KU gets huge commit

Brannen Greene made his intentions known today that he will attend Kansas joining Conner Frankamp as part of the 2013 recruiting class.  He is a 5 star rated #22 according to scout.   He is a true wing, the truest form of it since Brandon Rush that KU has seen.  He has long range and is very athletic.  This is a tremendous pick up for us.

Beyond that Isaiah Lewis, who is close with Brannen is said to be announcing in the next few days to a week or so.   He is a highly rated player in his own right and Kansas seems to be sitting very well.   The addition of him would give KU an amazing colelction of guards for the 2013 class.

By the way, Brannen is another 4.0 student.   Recently Self came out and spoke of some recruiting "errors in judgement" that he has made recently.  I'm of the opinion he is speaking less about losing certain players like Kaleb Tarczewski and Josiah Turner and more about the overall makeup of the kids he is looking at.   Perry Ellis will be joining Kansas next year and he is a 4.0 student as well.   

The recruiting speed bump is behind us.

I think it's kind of funny, and sad, that us fans are almost more interested in what's happening next year (and the year after for that matter) than we are about this year.  Speaks volumes about the confidence of the fans in this current team.

Like you said Shoe, appears as though Self had a few lapses in judgement on the "makeup" of the kids he recruited (i.e. TT, EJ, and the kids riding the bench because of ineligibility issues).

I kinda feel bad for TRob.  He's gonna have a great year, will likely leave early, and will have been part of one of the worst KU "teams" in recent history.

Oh well, 2012 and 2013 should be great years if all the recruiting holds true and a couple guys are added.      

I'm not looking past anything.   I love following recruiting and many people here have expressed an interest in keeping that conversation alive so I like to share what I hear and look forward to what others are hearing.

I wouldn't feel too bad for Thomas Robinson.   He came to Kansas an energetic, athletic kid who was extremely unpolished.  He is going to leave Kansas via the NBA lottery and a multi-million dollar contract thanks in large part to the Jayhawk coaches and staff, namely Danny Manning and Andrea Hudy.    Also he is a very real part of the problem of the current team.   He still cannot pass out of double teams and he is simply trying far too hard to take matters into his own hands.   TRob would be way more effective if he just let the game come to him and imposed his will when the oppurtunity presents itself. 

I hear what your'e sayin shoe. Just seems like more recruiting talk than normal.

Also agree 100% with the TRob is part of the problem talk.  Just seems like that would be less of a problem if the guards were doing a better job. 

But wait a minute, I have read all too often on here that Bill Self has lost his touch on recruiting and may never get it back. You all know who you are. The 2012 and 2013 classes look to be top recruiting classes again. I'm not sure people really understand how hard recruiting can be when you don't know who is staying or leaving year to year. Calipari doesn't have that problem because he gets all one and doners so he knows he has to get new guys every year. For everyone else, it gets dicey and will lead to an off year or two. Kansas will always be an attractive destination for recruits because of the history, tradition, atmosphere and all the great players who have come before. I enjoy every season Kansas plays because they will almost always have a good shot at the Final Four every year.

T. Rob is getting all the attention he needs and then some. Shoe, good take on T.Rob KU just needs to play KU BB. Great news for the up- coming recruiting class.

While I agree with all of your observations Shoe, it must me noted that it takes time to grow and mature into these starting roles that many of our players are being thrust inot this year save TT and it is what it is when it comes to TT.

"I think it's kind of funny, and sad, that us fans are almost more interested in what's happening next year (and the year after for that matter) than we are about this year.  Speaks volumes about the confidence of the fans in this current team."

What are you talking about? This has NOTHING to do with this year. Are there not a zillion threads about THIS YEAR'S team? News is news and it isn't always about today. This is GREAT news for KU fans and shows that the recruiting oopsies of the last few years were just that and not a sign of bigger problems or an issue with the perception of either Kansas or Self in the eyes of recruits.

"I kinda feel bad for TRob.  He's gonna have a great year, will likely leave early, and will have been part of one of the worst KU "teams" in recent history."

Why? T-Rob has PLENTY of changes he could make to his game to make the year more successful for both him and his team. He is having a really good year and could be playing MUCH better. He HAS to get into the blocks and establish himself more and DEMAND that the guards get him the ball more. If you can't assert yourself that much in college then maybe the NBA isn't for you.

T-Rob will leave Kansas as an excellent player who was a one year starter. It's not like he was slated to have his roster in the rafters if they have a better year.

Thanks for the update Shoe, I hadn't heard this. GREAT NEWS for KU.

Why? T-Rob has PLENTY of changes he could make to his game to make the year more successful for both him and his team. He is having a really good year and could be playing MUCH better. He HAS to get into the blocks and establish himself more and DEMAND that the guards get him the ball more. If you can't assert yourself that much in college then maybe the NBA isn't for you.

Totally agree.  And for the record I am critical of Thomas Robinson not because he is a disappointment this year at all, the dude is having a great season statistically.   His 18.1 ppg and 12.1 rpg are right on the pace of the 18 and 12 I was hoping for going into the season.  I'm critical because as twocoach said he can be that much better.   In fact if he can shore up the issue of holding the ball on double teams and just be a little smarter with his shots he very well could end up the national player of the year.    He is shooting 51% from the field but to be honest in our system and with  his skill set he could be at 55-60.  Both of the Morris twins shot over 55% for their entire college career because for one they were very good but also because our offense sets up our big men.

It just seems like significantly more threads devoted to recruiting which adds to the perception that there is more talk about it.  I guess in the past recruiting talk has been more concentrated to fewer threads.

My point on TRob is that he likely won't have the opportunity to maximize his talent/skill level due to deficiencies in the players around him.  That's not to say he won't have a great year or that he won't improve, because he'll do both.  I just don't see him accomplishing some things team-wise that he might otherwise had some things worked out differently (i.e players being eligible)

At the end of the day, I'll admit I don't follow recruiting much because lets face it, its a bit of a crap shoot.  But, if you all are this excited then I'll go with it being a great thing for KU.

KU in BB is like UT in football...you get the cream to pick from.  I'm only just now starting to see that with Baylor.  These last several years having 4* & 5* recruits putting the Bears in their "schools interested in" column is pretty sweet.   Now if we could only do that in football also.
Anyway, I'm pulling for you guys in ooc play and look forward to home and away with you this year. 

"At the end of the day, I'll admit I don't follow recruiting much because lets face it, its a bit of a crap shoot.  But, if you all are this excited then I'll go with it being a great thing for KU. "

The kid's dad went to Pittsburgh State in Pittspurgh, Kansas and is a huge Kansas fan, so there will no doubt be a lot of pride when he rolls out onto the floor wearing that jersey. It will mean more to him than to some random recruit from wherever. That and the 4.0 GPA mean as much or more to me as the "6'7" wing with a tremendous shot". You can teach a kid to shoot, but you can't teach a kid to be intelligent.

"My point on TRob is that he likely won't have the opportunity to maximize his talent/skill level due to deficiencies in the players around him."

If anything, he is getting more of a chance to shine than if he was just a cog in the wheel. He is keeping KU relevant this year. Like I and Shoe have stated, what T-Rob needs to do now is quit trying out for the NBA and start doing what he does best. We don't need a 6'9" forward taking the damn ball up the court and trying to drive to the rim from the top of the key. He needs to get his butt into the post on EVERY possession and work his tail off to get shots at the rim. He can use practice to work on his driving and outside shots and the NBA Pre-Draft camp to show it off.

He's already going to be a Top 5-10 pick. I have no idea why he feels the need to do this (besides East Coast big-city ego mixed with a driving desire to make sure he can take care of his sister).

"It just seems like significantly more threads devoted to recruiting which adds to the perception that there is more talk about it.  I guess in the past recruiting talk has been more concentrated to fewer threads."

It's just not that often that there is in-season recruiting news of a significant nature. KU has spent the majority of their time playing in the late-season recruiting pool the last few years. It's nice to have guys coming on this early so we don't have so much late-season drama. The crap with Selby and Henry was ridiculous and I hope we never go through that again. What a drain.

Nice update Shoe -

I would never say or imply that one position in a system is more important than another but KU has really been devoid of an explosive, game-changing wing for several seasons now.  We have had some pretty good PG play and good big play but the wing has been a soft spot on both ends of the court.

Hope BMac and this kid can fill that void for the next several years to come.

I'm also hoping that the recruiting misses we've exprieced in recent years (not talking about academic DQs because these 3 did decide to commit to KU) are anomalistic and not a trend.

I hope losses to mid-majors in March don't define us, as some on here have posted after the UNI and VCU games.

Our mid-major-in-March situation is kinda like the candidate running for office who, in a 20 min interview, says one awkward or unpopular sentence that is then taken out of context and edited and shown over and over with provacative & un-related subtext to sway opinion.  (note: not an indictment of any political party as they're all guilty of this tactic)

Our troubles with lower ranked teams, as much negative attention & disparaging remarks as they've drawn, hopefully don't keep good HS players from seeing all the wins; all the former players now getting paid; and success the program has enjoyed under Coach Self.  Stated another way:  we don't want one loss in a season of 35-40 games to be all that skilled HS players hear about re: KU.

And getting a committment like this one is a good sign!

I am hearing that Isaiah Lewis wants to commit on his birthday December 26th although Isaiah is not sure if a commit will come that soon. If he does commit on the 26th I believe Kansas is in the drivers seat for his services. However another rumor is that Self may wait and not accept Lewis's commitment. He might want to see if he can get Allerik Freeman or Tyler Ennis first. I don't think that is a good idea however and they should accept Lewis's commitment and stockpile on talent.

Isaiah Lewsi should be announcing on Monday. I'd be surprised if it wasn't Kansas after reading this from yesterday:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high
_school/basketball/king_and_lewis_t
alks_upcoming_college_JRKeL0hWGgWxk
cl5kBE5IN

KU just needs to sign a legit center soon and we are fully stocked.

haha nice twocoach, although I may be a little greedy here. I want more than just a legit center for 2013. Along with Greene and Lewis, I want them to bring their buddies along, Allerik Freeman and Chris Walker. After that I want Self to try and get Julius Randle or Nerlens Noel. I know the chances of this happening are between slim and none but boy would this make me a happy camper!

As the title of the thread states this is a huge get for Kansas.    Just look at the following excerpt.   He speaks intelligently and has been outspoken that he intends to recruit to KU.   I lvoe a kid that isn't just satisfied with trying to get his so to speak.  Here is a guy who is willing to share the stats to surround himself with great players and achieve the ultimate team goals rather than focus on individual accomplishments.

“If I could choose any player to commit to Kansas, it would be… [class of 2013 point guard] Tyler Ennis. I love him as a point guard. He has tremendous vision and we have played together at [the] Pangos [All-American Camp] and the [Nike] Elite 100. He would be a great fit at KU and would bring a level of composure and leadership. I think I have a decent chance at getting him to join me. I talk to him often and I will continue to talk to him.”

Other players he is close to and is in contact with regularly about coming to Kansas are Isaiah Lewis, Allerik Freeman, Julius Randle and others.   Brannan Greene... already one of my favorite Jayhawks and the kid is still over a year away from stepping on campus.

Tyler Ennis is at St. Benedict's in New Jersey, which just hapopens to be where Kansas Assistant Joe Dooley graduated from high school. How convenient! Obviously Kansas won't sign both Lewis and Ennis, so we'll see how that shakes out. At just 160 pounds, I have some concern anbout Lewis, but he is still almost two years away from stepping on campus, so there's a lot of time to pack on the pounds.

I also read an interesting article about ESPN Class of 2013 #5, power forward Chris Walker, who said if he had to pick now, he would pick Kansas.

http://recruitingspotlight.wordpres
s.com/2011/12/08/chris-walker-would
-choose-kansas-if-he-had-to-commit-
now/

Good grief. Kansas is looking GOOD on more recruits than we can possibly sign. What a nice problem to have.

Just as an aside, Brennen Greene is blowing twitter up recruiting for KU. He's on Ennis, Walker, and Allerik Freeman to come to KU.

With White, McLemore, Tharpe, Frankamp, Green, Ellis and Traylor all slated to be on the squad in 2013, adding Freeman and Walker and maybe even Ennis would make them the #1 team in the country.