Location: Lawrence, Kan. | Founded: 1866 | Enrollment: 29,624 | Colors: Crimson and Blue
Coach: Bill Self | Home Court: Allen Fieldhouse | Capacity: 16,300 Record:
(27-8, 14-2
Big 12)
--Last offseason, junior Brandon Rush declared for the NBA draft but a torn knee ligament forced his decision to return to Kansas for one more season. The reward turned out to be quite rich -- an NCAA national title. But Rush is back in the NBA draft, as announced to the media at KU on April 16.
"No turning back from here," Rush said a press conference in Hadl Auditorium. "I've been hearing late first round, early second, just depends on how I do in my workouts."
--Sophomore Darrell Arthur has also thrown his name into the ring for the draft but won't sign with an agent. He'll be in a situation similar to the one Rush was last year and can opt to return to Kansas by June 16 if he doesn't hire an agent before that.
"I thought this would be the best way to go through with it, without an agent," Arthur said. "If it's good, I'll stay, if not, I'll come back and try to get another national championship."
Arthur said his goal is to be in the top half of the first round. Many times, teams will give specific players assurances or promises before the draft. If Arthur doesn't get such word, he could easily be back at KU in 2008-09.
--On April 23, junior guard Mario Chalmers, arguably the player most responsible for the new national title banner coming to Lawrence, became the third starter from the KU national title team to enter the NBA draft.
"If it doesn't work out positively," Chalmers said, "I'll come back and help us win another national championship. If I hear anything that's not in the first round, I'll just come back."
Chalmers told the Wichita Eagle he has been told he's projected anywhere from 25th to 35th. There are 30 picks in the first round.
Players who entered the draft have until June 16 to withdraw their names from draft consideration and retain their college eligibility.
FINAL RECORD 37-3, 13-3, tied first in the Big 12.
WHAT WENT RIGHT A one-point loss at Oklahoma State galvanized the team. Players met without coaches after returning to Lawrence and mapped out a goal to win it all. When the Jayhawks were at their best, they triggered their offense with steals that led to transition and were adept converting lobs into dunks. Although the offense was high-powered, Kansas could win at a different tempo and didn't get overly flustered by opponents slowing the pace.
WHAT WENT WRONG Very little. When Kansas struggled it was usually because the big men were in foul trouble or shots weren't falling. It could go cold, sometimes off open looks. And, when the guards failed to generate steals, the defense sometimes suffered against opponents who were quick to the rim. Unselfishness usually enabled Kansas to work through these difficulties.
QUOTE TO NOTE "As a coach, you love to win. But it's totally different when you win when you're not supposed to win and you have to do it through toughness and guys stepping up and just making plays when it doesn't look good." -- Kansas coach Bill Self.
Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
Bill Self will spend much of the next 25 days on the road watching highschoolers in summer leagues, of them a few will assuredly don the crimson and blue in the years to come. Self is an amazing head coach in many ways. He is a great spokesman for the University, he is a tremendous bench coach, he may even convince you to try a burrito at Salty Iguana but of all his great attributes
alright, so i know we have seen these kinds of posts many times, BUT i think its always fun to discuss. what do you think will be the jayhawks starting 5 come tourney time? i know there are a lot of posts like this and a lot can change in the course of a season. but with that in mind...
PG - sherron collins SG- xavier henry SF - mario little PF- marcus morris C- cole
...(more)
WOW....talk about a blow......it would appear the Jayhawks are about to lose mega-stud Xavier Henry to Kentucky after all. News out of Lexington about 20 mins ago indicates that all Calipari has to do is say yes and he's UK bound !!....
Meeks going pro was a factor, and the lure of the nation's premier program was just too much to pass up.......
Most of you may have read the article in the Star this weekend where Carl Henry was interviewed and came across like a very loose cannon, even putting a call from Bill Self on ignore during the process. It mentioned that CJ was working out in a Memphis t-shirt and that Xavier had a 1 million dollar offer to play in Europe on the table. Well, the stuff is getting deepe
...(more)
Hey I just wanted to throw out how happy I am that we got Xavier Henry instead of Lance Stephenson. Even if we would win the National Championship with Lance, based on reports of his amateur status, it sounds like we would vacate those wins eventually. So thank you Bill Self, thank you Xavier Henry and Go KU.
Well it's summer and apparently Sherron Collins is tipping the scales at a meaty 228 pounds. His terrible conditioning really hurt KU in the beginning of the season last year and sets a terrible example for our young players coming in. Way to show your teammates how excited you are to play next season, Sherron. Ugh.
I assume that Collins will drop the weight eventually but the bigger is
...(more)
Help me overcome Lou Villian and keep a Jayhawk in the competition!
A vote for Jawhk is a vote for America! apple pie, movie theater popcorn, dollar beer night, hooters girls "workn" their way through school, college basketball, slackn off at work all day while posting on internet message boards, beer, barbeque, a nice perky rack (Josh has continualy stat
...(more)
Vernon Brooks, an All-American LB from Blinn Juco gave his verbal commitment to KU, He was also recruited by Oklahoma, Auburn and Tennessee. Many prospects have been quoted at KU's summer camp as being greatly impressed with KU's new facilities. Several recruiting services say many talented recruits are now considering KU and there should be a lot more announcements forthcoming. Ro
...(more)
In case you missed it the former 'Hawks swept the 2 game Alumni series from the current Jayhawks. There were a few missing components of the current team as the Henrys are still in Oklahoma and I am not sure Tyshawn played either since he was working with the U-19 USA team which he was selected to. Some highlights were a 33 point explosion in one game by Billy Thomas who
McCray really showcased the abilities that earned her Big 12 first team honors during the Lady Jayhawks NIT run last year and now she has been selected to a roster of 12 players for Team USA at the World University Games in Serbia next month. Congrats to her and the woman's program as it continues to build.
True to a previous post, I am now ready to deal out the 2008 Championship issues of the University Daily Kansan. As I posted before, I recued these papers from the rain that day, and the entrepreneurs who grabbed up the papers from most of the street-accessible paper stands. I'm not profitting from this, I rather view it as a task. But, I want them in the hands of those who
...(more)
The John Wall saga is over as he will go to Kentucky rounding out an amazing recruiting class and joining returners Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks (assumed) to form what should be one of the preseason favorites to contend for the national title. Wall, rumored to be headed to Memphis before Calipari's departure will join former Memphis commit and 5 star recruit DeMarcu
...(more)
