The Jayhawks Have Landed!

Three-year-old Braxton Ullery loudly chanted “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” and dribbled a small ball while waiting for University of Kansas players to board their plane Wednesday afternoon at Forbes Field.

Braxton and his mother, Crystal Reich, of Scranton, were among a crowd of more than 100 people who gathered for the send-off.

The Jayhawks will play the fourth-seeded Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16 on Friday. Game time is 6:37 p.m. in the South Regional semifinals at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kristen Gerdel and her daughter, Kaelyn Gerdel, 4, of Topeka, also attended the send-off.

“We’ve been before,” Gerdel said as her daughter waved red and blue pom poms. “We like to watch them, and we like to give them support.”

Jacque and Herschel Stroud, of Topeka, and other members of the Topeka Jayhawk Club played band instruments and waved signs in support of the Jayhawks.

“It’s a great day for Kansas,” Jacque Stroud said.

Coach Bill Self was one of the first people to enter the terminal. His players followed behind.

“I’m ready,” senior center Jeff Withey said as he walked through a long line of orange cones that separated players from the crowd.

KU point guard Elijah Johnson said he planned to catch up on rest and “enjoy a new city.”

Self said players rested on Monday but practiced Tuesday and Wednesday. He said he and his team are looking forward to bringing home some nets, the unofficial trophy claimed by the team winning an NCAA regional and a coveted berth in the Final Four.

“You only have opportunities to cut down nets four times a season,” said Self, whose team had a net-cutting ceremony after winning the Big 12 Tournament and last week’s NCAA sub-regional, both in Kansas City. “It would mean so much to get this one” in Texas.
TCJ (Video at the link)


LJW Video: Jayhawks arrive in Dallas


fox4kc Photos


KC Star Video & Photos


Four police officers on motorcycles escorted Kansas University’s basketball team bus from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to the downtown Hyatt Regency hotel during rush-hour traffic late Wednesday afternoon.

The Jayhawks arrived in Texas safe, sound and ready to begin what they hope will be a five-day stay that culminates in a victory over Michigan on Friday (tipoff at 6:37 p.m., Cowboys Stadium, Arlington) and either Florida or Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday and a spot in next week’s Final Four in Atlanta.

“I think our mood is pretty good. I know the guys are excited,” KU coach Bill Self said to a throng of TV and print reporters on hand to meet the bus.

…“I don’t know if there will be a huge home team (advantage) if the place seats 42,000 and we have 10,000 seats,” Self said. “It may be more than everybody else, but it’ll be cavernous. I hope we’re the home team. We’re the team closest and have a lot of alums in the area, a lot of alums in Oklahoma. Hopefully they’ll get down here. It will be an interesting four-team field. There are four good teams playing. You’ve got different storylines with each one of them. I just want our guys to go out and play with reckless abandon.”

…The Jayhawks were to have a nice dinner at Pappadeaux in downtown Dallas on Wednesday night. ... Self said the team was healthy except for junior Justin Wesley, who has been ruled out of Friday’s game because of a severely sprained right ankle. “He’s doing better but not going to be able to play,” Self said.
LJW

Kansas basketball fans are expected to pour into the Dallas area by the thousands later today as they prepare to cheer the Jayhawks on in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

The city is excited for the fans' arrival.

Dallas rolled out the figurative red and blue carpet Wednesday for the Jayhawks before they arrived at the team hotel.

The city is excited to have some storied basketball programs coming to town as well as the team grabbing the nation's attention during this year's tournament: Florida Gulf Coast.

"They're definitely the Cinderella, but Kansas is coming in, too, as a number-one seed," said Monica Paul, Vice President of Sports for the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We're expecting a big turnout down at Cowboys Stadium."

While the Jayhawks are in Dallas and Arlington, they're in the hands of James Lowery. He is a Dallas-based bus driver who has plenty of experience carting college and professional sports teams.

"We carried five of the NFL teams that played the Cowboys this past year," Lowery said. "We do the employee shuttle at the stadium on Cowboy games and other events."

On game days, however, James is responsible for getting the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to and from the stadium.

"Somebody's got to do it," he joked.

This week, though, he is dedicated to the Jayhawks. KU fans may find some encouragement in how long he is planning on being with the team.

"I'll have them until they leave on Sunday," Lowery said.
KAKE


Inside these massive, domed football stadiums, the Kansas Jayhawks are as comfortable playing basketball as any team in the country.

It’s not just that, though. They’ve started to look forward to it.

So with Michigan waiting in Friday’s South Regional semifinal at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas – the host of next year’s Final Four – the Jayhawks reacted with excited anticipation following Sunday’s win over North Carolina.

“Not so much as where it is, but what it is,” Kansas senior guard Elijah Johnson said. “If you’re playing in (one of the football stadiums) this time of the year that means you’re usually playing pretty deep in the tournament. And we also have some experience playing in those types of places.”

Last year, Kansas played in the Superdome in New Orleans in the Final Four — in front of 73,361 in a win over Ohio State and 70,913 in a loss to Kentucky in the championship game.

Earlier this season, the Jayhawks played in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome – the site of this year’s Final Four. They were there on Nov. 13 for a 67-64 loss to another Big Ten opponent, Michigan State, in front of 22,847. It was the Jayhawks’ second game of the regular season, so not much can be gleaned from a game almost four months ago, but the experience is still clear in the minds of the players.

The Spartans, who split their two games with Michigan this season, rallied to win that game after Kansas held the lead for more than 20 minutes in the first and second halves.

“Well we lost, so I don’t know how much we want to reflect on how we played,” Kansas guard Naadir Tharpe said. “But that was a pretty big arena, like the one we’re getting ready to play in. I’m looking forward to getting back in that environment.”

The setup at Cowboys Stadium, which held a record 108,713 fans for the 2010 NBA All-Star game, will be slightly modified from the setup for next year’s Final Four for the games this weekend.

The court is set on risers, which the NCAA has been doing since 2008 in order to give fans a better view of the court. That’s opposed to the old way of seating in a football stadium, where the court was in one of the stadium’s end zones.

About 16,000 seats are on the field level and closest to the court. The stadium is set up for a maximum capacity of 42,614 for Friday and Sunday’s games — Florida takes on Florida Gulf Coast after Kansas’ game in the other regional semifinal — but if more fans show up wanting tickets, a curtain in the upper level can be removed to make room for more people.

Next year’s Final Four will be set up to hold upwards of 80,000 people. North Texas last hosted the Final Four in 1986 at Dallas’ Reunion Arena, which seated a mere 17,007.

“This will be a special weekend for these teams and their fans,” Cowboys Stadium spokesman Brett Daniels said in a statement. “We want to put on a great event and learn from it for next year to make next year’s event even bigger and better. I think it’s going to benefit everybody and that was the idea behind the stadium in the events we’ve tried to go after, to try to be an economic engine for the region here.”

With a fan base that seems to travel almost everywhere in droves — especially in the postseason — and has alumni seemingly everywhere, an NCAA regional within driving distance of Kansas could mean big numbers of fans showing up for the Jayhawks.

But enough to lift the curtain? That remains to be seen.

“Growing up, you watch the Sweet 16 and you see the big games in the football stadiums and how neat it is for everyone involved,” Kansas freshman forward Perry Ellis said. “It would be great to try to get as many fans as we can (in Cowboys Stadiums) for us. The more support we can get, the better.”
Wichita Eagle


NABC All_American Teams

First team
Trey Burke, Michigan, 6-0, 190, Sophomore, Guard, Columbus, Ohio
Doug McDermott, Creighton, 6-8, 225, Junior, Forward, Ames, Iowa
Otto Porter, Jr., Georgetown, 6-8, 205, Sophomore, Forward, Morley, Mo.
Victor Oladipo, Indiana, 6-5, 214, Junior, Guard, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, 7-0, 238, Junior, Forward, Kamloops, B.C., Canada

Second team
Shane Larkin, Miami, 5-11, 176, Sophomore, Guard, Orlando, Fla.
Ben McLemore, Kansas, 6-5, 185, Freshman, Guard, St. Louis, Mo.
Mason Plumlee, Duke, 6-10, 235, Senior, Forward, Warsaw, Ind.
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, 6-4, 225, Freshman, Guard, Flower Mound, Texas
Cody Zeller, Indiana, 7-0, 240, Sophomore, Forward, Washington, Ind.


Third team
Allen Crabbe, California, 6-6, 210, Junior, Guard, Los Angeles, Calif.
Russ Smith, Louisville, 6-0, 165, Junior, Guard, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State, 6-7, 215, Junior, Forward, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Jeff Withey, Kansas, 7-0, 235, Senior, Center, San Diego, Calif.
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State, 6-4, 190, Senior, Guard, St. Cloud, Minn.
Link


Lest any Jayhawk fans get ideas about next year, though, a minor slump doesn’t change the basic reality about McLemore’s freshman season. He still is projected as a top-five pick in June’s NBA draft, and draft analysts say his stock doesn’t depend on how he performs in the NCAA Tournament.

“For his draft stock to move down, someone needs to supplant him,” said Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. “Right now, that hasn’t happened and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”

Givony, who projects McLemore as the No. 2 pick behind Nerlens Noel of Kentucky, said teams will find it hard to pass on McLemore’s upside, even if he’s prone to the occasional disappearance away from Allen Fieldhouse.

“He’s probably one of the best wing athletes in college basketball in terms of how smooth and how fluid he is and how explosive at the same time,” Givony said. “He can do some unbelievable things, especially in transition, that very, very few guys can do.

“On top of that, he’s got a great shooting stroke. He’s a 42 percent 3-point shooter. He makes his free throws. He can shoot off the dribble. He can shoot on the catch. He can score.”

When McLemore has faded this year, it usually hasn’t taken him long to reappear. The Jayhawks managed to survive two off nights from their freshman star in the opening rounds, meaning he still has time to make an impression on the NCAA stage.

Given the path that lies ahead for KU — Michigan and All-American Trey Burke, followed by potential heavyweights like Florida or Indiana — a strong finish from McLemore would overshadow any early struggles.

“He can still have a great tournament,” Givony said. “He can have four of his best games from here on out and people will remember that as one of the best tournaments ever. Nothing is done yet.”

That might be the best news for KU. The Jayhawks aren’t done, and as long as they have McLemore in a KU uniform, they have a chance to keep playing.

“The great thing about Ben, he cares about winning,” Self said. “He puts that ahead of everything else. (But) for us to be good, to have a chance to advance, we need all our players playing much closer to their ceiling.”
TCJ


10.1 assists per game to 6.0 turnovers per game is what Elijah Johnson, Naadir Tharpe and Travis Releford are averaging going into Friday’s match-up against Michigan. Only plus four assists is not that impressive as a whole, but when you consider how the Jayhawk backcourt was playing on Feb. 6 against TCU when Johnson, Releford and Tharpe combined for seven assists and six turnovers it starts to sound a lot better.

The difference?  Naddy Ice. That is what I yell at my TV when I see Tharpe hit a step-back three or drop a nice little dime through a defender’s legs. His stoic presence and confidence has rubbed off on the Kansas guards. Not convinced by my corny nickname? Let’s look at some numbers.
UDK


McGary will be going toe-to-toe with Kansas' great equalizer -- 7-foot shot-blocking senior Jeff Withey.

Is he ready for the challenge?

"The biggest thing that has plagued our big men (during my tenure) is foul trouble," Beilein said. "Mitch has learned a great deal about that.

"Playing hard does not always mean playing smart. He had one of those (silly) fouls in the South Dakota State game, but he's learned that fouls don't only hurt me, they hurt my team .... but guarding Withey is a whole new challenge."

Beilein said McGary was given a "serious wakeup call" during Michigan's home loss against Indiana in the regular-season finale, when foolish fouls limited him to just eight minutes of action -- rendering him almost completely helpless against Indiana center Cody Zeller.

Withey averages 3.9 blocked shots per game, and went for 16 points and 16 rebounds in a dominating performance against North Carolina last week in Kansas City.

Michigan will likely try to keep Withey on the move Friday, and will try to keep him away from the basket as much as possible.

And, it will rely on McGary to play up to his size once again -- and do his best to be an emotional anchor at both ends of the floor.

"He's learned how to use that big body," Beilein said of McGary. "He's 256 pounds right now, which is probably the lightest he's been all year. He's learning how to use those 256 pounds and his feet.

"Which are huge."
MLive


Suddenly, Michigan is the hot team.

ESPN.com “reseeded” the Sweet 16 and has Michigan as a No. 1 seed behind only Louisville.

A bevy of cbssports.com experts are picking No. 4 seed Michigan to beat No. 1 seed Kansas in the South Region on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

Even the Bovada oddsmakers have Michigan at 11-to-1 odds to win the title, ahead of Kansas and sixth overall.

That’s all fine with Kansas coach Bill Self.

“I guess we could use it (as motivation),” he told Kansas reporters Tuesday, in a video posted on kuathletics.com. “I don’t really think there’s that type of motivation that we need to use to get our guys ready. But I hope everybody is talking about Michigan. That’s fine with me.

"We’re still the one seed. We need to play like a one seed, and we haven’t done that yet, at least consistently, at all. But (the Wolverines are) very capable of being a one seed. Two weeks ago or three weeks ago, they were on the one line. There’s not a nickel’s worth of difference between our teams. Whoever plays best on Friday will win.”
Detroit Free Press


Most experts now are predicting the fourth-seeded Wolverines to beat top-seeded Kansas on Friday in Arlington, Texas. That includes all four CBS Sports college hoops experts -- Gary Parrish, Jeff Goodman, Matt Norlander and Jeff Borzello -- and USA Today "bracket specialist" Patrick Stevens.

"Ultimately, this could go either way, but the guess here is Michigan gets one step closer to its first Final Four trip since 1993," Stevens wrote.

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples also liked Michigan as the team to reach the Final Four when breaking down the entire South bracket that also includes No. 3 seed Florida and No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast.

"If the Wolverines can maintain the chemistry they showed this past weekend, they're one of the tourney's toughest outs," Staples wrote.
Detroit Free Press


ESPN.com's Dick Vitale has picked Michigan as a Final Four team since selection Sunday, and when Vitale's company went through a tournament "re-seeding" exercise, it had Michigan as a No. 1 seed -- not Kansas.
Mlive


Kansas vs. Michigan

What does it say that Kansas is capable of winning two tough NCAA tournament games with its most talented player, Ben McLemore, scoring a total of 13 points on 2-for-14 shooting? Either this team is playing with fire and is ready to get burned, or it's so good that it can survive and advance at less than its best. I think it's the latter. I expect McLemore to break out and play well in Arlington, Texas, but even if he's less than stellar, the Jayhawks have showed just how much of an asset it is to have four seniors, including three fifth-year seniors, in the starting lineup. That's a stark contrast with a Michigan team that features four freshmen among its top seven scorers.

Kansas 77, Michigan 70


Kansas vs. Florida

The Gators advanced to the Elite Eight the last two years, only to come up short by four points (to Louisville) and three (Butler). I wish I could tell Gators fans that this time will be different, but I can't. Kansas is the best defensive team in the country, but unlike Florida, the Jayhawks have several players who are capable of scoring 30 points. That is a major advantage against a Gators squad that is small defensively on the perimeter.

Kansas 76, Florida 70
SI Seth Davis


TBS analyst Steve Kerr, who played 15 NBA seasons and served as general manager of the Phoenix Suns, will work as the courtside analyst alongside Marv Albert for the NCAA South Regional at Cowboys Stadium. He is assured of moving on to the Final Four where he will work for CBS alongside Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg. He discussed the teams earlier this week with Barry Horn:

What should fans know about Kansas?
“They are in every game because of their defense. Jeff Withey is a phenomenal shot blocker. Last weekend they played three really bad halves and one good one. Their defense carried them.”

What will it take for Kansas to cut down the net on Sunday?
“Can slow Michigan down and take care of the ball better than they did last weekend. Their ball handling was atrocious. They have to get (freshman) Ben McLemore going. He looked like a deer in the headlights last weekend.”

Who is Kansas’ most NBA-ready player?
“(Senior center) Jeff Withey whether he is a starter or backup, because of his shot-blocking ability, can help a team immediately.”

Your opinion of Bill Self?
“One of the best coaches in college basketball.”
Dallas Morning News


The University of Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team has made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, but Coach Bill Self already has made the Final Four, at least in terms of pay, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports.

A look at the coaches participating in the Sweet 16 shows that Self is the fourth-highest paid coach in the group.

Self reportedly makes an annual salary of $3.63 million. His salary is topped only by Florida Coach Billy Donovan, who earns $3.64 million a year, Louisville Coach Rick Pitino, who earns $3.9 million a year, and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Duke, who makes $4.7 million a year.
Link


About half of the players on the men’s basketball team have tattoos, with most of them turning to ink to help tell their life stories.

KU sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe says tattoos also have brought teammates closer together. Tharpe, along with freshman Ben McLemore and junior Niko Roberts, got matching tattoos — “KUCMB,” which Tharpe says stands for “Kansas University college men’s basketball” — on their arms.

Traylor came up with the idea.

“If it’s going to be on me forever,” Traylor said, “I’ve got to put a lot of thought into it.”

Releford says it’s up to the players to stay responsible financially. That means not spending too much on their hobby with the money they earn.

“We work camps and stuff, so it’s not like we’re using all our money on tattoos,” Releford said. “We know when not to go and just blow our money. I think that’s the key. We don’t just go out and, ‘Oh, we get a scholarship check,’ and spend $500 on a tattoo.”

Releford said a good example would be if a player received $200 from working a camp, he might go spend $100 on a tattoo.

“You save up. But coaches don’t like us spending our money on it,” Traylor said. “They say they’d rather have us buy some food or something like that.

“We definitely slow down a lot. They want us to save.”

Tattoos aren’t for everyone.

Traylor sometimes jokes with freshmen Andrew White III and Landen Lucas, who both have already indicated they won’t be getting any tattoos.

KU center Jeff Withey, who has no tattoos, also likes to poke fun at teammates when he can.

“If they already have a tattoo, I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking about getting this.’ And they’ll be like, ‘Man, I already have that,’” Withey said with a smile. “I’ll tell them, ‘Man, you’re copying my idea.’”
LJW


KCTV 5 feature on Andrea Hudy


KU Digital Guide for the Sweet 16


Tickets Available for South Regional


Fans coming to North Texas for the #NCAA South Regional hosted by #Big12 - purchase parking for Cowboys Stadium here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Cowboys-Stadium-Parking-tickets/artist/1297081


South Regional practice sessions Thursday at Cowboys Stadium will be free and open to the public.

The four team that have advanced to the South Regional will practice in one-hour blocks from noon to 4 p.m.:

• Noon-12:50 p.m. Michigan

• 1-1:50 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast

• 2:10-3 p.m. Kansas

• 3:10-4 p.m. Florida

Doors open at 11 a.m. and parking is free. Fans should park in Lot 10 and enter the stadium at Gates A and K. Merchandise and concessions stands will be open.


The Arlington Convention Center will be the headquarters for KU fans. The pregame party will start at 2:30 p.m., with the pep rally slated for 4:30 p.m. The KU pep band, spirit squad and mascot will perform at the pep rally.

Concessions, cash bars and parking ($20 per car) are available on site. There is no charge for admission, and the convention center is within walking distance of Cowboys Stadium.

The KU Alumni Association, Kansas Athletics and KUStore.com will be set up at the pregame party. Be sure to show your Alumni Association membership card at our table and receive a free members-only gift! If you're not a member, visit www.kualumni.org/join to join today. Print your purchase receipt and show it to staff members to receive your gift.

If you don't have tickets to the game, head to our official watch site in Arlington, Humperdink's, to watch the game with fellow Jayhawks.
KU Alumni


VOTE for Kansas players, team, and moment in NCAA 75th Anniversary of March Madness (Vote for Wilt, Clyde, Danny, 51-52 Kansas, Mario's Miracle)

Big 12/College News

ESPN: Thursday's matchup previews


Sheldon McClellan, who led the Texas Longhorns in scoring for most of this season, has asked for his release and intends to transfer at the end of the semester, his mother told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

"There are no bitter feelings," Angel Johnson said. "He enjoyed his time at Texas. He's just looking for a place where he's a better fit. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery."

Johnson said she and her son were under the impression that Texas coach Rick Barnes would grant the release because he hasn't said anything to suggest otherwise.

"We've signed our end of the paperwork and we're just waiting for them to sign their end," she said. "We can't talk to other schools until that happens, and we certainly don't want to break any rules."

Texas spokesman Scott McConnell confirmed that McClellan had requested the release but said the school would have no further comment at this time.
ESPN


Oklahoma junior forward Amath M'Baye will enter the NBA Draft.
@AdamZagoria


Baylor in NIT Final Four


Northwestern hired longtime Duke assistant Chris Collins as its basketball coach Wednesday night.

His task is to get Northwestern to the NCAA tournament. That's something the Wildcats have never done, although they came close in recent years under Bill Carmody. He was let go after 13 seasons.

Collins, who has never been a head coach, interviewed last year for the job at Illinois State — his father's alma mater — before withdrawing.
USA Today


A student assistant coach, Marra is in charge of charting Rick Pitino's most cherished statistic: deflections. Every time a Cardinal tangibly impedes the other team's offense – by tipping a pass, blocking a shot, making a steal, swatting a dribble or grabbing a loose ball – Marra dutifully credits that player with a deflection.

This is the hustle meter the 60-year-old Pitino created half a lifetime ago, as the young head coach at Boston University. He took it with him to the NBA, then back to college, then back to the pros, and back to college again. As the game has evolved and changed in countless ways, dedication to deflections has never changed with Pitino.

Deflection totals provide the objective data that answers a subjective question: How hard are you playing?

The higher the deflection totals, the more active the defense. The more active the defense, the harder the team is playing.

And if there is one hallmark of Pitino-coached teams, it is an almost religious fervor for maximum hustle. They simply never relent, as Sweet 16 opponent Oregon will be the latest to learn Friday night in Indianapolis. There is a beauty to their consistent work ethic, and deflections are the most basic building block of that hard-work culture.
Yahoo Forde

Recruiting

The 2013 American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships roster is finalized, Intersport announced today. The third annual event, which will showcase the dunking and shooting talents of 16 of the nation’s top high school seniors, will air at 2 p.m. ET on April 6 on CBS. The program is being taped at Long Forum on the campus of Greater Atlanta Christian School.

The CBS broadcast team includes Tim Brando, Bill Raftery and Lewis Johnson. The program will have numerous encore presentations on CBS Sports Network. Check local listings for dates and times.

American Family Insurance Slam Dunk Championship

Name – High School – College Choice

Jordan Bell – Poly High School (Long Beach, Calif.) – Oregon
Deonte Burton – Vincent High School (Milwaukee, Wis.) – Marquette
Isaiah Dennis – Eagle’s Landing High School (McDonough, Ga.) – Georgia State
Soma Edo – Berkner High School (Richardson, Texas) – Fresno State
Anton Gill – Hargrave Military Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) – Louisville
Craig Hinton* – East Forsyth High School (Kernersville, N.C.) – VMI
Kuran Iverson – Fishburne Military School (Waynesboro, Va.) – Memphis
Kendrick Nunn – Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Ill.) – Illinois

US Marines 3-Point Championship

Name – High School – College Choice

Bryce Alford – La Cueva High School (Albuquerque, N.M.) – New Mexico
Conner Frankamp – North High School (Wichita, Kan.) – Kansas
Brannen Greene – Tift County High School (Tifton, Ga.) – Kansas
Zak Irvin – Hamilton Southeastern High School (Fishers, Ind.) – Michigan
Nick King – East High School (Memphis, Tenn.) – Memphis
Race Parsons* – South Sevier High School (Monroe, Utah) – Southern Utah
Matt Thomas – Onalaska High School (Onalaska, Wis.) – Iowa State
Derrick Walton – Chandler Park Academy (Detroit, Mich.) – Michigan
* Hinton and Parsons won the 2013 American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships Facebook voting competition.

Alumni of the event include North Carolina’s J.P. Tokoto, Texas’ Sheldon McClellan, Connecticut’s DeAndre Daniels, Wake Forest’s Chase Fischer, Oklahoma State’s Phil Forte and Butler’s Kellen Dunham.

For questions about the Facebook competition or the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, log on to: http://www.intersportnet.com/high-school-slam-dunk/, find us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/HighSchoolSlam) or follow us on Twitter (@HighSchoolSlam).


Kimball guard Keith Frazier will commit to Texas Tech but apparently delay his scheduled Thursday announcement, according to a report from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Frazier was originally slated to announce his decision between Tech and SMU at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Irving. When contacted Wednesday night, Kimball coach Snoop Johnson said he had not heard of the reported announcement delay.

One of the most highly touted basketball recruits in the country, Frazier reportedly contacted Texas Tech officials Wednesday to let them know his desire to play in Lubbock next year.

Frazier is rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 22 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com. He averaged 23.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range as a senior. He was also named SportsDay's 2013 area player of the year.
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