Editor's Note: Sorry, this article was constructed pretty poorly. I am not, in any way, trying to put down John Wall or creating character problems that don't exist (which they don't). However, and this is made clearer in the comments than in the actual meat-and-bones of the article, I've heard that he has potential "handler" issues. That's all. And yes, I do know the whole Chalmers and Manning stories. But just to make things clear, I never meant to accuse anyone involved simply for a coach being hired by Baylor. It happens all the time, I understand that. It isn't illegal to hire a coach to get the kid to come there, and that might not even be the case here (although, for you to think the events are completely unrelated is awfully naiive IMO).So, in summation, I apologize to anybody who took offense to this article. I really didn't mean it to be that way at all. Sorry.

Nearly every year, the top hoops recruits in the country have nearly identical lists. Sure, depending on where they reside and what connections they may or may not have, some extra schools may be on the list that aren't popping up on all of the top recruits. A good example of this is 2009's #2 recruit in the country, according to Rivals, DeMarcus Cousins. Being from Alabama, he is on his way to UAB and Mike Davis, not one of the most prestigous, basketball-rich schools in the country. Still, the vast majority of the top prospects will include Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and Kentucky on their lists, at least at some point during their incredibly long recruiting process. Some other schools, like Texas, Memphis and Louisville, are starting to pop up in just as many prized recruits' lists as the traditional powerhouses, but if you want a safe bet stick with the five best programs in college basketball history.

And so, when I look at the schools considering John Wall, I get a little nervous. Just a few days ago, he narrowed his list of potential schools to seven:

John Wall, a 6-4 senior point guard from Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C., currently has a final list of seven schools, Rivals.com reports. They are: KU, Memphis, Baylor, Oregon, Kentucky, North Carolina State and Oklahoma State.

Looking at that list, you see Kansas and Kentucky. And Memphis. And, a lot of second-and-third tier programs, not the type that are usually in on these high-profile kids these late. Not to say that lack of interest from some premier programs should prohibit us from recruiting him. But it doesn't send a great message, especially as the reigning National Champion. Every other school on his 'final' list can afford to take on a player with questionable character with Wall's talent. And that is just what Wall is; a player with questionable character.

Because, while it is one thing for some of the elite programs in the country to pass over the occasional highly-praised recruit, it is entirely another when said recruit is in your backyard. You see, in case you don't really follow recruiting, John Wall is from North Carolina. Raleigh, NC, to be exact. That would be about a half-hour drive to Chapel Hill, and a twenty-minute drive to Durham. Yet both didn't make his final list. Not because of John Wall, either. It's just that they didn't want him. That would be like there being a stud prospect in Kansas City, the #1 prospect in the entire country. Schools from all over the country would be flying in to get a look-see at him, but we would simply pass him over. Yea, I know. Doesn't exactly make sense.

And yet, Duke and North Carolina are simply glazing over him, treating him like hundreds of others wannabe Dookies or Tar Heels. There only seems to be one answer to this: John Wall is trouble.

That he is. Despite not having a criminal rap sheet, he has done enough to keep programs nationwide wary and to keep the two North Carolina powers completely clear. A lot of that has to do with his AAU coach Dwon Clifton, who has recently been hired away from his AAU post to be an assistant coach at the University of Baylor, under Scott Drew. Sound familiar?

Beasley, 19, doesn't hide that he chose a college he had never even visited because of a close friendship with his former AAU assistant coach, Delonte Hill, who may have gotten an assistant coaching job at K-State last season because of his ability to deliver Beasley.

Hill was an assistant for three seasons at UNC-Charlotte, where Beasley initially committed. But then-Kansas State coach Bob Huggins offered Hill a job, and Beasley came with him.

"I'm here because of Delonte," Beasley said. "I think everyone wants to go to college with someone they can trust and someone who has their back, and Delonte has nothing but that."

Of course, considering the recent developments of the whole Chalmers' Family saga, we as Kansas fans should treat lightly on this whole issue of "bringing in coaches to bring in recruits". However, there are two key differences with Kansas' case. For one, Mario officially committed to the Jayhawks before his dad was ever hired. Now, I highly doubt that he hire away a high school coach from Alaska were he not to have a son that was a pretty good baller, but it isn't clear that it is the reason Mario came (and, IIRC, we were Mario's favorite and his likely destination even if his dad wasn't h ired). And two, there is helluva big difference between being a high school coach, like Ronnie Chalmers was, and being an AAU coach, like Delonte Hill (ed. note: Dalonte Hill was an assistant coach at Charlotte as well prior to his hiring at K-State) and, now, Dwon Clifton were.

But, for North Carolina and Duke to stay away, there has to be more. More than simply having his AAU coach be 'bought', so to speak, by the Bears of Baylor. Maybe he has eligibility issues. Maybe, and this is the most likely, he has 'handler issues', likely involving Dwon. All it takes is a couple of dollar bills to exchange hands and, poof, there goes a handful of scholarships.

I'm not saying that John Wall is a bad kid, or that whoever signs him was obviously dealing below-the-belt. He could turn out to be one of the best PGs in the history of basketball and a model citizen to boot. But, what I am saying is that, as one of the premier programs in the country, the trouble that surrounds him isn't worth the potential gain. We are coming off a monstrous season, for obvious reasons, possess an incredible amount of tradition and will have nearly every spot open available for playing time. We shouldn't, and clearly don't, have any problem bringing talent to Lawrence. So why should we bother with a kid who his two hometown programs are staying away from?

It's all about risk vs. reward. And, frankly, the reward of having a better PG (how much better is debatable, especially considering that SC could be coming back for his senior year and Wall is all-but-guaranteed to be a one-and-done) isn't worth near the risk of setting this program back a handful of scholarships and, worse, a potential trip to the postseason. Thanks, but no thanks, from where I'm standing.