also airing the Hollywood Casino 400 live from Kansas Speedway on Oct. 21 at 1 PM CT.

“I am so honored to be the Grand Marshal for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway! I love NASCAR racing and I love going home to Kansas City,” said Riggle, a native of Overland Park, Kan. and a University of Kansas graduate. “I’m not 100% sure what my responsibilities are as Grand Marshal? Do I get my own race car?”
Press Release


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp, whose tenure has been marred by several athletics-related scandals over the past two years, will resign at the end of the 2012-13 academic year, the school announced Monday.
ABC


Former Duke basketball player Lance Thomas has reached a settlement with the jeweler suing him for defaulting on his payment.

“We have reached a settlement,” Mike Bowers, the attorney for Raefello & Co. wrote in an email. “I cannot make further comment.

Thomas purchased $97,800 worth of custom jewelry on Dec. 21, 2009, while the team was on winter break. He made a $30,000 down payment and signed a purchase agreement that said he would pay the remaining $67,800 within 15 days.

Raefello & Co. filed a lawsuit in January after repeated attempts to collect payment. Bowers confirmed to the News & Observer last week that his client had declined to speak with the NCAA about a possible extra benefits investigation.
News Observer


ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

No. 1-ranked Julius Randle, 6-9 from Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas, visited with coaches from KU, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and N.C. State last week. He has upcoming in-home visits with Florida, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas.

“I think coach (Bill, KU) Self’s visit was probably one of the best of the week or maybe even the best at selling his program and why I would fit there,” Randle told Rivals.com. “He explained to me what he would want me to do and how he would help me get better. It was at the end of the week and it was the shortest too, so that wasn’t bad either.”

Randle plans to wait until the spring to commit to a school.

“I’m not even sure what is next right now,” Randle told Rivals. “Maybe after these in-homes I will cut it down to five or something like that. Or I might just take a quiet period away from it all. I need to focus on school and getting ready for the season. Since I’m not deciding until the spring some time away might not be a bad thing. We’ll just see.”

… No. 65-rated Detrick Mostella, a 6-3, 170-pound guard from La Lumiere School in LaPorte, Ind., tells jayhawkslant.com he has a list of KU, Georgetown, Florida and Texas A&M.
LJW


Hey, what’s up everybody it’s Julius Randle, and I’m kicking off my blog today with USA TODAY High School! Of course I’m excited about it. I’ll definitely be putting a lot of stuff out up here.

As some of you know I had half of the coaches on my list come out to my house last week and talk with me and my family about their school. But before I get into that, I’ll tell you guys about my visit to Kentucky this past weekend.

…This was my first official visit and it’s definitely gonna be a tough act to follow. It’s easy to understand why so many elite players go there.

I was scheduled to go to Florida early next month, but since I’m gonna take my time with deciding they told me they really wanted me to come out for a game so I’m gonna reschedule that.

This week will be my second round of in-home visits. The first round was great. My man Jason Jordan from USA TODAY was here in Texas all last week doing a story on my in-homes so that will give you all the details. Check for that.

I’ve been really impressed with all of the coaches so far. This decision will be the hardest decision I’ve ever made, by far. I can honestly say that I have no idea where I want to go yet.

Of course there are different rumors and things going around about my recruitment, but if you don’t see it up here in my blog then it’s not true.
USA Today


Simeon Career Academy forward Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 1-ranked senior, will have Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and North Carolina coach Roy Williams in for home visits this week, and Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins will visit next week before Parker cuts his list to five schools and sets up official visits, Parker's father said on Monday.

Parker released a list of 10 schools in July, and it consisted of BYU, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Stanford. BYU, DePaul, Florida and Kansas have already made in-home visits.

Parker's father, Sonny Parker, said Monday he was unsure whether Georgetown and Kentucky would be given in-home visits.

Sonny also thought it was doubtful Illinois would be allowed an in-home visit. The Illini did not make Parker's initial list, but Illinois coach John Groce has continued to recruit Parker.

…Sonny said the visits to date have gone well, but he and his wife haven't discussed them much with Jabari yet.

"They've pretty much been the same with a lot of similarities," Sonny said of the visits. "They're all good. They're selling their program in terms of him fitting in their system, fitting in their program. We haven't sat down and talked about which one he likes over the other.

"Kansas has a tradition and winning program. With BYU, they've been to the tournament and won 25 games. DePaul is local and needs a player like him to take it over the top. You can't compare them. They're all different."
ESPN


North Carolina State freshman guard Rodney Purvis has been cleared by the NCAA to play this season, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried told ESPN.com's Andy Katz.
ABC


Not long after taking his official visit to Kansas State, Wesley Iwundu could tell he wanted to play for the Wildcats.

When that sentiment still existed two weeks later, the 6-foot-6 small forward from Houston gave them a verbal commitment.

“I’ve been feeling it in my heart for awhile now,” Iwundu said. “So I decided to make it official.”

Iwundu also had scholarship offers from SMU, Miami, Richmond and Drake, but said last week that he was only considering K-State and SMU.
KC Star


My 2012 KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube

Billy Gillispie's doctors have ordered he do something that may not be possible for an embattled college basketball coach whose erratic behavior and spiraling career has become national news.

They want him to live in a stress-free environment for 30 days to try to get his high blood pressure under control.

The Texas Tech coach confirmed that news via a text message to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on Sunday night. Gillispie received the directive from doctors after spending four days at a Mayo Clinic in Minnesota last week being treated for abnormal headaches and kidney problems.

What this latest news suggests is Texas Tech may have to wait another month before it can resolve Gillispie's job status
Yahoo


USA Today Lopresti: Bizarre is in style for college basketball (Should have been titled "What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?")




Just look at this roster. It's the UConn junior varsity squad. Sure, there are a couple of guys from the current group that could have played on some of the loaded teams over the last couple decades: Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and maybe even DeAndre Daniels (based solely on potential). But most of these guys could easily be found on bottom-tier Big East rosters, maybe even in mid-major programs. No disrespect to Tyler Olander, but this year's starting center would have been a walk-on on just about every other Calhoun-coached Huskies squad.

Ollie has a terrific pedigree and tremendous references. I remember Kevin Durant heaping praise on him a couple of years ago shortly after he was hired by Calhoun in 2010. Ollie absolutely crushed it Thursday afternoon when he stood behind the podium. When his name pops up in NBA circles or among those who know him in the college basketball ranks, one word ultimately comes up: Class.

"[He has] as high a character and moral fiber than anyone I know," Calhoun said.

But it's going to take far more than just a terrific reputation to dig UConn out of the mess that Calhoun has left behind. It may not quite be Kelvin Sampson or Lute Olson-bad, but the current group has virtually no quality depth -- and the incoming recruits certainly aren't up to UConn standards, either.
CBS


Tom Penders takes the time to bash other coaches



ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule


2012-13 Early Season Events List

Junior-college point guard Chris Jones said his weekend official visit to the University of Louisville was the best of the three he’s taken so far and that he’ll probably make a decision on which four-year college he’ll transfer to today.

Jones, the 5-foot-11 sophomore for Northwest Florida State College, returned from Louisville on Sunday afternoon — his third consecutive weekend trip, following visits to Oklahoma State and Baylor.

Asked in a Sunday phone interview where the U of L visit ranked, he said, “The best one so far. Everyone will see probably tomorrow.”

Asked then if he is considering committing to the Cardinals, Jones said, “I’m going to make my commitment (to someone) tomorrow most likely.”

…Jones is considering the three schools he’s visited and two others he’s scheduled to see, Florida State and Kansas. But he said Sunday that the grind of visits is “taking a toll” and that he might not take any more.
Louisville CJ


9:08 AM - 17 Sep 12
Chris Jones commits to Louisville. Pitino lands a PG.
https://twitter.com/howielindsey/status/247698657686728704


Brannen Greene, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound senior small forward from Tift County High in Tifton, Ga., who orally committed to KU last Dec. 20, plans to make his official recruiting visit to KU for the Oct. 12 Late Night in the Phog.

Greene’s dad, Jeff, told Rivals.com, however, there’s a chance the family could change the visit to Feb. 16, when the Jayhawks play host to Texas as part of ESPN GameDay.
LJW


Webb: Switching over to Michigan State, where are the Spartans in the race for the nation's No 1 player, Chicago Simeon small forward Jabari Parker?

Snow: "The thing with Michigan State is they have a lot of eggs in a small baskets, and Jabari is the biggest. Right now if you put a gun to my head and said, 'Where is Parker going to school?' I'm telling you Michigan State. Now I wouldn't guarantee that I would be living the next day (laughter), but that is certainly the bet right now. Tom Izzo has done a great job (recruiting Parker), they've got an in-home visit coming up, (Michigan State) is close to home, they produce pros — it's really everything the Parkers are looking for. I think right now they're the team to beat coming into a key stretch in the recruitment."
Detroit News


A native of Hampton, VA—where Allen Iverson made a name for himself, in more ways than one—Barber settled on the Wolfpack as his list of potential suitors began to dwindle.

Barber’s academic struggles and off-the-court troubles chased off droves of big-name schools, allowing NC State to jump into the fray fairly late in the recruitment. Only Alabama, Louisville, Kansas and Florida State had extended offers to Barber that remained on the table by the time Gottfried and his staff got involved. And of those four, only Alabama continued to pursue Barber with much vigor.

One source tells Busting Brackets that Louisville, once thought to be a frontrunner in this recruitment, backed off of Barber after his visit to the campus last weekend. Cardinals players, according to the source, suspected Barber of stealing some of their belongings during the trip. The players reported their suspicions to the coaching staff, which then summarily backed out of the recruitment. Louisville has since shifted its sights on Florida JuCo point guard Chris Jones, who is on the Louisville campus this weekend.

Kansas, another source notes, became leery of Louisville’s findings. The Jayhawks welcomed Barber on an official visit at the beginning of the month, but their interest waned upon learning of Barber’s off-the-court baggage. Barber called his visit to Kansas a “perfect ten,” praise that immediately bumped Jayhawks as the favorite to land the point guard prize. But Kansas, wary like Louisville, backed off and allowed Gottfried to scoop up the talent.
Busting Brackets


Now that he’s transferred to Brewster Academy, Chris McCullough figures to get even more scrutiny from college coaches than ever before.

Brewster coach Jason Smith told SNY.tv that Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon “was here to see him on Wednesday.”

Coaches from Kentucky, Syracuse and St. John’s are all expected in soon to see the 6-foot-10 2014 New York native.

Smith said coaches from Florida, Kansas and Rutgers have also been in touch about coming out to see him.
Zags


Sam Cassell Jr., lost his last-ditch appeal to play college basketball this season on Thursday -- and his dad is speaking out against the NCAA.

Cassell, who won three NBA titles and is now an assistant with the Washington Wizards, called the NCAA the "neighborhood bullies" and said it's not even worth pursuing the situation legally.

"They do whatever they want," Sam Cassell said. "It doesn't even do any good to fight it."

"The NCAA just wants kids to fail," he added. "It's not these kids' fault. The NCAA can't penalize Notre Dame Prep, so they are squashing the kids dreams."

We documented the situation earlier in the week in which both Myles Davis and Cassell were both denied by the NCAA due to several courses at Notre Dame Prep. Cassell said his son didn't have six courses validated from the Massachusetts prep school that were taken two years ago. These identical courses were also attended by eight other basketball players -- each of which were cleared to play Division 1 college basketball last season.

Cassell, who didn't qualify out of high school back in the late 1980s and went to junior college for two years, said his son is crushed that he can't attend Maryland. He was on campus for summer school, took two classes and earned a 2.5 GPA.

"He had his heart set on it," Cassell said. "He's really hurt."

Now Cassell will look into other options. There's a chance he could go to an SEC school and sit out this season -- or head to another school and sit out as a non-qualifier.

"I'm not sure what he's going to do yet," Cassell said. "He's going to make his own decision and I'm just here to support and guide him."
CBS


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