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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

One of the most decorated prep stars in the country, Brandon Rush earned a bit of closure for his family, guiding the Jayhawks to the national championship. Having lived most of his young basketball career under scrutiny from the media, his return to the team for the 2007-08 season was unexpected, as many felt he would stay in the 2007 draft. By recently declaring for the 2008 draft, Rush has now exhausted his college eligibility.

Rush might have gone pro last season had he not suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee prior to the draft. Rather than remain as an early entry, he underwent surgery in June. He missed the team's exhibition season and first two games of the season before returning in mid-November.

Rush went on to earn 2007-08 Wooden Award All-American honors, leading KU in scoring for the third straight year with an average of 13.2 points per game. The two-time All-Big Twelve Conference first-team selection has been known for his ability to take over a game. He was the first freshman in Kansas history to lead his team in scoring and rebounding and the first freshman in conference annals to be named All-Big Twelve first-team.

After originally withdrawing from the 2005 NBA Draft, Rush decided to enroll at Kansas, where he went on to start all 101-of-109 games in which he appeared. His 1,477 points scored rank 20th in school history and despite playing mostly in the backcourt or as a wing player, he ranks 23rd in KU annals with 602 rebounds. His 205 3-point field goals made placed the junior wing man fourth on the school career-record list.

Being fully recovered from his knee injury and with added experience, Rush decided to apply for the 2008 draft, hoping he has better success in the professional ranks than his brothers, Kareem and LaRon had. His two brothers were AAU legends back in their hometown, where they ranked among the most celebrated schoolboy players in Kansas City history. JaRon and Kareem were linked to a national scandal in the late 1990s, as they were charged with receiving thousands of dollars from their AAU coach.

Myron Piggie had paid more than $35,000 to five players. According to court documents, about half of that money went to JaRon and Kareem. Piggie pleaded guilty to a mail fraud charge and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. The brothers eventually served NCAA suspensions at their respective colleges. "I was kind of young," Brandon Rush says softly. "So I didn't really know what was going on."

Brandon was put under the microscope by the Kansas City media and soon ran into problems of his own. Known for his quiet demeanor, he was not suited to handle the scrutiny that came with carrying the family name. Falling in with a bad crowd, he struggled in high school and transferred from one school to the next before fleeing Kansas City altogether and enrolling at a private academy in the east.

"They pointed at me and said I was the dumb brother, the lazy brother," he recalled. "That I'm not going to amount to anything."

"He didn't like the attention," said Tim Blackwell, a friend since elementary school. "When you talked to him, he wouldn't say much, just short, simple answers. I think it was because of all the stuff his brothers had been through."

During his prep career, Rush attended four different high schools. He struggled academically and admitted that when it came to academics, "I really was lazy." Another AAU coach came to his rescue when John Walker suggested to Rush's mother, Glenda Rush, that her son would be better off at a private school far from Kansas City.

"It was horrible," she said. "But when he was under me, he was acting like a baby all the time."

During his sophomore season at Westport High School, Rush averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals per game. As a junior, he received a scholarship to attend Mount Zion Christian Academy, the small Durham, North Carolina, school that had produced NBA star Tracy McGrady. Far from home, he was forced to grow up.

"Just living on my own, I knew I had to do things for myself," he said. "I had to manage my time, my money and I had to manage school too. It helped me get stronger."

Rush's game flourished at Mount Zion. He was a two-time All-State selection and was named to USA Today's 2004-05 Super 25 squad. As a senior, he averaged 21 points, six rebounds and five assists per game and was named to the 2005 Adidas Derby Festival Basketball Classic. During his first year at the academy, he poured in 21 points per game while averaging three assists per contest.

Rush felt he was ready to take his game to the next level after his senior year at Mount Zion, applying for the NBA Draft. The NBA advisory committee had told him that he would not be assured of being drafted in the first round if he entered the draft. He soon realized that those dreams would have to wait and he needed to mature both on and off the court.

With Bill Self having taken over for Roy Williams at Kansad, Self placed a call to coach John Walker, when he heard that Rush had not yet enrolled in a college. The possibility that his little brother might return home worried Kareem Rush, who recalled the attention focused on his family as "crazy." But the Jayhawks had an ally in their corner. "KU was the place where I wanted to go," JaRon said. "I thought it would be a great place for Brandon to be at."

During the 2005-06 season at Kansas, Rush was named Big Twelve Conference Freshman of the Year, as he led KU and the league's freshman class with a 13.5-point scoring average. He went on to place his name on 11 freshman records, including a second-place ranking in scoring with a total of 444 points and 1,047 minutes played.

He became the first freshman in the 10-year history of the Big Twelve to be named the conference's first-team squad and was the first rookie to lead the team in scoring and rebounding in the same season. He was also selected to The Sporting News All-Freshman Team and named USBWA District VI Player of the Year, earning Phillips 66 Big Twelve Rookie of the Week honors three times. He twice was named National Freshman of the Week by CBS Sportsline.com and Rivals.com.

That year, Rush earned the Bill Bridges Rebounding Award (snared 195 rebounds to lead the team with a 5.9 average) and the Phog Allen Most Valuable Player Award. He hit on 170-of-359 field goals (47.4 percent) and fired in 50-of-106 3-point attempts (47.2 percent) while making 54-of-71 free throws (76.1 percent). He finished fourth on the team with 23 blocked shots, had 65 assists with 29 steals and started all 33 games he played in.

As a sophomore in 2006-07, Rush again started all 38 games, leading the team in scoring with an average of 13.8 points per game and finished second on the squad with 212 rebounds (5.6 per game). The Nasmith Award Finalist earned NABC All-District XII first-team honors. He also garnered first-team All-Big Twelve accolades from the league's coaches, adding second-team recognition from the Associated Press.

Rush was also selected to the USBWA All-District VI squad and picked up Phillips 66 Big Twelve Championship All-Tournament Team honors. He was successful on 186-of-420 field goals (44.3 percent), as he made 75-of-174 three-point shots (43.1 percent). He put in 79-of-116 free throws (68.1 percent) as he was credited with 526 points. He averaged 2.0 assists per game and had 15 steals to go with 34 blocked shots. He turned the ball over 78 times and was also called for 60 fouls.

Rush earned Wooden Award All-American and All-Big Twelve Conference honors in 2007-08. He started 30-of-38 games he appeared in, pacing the team with an average of 13.3 points per game, shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 77.9 percent from the charity stripe. He averaged 5.21 rebounds per game, handed out 81 assists and blocked 32 shots while stealing 32 others.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has the long arms, quick feet and good strength to be an efficient swing man who can play either shooting guard or the small forward spot at the next level, but might be a better fit as a shooting guard in an up-tempo game ... Spent his time while rehabilitating his knee adding needed muscle tone and is now better absorbing contact to get to the free-throw line ... Effective rebounder, using his wingspan well to get to the rim, even while off balanced (83-inch wingspan) ... Also uses his wingspan and reach to generate a quick and high release point ... Has a smooth and effortless release when shooting and is an offensive-minded talent with good long range shooting ability (made 205-of-471 3-pointers in three seasons, a clip of 43.5 percent) ... Has really matured on the court since arriving at Kansas, no longer rushing his shot and has gained confidence in his newfound strength to easily fire long range shots (has drastically improved his spot up jumper) ... Has much better ball-handling skills during his junior year, as he seems to be doing a better job of controlling the ball off the dribble ... Has better court quickness than he did in 2006-07, which is noticeable playing in transition or on the pick-and-roll ... Has also gained more confidence in his release, as he is more fluid executing his shots and no longer hesitates to pull up off the dribble and put down a soft floater from 15-18 feet away from the basket ... Has an explosive first step and excellent leaping ability ... Quick turning the corner on screens and uses his leaping ability to sail over smaller guards to put the ball in the basket ... Very creative around the rim and is an excellent finisher in transition ... Times his leaps well on lob passes...Deadly shooting from the outside and is a high-percentage shooter from behind the arc ... Has shown improvement in the lift on his jump shot, thanks to good quickness in his release ... Well-versed at executing head and body fakes to separate and slash to the basket ... Improved his ability to pass off the dribble and has developed an effective hesitation move to take the defender off balance ... Not turnover prone handling the ball but keeps his dribble low and close to his frame ... Can pull up from mid-range to sink his jump shot and attacks the rim with good strength ... Fires a nice floater from the perimeter ... Patient passer who won't force the ball into a crowd, but knows where the open man is, doing a nice job of dishing the ball out ... Very quick coming off screens, making it hard for small forwards to keep up with him as he moves around the court ... Knows how to gain space for himself with good hesitation moves and pump fakes, doing a nice job of taking his shots from behind the arc ... Finishes well in transition and when double-teamed, he has good passing skills, taking good angles with his tosses on the fly or bounce to an open teammate cutting to the basket ... Knows how to use his frame to stay in front of the opponent and utilize his arm length to go up to contest and block shots ... Has developed a more aggressive nature, as he now has the power to combat when the more physical opponent tries to post up vs. him ... Times his leaps well to also deflect shots along the perimeter ... Strong, maintaining position from the weak-side of the rim and has the leg drive to take a charge ... His arm length allows him to play bigger than he is ... Draws a lot of fouls and uses his hands well to take his man off the dribble ... Will not hesitate to bang the boards vs. centers and power forwards, getting great lift and elevation for rebounds or putbacks ... Will need to add more bulk for the next level, but does an effective job when asked to box out ... Knows how to use his long wingspan to reach around and create the turnover, especially when neutralizing the fast break ... Shows good courage trying to out-muscle bigger opponents when driving to the basket, showing enough strength to go inside and finish ... Has strong one-on-one skills and the ability to create shots for himself off the dribble, as he is comfortable working in apace and shows good explosion angling towards the basket ... Because he knows how to control the ball off the dribble, he can get his shot off without needing to create much space for himself, pulling up off the bounce to shoot the ball with effortlessness and accuracy when he sets his feet properly before firing.

Negatives: Childhood injury prevents him from getting a full extension on some shots ... Still a work in progress putting the ball on the floor ... Has the strength to take the ball to the hoop, but needs to do it more often, as he appears more comfortable shooting from mid-range or from the perimeter (his accuracy suffers when he's forced to shoot from his left) ... Has good ball-handling skills, but not enough to play the point, as he lacks creativity ... Will get frustrated when his shot fails, but rather than work back into a rhythm, he will disappear from the action (needs to develop a tougher mental approach) ... Will sometimes coast on the court, relying on his athleticism, but has also shown a lack of aggression, as he struggles trying to take his man off the dribble ... Perhaps due to his knee injury, he seems to have lost some of his lateral range, as he does not change direction suddenly, nor drive to the rim with much power moves while attempting to draw contact ... Plays strong on defense, but will lose his focus (also needs to add lower-body strength, as his upper body has improved, but he can get pushed back when trying to establish position) and lacks great intensity, as he seems to take a side rather than facing up to slashers from the perimeter and looks uninterested when asked to battle through screens ... Must be more aggressive attacking the rim, as he has the ability, but not always the desire to bang heads with the big boys ... Scores too many of his points away from the basket and you would like to see a player of his size and quickness drive to the rim more often ... Not the most creative moving through a crowd and is a bit out of control when trying to drive through the lane ... Needs to set his feet better before shooting, as his accuracy suffers when firing the ball up on the move ... Doesn't have the ball security you want in a guard and lacks ideal size for forward.

Compares To: EDDIE JONES-Dallas ... Rush is by far the most polished shooter of the Rush brothers and has more potential than Kareem or LeRon, but there are still several holes in his game that will keep him from securing a full-time job in the pros. He has very good outside shooting range, but should drive to the basket more often. His rebounding numbers are impressive for a wing player. Like Jones did in his prime, Rush could make a nice living as a swingman, but he just seems to be a "tweener" that will need to pick his spots coming off the bench.

CAREER NOTES

Started 101-of-109 games, scoring 1,477 points (13.6 per game), ranking 20th on the school career-record list ... Made 536-of-1,193 field goals (44.9 percent) and 200-of-273 free throws (73.3 percent), as his 205 3-pointers (43.5 percent) rank fourth in Kansas history, topped by Jeff Boschee (338, 1999-2002), Billy Thomas (269, 1995-98) and Kirk Hinrich (235, 2000-03) ... His 471 3-point attempts rank fifth in KU annals ... Grabbed 602 rebounds (5.5 per game) with 222 assists, 89 blocked shots and 76 steals ... Charged with 159 personal fouls and 110 turnovers.

2007-08 SEASON

John R. Wooden Award All-American, adding All-Big Twelve Conference first-team honors ... Final Four All-Tournament Team and Big Twelve Tournament MVP ... Earned NABC All-District XII honors ... Named Chevrolet Player of the Game vs. Portland State in the NCAA Tournament and Phillips 66 co-Big Twelve Player of the Week (March 4)...Saw action in 38 games, starting 30 contests ... Missed the exhibition season and the team's first two contests vs. Louisiana-Monroe and Missouri-Kansas City while recovering from June right knee surgery ... Still led the team in scoring with 507 points (13.2 per game) ... Shot 43.5 percent from the field (180-of-414), 41.9 percent from 3-point range (80-of-191) and 77.9 percent from the foul line (67-of-86) ... Pulled down 195 rebounds (5.1 per game), as he blocked 32 shots and had 32 steals ... Also credited with 81 assists ... Fouled out of two games, as he was charged with 60 fouls and a career-low 69 turnovers ... Scored double figures in 29-of-30 starts.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

In his first action for the season, Rush came off the bench to score seven points and grab three boards in 12 minutes vs. Washburn ... Scored 17 points each in back-to-back games vs. Arizona and Florida Atlantic, adding eight rebounds and two assists vs. the Wildcats ... Had back-to-back 13-point performances vs. DePaul and Ohio University ... Made a career-high four blocked shots, as he chipped in with 11 points, six boards and a pair of assists vs. Georgia Tech ... Put in 19 points, making 5-of-7 three-pointers while handing out four assists to go with six rebounds vs. Nebraska ... Snatched nine rebounds and tallied 13 points vs. Missouri ... Had another nine bounds to go with 16 points vs. Oklahoma and hit on 6-of-8 shots for 17 points and eight rebounds in KU's second meeting with Nebraska ... Facing Missouri again, Rush totaled six boards and 19 points, followed by 21 points, three assists and four rebounds vs. Kansas State ... Credited with a season-high 28 points, as he hit on 5-of-8 3-pointers vs. Texas A&M in the Big Twelve Tournament, followed by 19 points, six assists and six rebounds vs. Texas ... Added 18 points, two assists and six boards vs. Portland State in opening round of the NCAA Tournament ... Produced 16 points vs. Villanova and 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting vs. North Carolina in the Final Four ... Closed out his career with 12 points, two assists and six rebounds vs. Memphis as the Jayhawks captured the national championship.

2006-07 SEASON

Wooden Award All-American selection, earning national honorable mention from the Associated Press ... NCAA West Regional All-Tournament team pick ... Named All-Big Twelve Conference firs-team by the league's coaches and second-team by the Associated Press ... Named the Chevrolet Player of the Game for KU in NCAA Tournament contests vs. Kentucky, Southern Illinois and UCLA ... Led the team in scoring with 526 points (13.8 per game), starting all 38 games ... Made 186-of-420 field goals (44.3 percent), 75-of-174 3-pointers (43.1 percent) and 79-116 free throws (68.1 percent) ... Averaged 5.6 rebounds per game (212), as he blocked 34 shots ... Handed out 76 assists and had 15 steals ... Charged with 60 personal fouls and 78 turnovers ... Led Kansas in scoring 13 times and in rebounding 12 times.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Had 12 games of 18 or more points, including three of KU's final five games -- 19 vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship, 19 vs. Kentucky in the NCAA second round and 18 vs. UCLA in the Elite Eight...Added four 20-point efforts -- 21 vs. Northern Arizona, 21 vs. Colorado (1/17), 20 at Nebraska (1/29) and 21 at Missouri...Had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Tennessee State...Had a career-high four blocked shots vs. Toledo.

2005-06 SEASON

Named Big Twelve Conference Freshman of the Year and became the first true freshman in the 10-year history of the league to be named All-Big Twelve first-team...Selected to The Sporting News All-American Freshman Team...Named USBWA District VI Player of the Year and earned Phillips 66 Big Twelve Rookie of the Week honors three times...Twice was named national freshman of the week by CBS Sportsline and Rivals.com...Earned two team accolades -- the Bill Bridges Rebounding Award and the Phog Allen Most Valuable Player Award...Ended the season ranked on 11 Kansas freshman records lists, including second in points scored (444) and minutes played (1,047)...Averaged 13.5 points per game, hitting on 47.4 percent of his field goals (170-of-359), 50-of-106 3-pointers (47.2) and 76.1 percent of his free throws (54-of-71) ... Blocked 23 shots and had 195 rebounds (5.9 per game) ... Totaled 65 assists and 29 steals ... Charged with 29 personal fouls and 83 turnovers.

2005-06 GAME ANALYSIS

Scored nine points and had seven rebounds vs. Bradley in the NCAA Tournament...Had 12 points and five boards vs. Texas in the Big Twelve finals...Matched a season-high 24 points to go with six boards at Kansas State...Had a season-high four steals to compliment his 11 points and five rebounds vs. Baylor...Produced his second-straight double-double vs. Texas Tech (24 points, 11 rebounds), as he also had season-highs in field goals (10), field goal attempts (19) and 3-pointers (four) vs. the Red Raiders...Registered his second double-double of the season (20 points, 10 boards) at Iowa State...Set or tied new season-highs in points (24), rebounds (12) and assists (four) vs. Kentucky...Led Kansas in scoring at the EA Sports Maui Invitational with 16 points per game, including 20 vs. Arkansas...Started for Kansas in his career debut vs. Idaho State and responded with 12 points and seven rebounds.

INJURY REPORT

2007-08: Sat out the team's first two games vs. Louisiana-Monroe (11/09) and Missouri-Kansas City (11/11) while continuing his recovery from June surgery to repair a right knee anterior cruciate ligament tear.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Mount Zion (Durham, N.C.) Academy as a junior and senior ... Two-time All-State pick and was named to USA Today's 2004-05 Super 25 squad ... As a senior, he averaged 21 points, six rebounds and five assists per game and was named to the 2005 Adidas Derby Festival Basketball Classic ... During his first year at the academy, he poured in 21 points per game while averaging three assists per contest, leading the team to a 31-1 record ... As a sophomore at Westport (Kansas City, Mo.) High School, Rush averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals per game ... Rated the nation's second-best small forward by Rivals.com ... Twice named an All-Star at the Reebok ABCD Camp and was the 2004 ABCD Camp Most Valuable Player while competing for AAU KS Rocktown...Was a late addition to the USA Men's Junior National select team at the ninth annual Hoop Summit in Memphis, Tennessee following the 2004-05 season.

PERSONAL

General Studies major ... Son of Glenda Rush ... Brother, Kareem, was a two-time All-Big Twelve Conference first-team selection at Missouri in 2001 and 2002 and played parts of five seasons in the NBA with Los Angeles, Charlotte and Seattle...Brother, JaRon, played basketball at UCLA...Born Brandon Leray Rush on 7/07/85 ... Resides in Kansas City, Missouri.