ESPN reports that Kansas University coach Self and assistant Jerrance Howard on Monday met with 6-foot-2 freshman point guard Derryck Thornton, who recently announced plans to leave Duke University after one season.
LJW
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self and his assistants remain in the hunt for a high school player who can help the Jayhawks in the upcoming 2016-17 season. In the meantime, it seems increasingly likely they will also add a transfer with college experience.
Reports surfaced in early April of KU’s interest in Kory Holden, formerly of Delaware. News on the transfer front heated up Monday, though, with the names of San Francisco’s Devin Watson and Duke’s Derryck Thornton being linked with Kansas, as well.
All three play point guard, and if any were to join KU it would mean sitting out a season. It seems as though Self wants to bring in an experienced ball handler to share the backcourt with Devonté Graham in 2017-18, after Frank Mason III completes his senior season with the Jayhawks.
Here’s a look at what each potential transfer could bring to KU.
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BIG 12/COLLEGE NEWS
USA Today: Texas A&M Tops School Revenue List
The NCAA has extended its deal for the men's basketball tournament with CBS and Turner for an additional eight years through 2032.
Bubble, in a sports context, typically refers to college basketball teams with middling résumés, or perhaps the sort of gum that comes with trading cards. Economist Andrew Zimbalist suggests college sports may be facing a bubble of a different sort, the kind that goes — pop!
Total revenue for the 50 public schools in the Power Five conferences rose by $304 million in 2015, but spending rose by $332 million from the year before, according to a USA TODAY Sports analysis of financial information that schools annually report to the NCAA. At the 178 public schools in Division I conferences outside the Power Five, revenue increased by $199 million, but spending rose by $218 million.Revenues in college sports are rising, and have been for decades, thanks largely to TV rights fees for football and men’s basketball. But expenses are rising even more: Athletics departments typically spend more money than they generate. By the NCAA’s reckoning, fewer than two dozen public schools can cover their annual operating expenses without money from university coffers, government sources or student fees.
(Louisville and Rutgers are removed from the computations because they moved to Power Five conferences during the time frame. The analysis is based on documents acquired in conjunction with the Sports Capital Journalism Program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the Grady Sports Media Program at the University of Georgia.)
USA Today: Can College Athletics Continue to Spend Like This?
Proposal 2015-52 will allow institutions to pay the actual round-trip costs for a prospective student-athlete's parents or legal guardians to accompany the prospect on his official visit and will be implemented August 1, 2016.
The vote passed 14 to 1 with only the Sun Belt conference voting against it, according to the NCAA's Division 1 Council report.
The current rule only allowed for the prospect's travel and accommodations to be paid for and prohibited schools from paying for transportation costs incurred by relatives, friends or legal guardians. Under that rule, prospects were either taking official visits by themselves, or parents, guardians or high school coaches were taking on the costs to accompany the recruit on the visit.
The new rule specifies the funds will be available for transportation and meals for the parents or guardians. Prospective student athletes are permitted to take five official visits starting on the first day of classes of the prospective student-athlete's senior year, so this rule will be in place for the class of 2017.
ESPN
Former Iowa State basketball star Nikki Moody has sued coach Bill Fennelly, the university and the state for racial discrimination and retaliation, saying she was repeatedly called a “thug” and labeled a selfish player despite being the program’s career assists leader.
Fennelly, who has been Iowa State’s coach since 1995, constantly demeaned, berated, harassed and discriminated against Moody during her time with the Cyclones, according to the lawsuit filed in state district court that seeks unspecified damages. Moody, who is black, said the discrimination she suffered led to a “hostile education environment through racial harassment.”
Iowa State released a statement Monday night saying that it “takes very seriously complaints of discrimination and harassment,” adding that it “takes issue with the allegations and looks forward to responding in full to the lawsuit as the legal process proceeds.”
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New on DX: 2016 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (@PITourney) Measurements and Analysishttps://t.co/O1DnPNEZfX pic.twitter.com/Y13lqbQXgL
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 18, 2016
The first round has been shaken up a little bit with the addition of two more names into the draft pool: Zhou Qi from China and Thon Maker, who played this past season against high school competition but will be eligible. Neither Qi or Maker have played tough competition or had much exposure, so their stock is unstable at this time.
Simmons remains at the top of our draft board, but that's not a fair representation of how close this really is. Lottery results, pre-draft interviews could result in either Simmons or Ingram going No. 1.
USA Today: Mock Draft
NBA Draft/Early Entry Guidelines for 2016
Find out the tournament history for specific seeds, teams, coaches or conferences.
NCAA Tournament Brackets and History interactive tool
CBS Interactive Tool: Pick two teams to compare record, RPI and SOS details head to head. By default, the top two teams in RPI are shown.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology/team-comparison
NCAA stats
Big 12 Composite Schedule & Results
RECRUITING
San Francisco transfer Devin Watson told ESPN he is looking at Cal, UNLV, Fresno St, Kansas and San Diego State.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 18, 2016
When a 17-year-old is involved, decisions about basketball life generally end up being less about basketball, more about life.
Norman North star point guard Trae Young, with the help of his family, now finds himself trying to weigh that balance.
This isn't about college, though Young will have to make that decision soon enough, with many of the country's top college coaches anxiously awaiting his choice.
The more pressing decision for The Oklahoman's Super 5 Player of the Year is where to play his senior year of high school basketball.
Young averaged 33.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game while leading Norman North to the Class 6A finals this past season.
He could hang around for his senior season, enjoy his last year of high school with the friends he's grown up with, and let big-time basketball wait until college.
Or he could go to a prep school, play against some of the country's best players and teams, and essentially begin to emulate the college life — where school and basketball are the only things that matter.
“It's a big decision,” Young said. “I have to work through all of it with my family to decide what's best.
“I'm planning to make a decision by the end of May.”
With that deadline looming, Young's family is planning a trip to tour Montverde Academy in Orlando, Fla., sometime soon.
The Oklahoman
Great In-home visit with Coach Beard and Ogden at Texas Tech last night! #GunsUp #DadsAlumni
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 19, 2016
Kansas & Creighton have offered 2019 PF Jeremiah Robinson. Kentucky, Iowa and North Carolina have reached out.
— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) April 19, 2016
I confirmed last night that Delaware PG Kory Holden will take his unofficial to Seton Hall today #shbb
— Chris McManus (@ChrisSHUhoops) April 19, 2016
Recruiting Calendar (updated for 2016)
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