"I don’t like stepping on people’s toes," Carl says, "but I just know what I know. I watch them play, all the Kansas kids. I like all these kids, (Sherron) Collins, (Tyshawn Taylor), they’re good kids, man. But they’re not better than C.J."

-- Kansas City Star - "Getting to the pros the Henry family plan"

J. Brady's article caused quite a stir. It was going to no matter what, but instead of just instigating thousands of message board discussions and blog comments, it hit the subjects, the Henry family (particularly Carl), and they created a fuss about it. Maybe they weren't coming to Kansas, after all. But with that potential issue seemingly behind us now, given the handful of media sources claiming that, in fact, Xavier and C.J. are still coming to Lawrence, let's talk about what just might have been the most interesting aspect of the article.

The quote above.

It was preceded by the claim that Carl considers C.J. to be a "one-and-done player."

I'm not really sure how to take this. I mean, I suppose it's impossible to tell anyone that they will spend more than one year in college. It's his right to declare for the Draft. Lots of hopefuls declare every year that have no shot at getting drafted. But unless C.J. is way better than I figure him to be, then him declaring for the NBA after this year wouldn't be too intelligent.

But first, let's take a look at the depth chart. C.J. could probably play either the 1 or the 2, so we'll put him up for both positions. With that in mind, he's positively behind Sherron, almost assuredly behind Tyshawn and probably even slightly behind Elijah Johnson. His chance to capitalize on Elijah's injury, learning how to play with his teammates and such, gaining ground on Elijah has gone away as C.J. continues to work out with his brother in Oklahoma City. Opportunity wasted.

And that isn't even including Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar. Hell, Xavier could even see some time at the 2, taking away some more of the 80 minutes a game the two positions get. But, assuming that there are 5 minutes-or-so a game of three-guard alignment, we'll go with 90 minutes a game to divy up between Sherron, Tyshawn, Tyrel, Brady, Elijah and C.J. This is just a ballpark estimate, and the calendar just turned to July. So, lots of stuff can change.

• Sherron -- 30
• Tyshawn -- 25
• Elijah --15
• C.J. -- 15
• Brady/Tyrel -- 5

Damn. And that isn't even including Travis Releford, who I think should redshirt this season because of the sheer depth here. That is just ridiculous.

But back to the point. How is C.J., picking up something around 15 minutes a night, going to end up declaring for the Draft? Now, again, I've never seen C.J. play. No one really has, at least not since he was a high schooler. And that was a helluva long time ago. I don't doubt he has talent; there is a reason we were recruiting him heavily as a high school senior. But if he wants to pick up loads of playing time and make an early exit to the League, 2010-11 would be the better year to do it. Think about it. Sherron will be gone. Tyshawn probably will, too.

If C.J. is half as good as his dad thinks he is, he can beat out Travis and Tyrel and Brady for the starting gig along with Elijah. Ignoring incoming recruits, of course, but whatever. The point remains the same.

C.J. probably isn't a one-and-done player. At least, not if he plays at Kansas. If he stayed at Memphis or something. then yeah, maybe. But not in Lawerence. Too much talent. Way too much.

More photos » AP

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(deep breath)

The Background

Most of this is basic stuff everyone knows, but I felt it was necessary to set the whole thing up. If for nothing else than to put all of the ridiculousness of the entire situation into one, tidy package.

So, basically, this is where we're at right now. Xavier and C.J. Henry, sons of ex-Jayhawks Carl Henry and Barbara Henry, grew up fans of Kansas. So, when college decisions rolled around, and coaches from across the country came a-callin', Kansas was the natural fit. C.J. picked the Hawks, but his collegiate career was put in hold when he was drafted by those damn Yankees.

After an entirely failed baseball career, where he appeared in the news for but a day in 3 years-and-change, when he was the headliner in Bobby Abreu's trade to the Bronx, C.J. wanted to return to college basketball. Xavier, his younger brother, was down to Memphis and Kansas, so C.J. was too. He chose Coach Calipari, and Xavier subsequently picked Memphis the following November.

Coach Calipari left to go to Kentucky, in a move that completely and entirely changed so many recruiting decisions, it'd take days to fully account for the carnage.* They subsequently reopened their recruitment, with C.J., as a walk-on, able to transfer without sitting out a year, this time choosing between Kansas and Kentucky.

* I mean, not to go all JoePo on you, but it's mind-boggling. John Wall, who wasn't really considering Kentucky, and was probably going to Memphis, ends up in Lexington. Same with DeMarcus Cousins, although he had already committed. Same with Xavier Henry, except he (most likely) ended up in Lawrence. Lance Stephenson, who was announcing his decision to attend Kansas (according to multiple sources, at least), just decides today on the Cincinnati Bearcats. I'm not a huge recruiting guy, but wow. It would be interesting to do a retrospective in a couple of years, figuring out how everything would have been different if Calipari would have just stayed at Memphis. Hell, it'd be interesting to read one in a month-or-so.

They chose Kansas. It may or may not have had anything to do with Barbara Henry's desire, or lack thereof, to live in the Bluegrass State. But whatever the reason, they chose the Jayhawks. On Sunday, J. Brady McCullogh penned what I thought to be a wonderful article about the lives of the Henrys. In it, the Henrys were portrayed as, well, stuck-up, spoiled-out-of-their-mind kids. And yes, that includes Carl. They didn't like such a portrayal, naturally. I would hope nobody would. Of course, instead of just realizing that, hey, we do kinda sound like that, don't we Xav, they freaked out. And now, they might switch back to Kentucky. Over a freaking newspaper article. I have no idea what this world is coming to.

Now, word is coming out that, after all, the Henrys are coming to Kansas. So, take it for what you want.

My own, personal thoughts on the matter after the jump.

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More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Cole Aldrich and the Kansas Jayhawks will have a tough time fighting through this non-conference schedule. (Yes, that was the lamest thing I could think of) (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Last night, while the collective mind of Jayhawk nation bid a teary farewell to Ritch Price and the Diamond Hawks, the big-team-on-campus stole the headlines just when the football team thought it would be thrust into the spotlight. Almost, Fightin' Manginos. Almost. But, because I've heard something about us being a "basketball school", or something like that (maybe KC can explain?), the basketball team seems to take precedence. Always. Well, that's not true: I mean, -if- when the football team was #2 in the country (I still can't really believe it happened, really), I suppose Armageddon took precedence over whichever patsy-cake the basketball team was playing that day (see what I mean? I don't even remember the team).

Which brings us back to this year's non-conference schedule, which was released last night. Hopefully, the early games (at least) will be overlooked by some fantastic start by our football team. But even if that is the case, there are still those who will show up in Allen Field House (probably something like 16,300), even for those stinkin' exhibition games that mean nothing to nobody.

So, while more in-depth coverage will occur later on (let's try and at least give football a chance), here is a brief rundown of each of the non-conference games on this year's slate, starting with the season-opener against the Hofstra Pride and ending with an early-January tussle with Bruce Pearl and his maniacal Tennessee Volunteers.

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Xavier Henry and brother CJ will wear Jayhawk uniforms in 2009-2010 after announcing they are Kansas bound for their college playing days.

View full size photo uploaded April 22, 2009

Finally!!!  As expected the long running saga of Xavier and CJ Henry has ended and Bill Self has landed one big fish and a possible hidden gem in the Henry brothers. 

Reports surfaced Tuesday night from media outlets left and right.  Kentucky outlets, Jayhawk outlets, Memphis outlets and even neutral outlets all reported this a done deal.  Then came word of an impending hat presser on Thursday morning.  This time it appeared more than just a test of the emergency broadcast system; this looked like the real deal.

In case you've been living in a cave lately let's take a look at how we got here.  Shortly after the Memphis loss in the NCAA tournament John Calipari made the decision to head to Lexington to coach the Wildcats.  This opened up a whole new twist in what seemed to be a calming spring recruiting season that appeared to have Lance Stephenson in a Jayhawk uniform.  To the excitment of many and the dismay of some Xavier Henry rated by some the top player in the country was suddenly an available commodity as he was said to be requesting his release from Memphis along with brother CJ to head elsewhere. 

Up next, one hell of a ride on the recruiting rollercoaster and you must be at least 60" tall to ride.  First Lance delays his scheduled announcement to attend what many believed would be Kansas.  Next Xavier's coming to Kansas, no wait he's visiting Kentucky, now they're staying at Memphis...no they're not visiting anymore, or are they...no one knows what's really going on but when the smoke cleared the Jayhawks emerged the victor.

How did it happen? Why did it happen?  Who knows and who cares the Jayhawks have just landed a HUGE piece to a potential Final Four run in 09'-10'. 

One of the biggest things missing from this year's team was that third scoring option.  Cole was an effective scorer from down low, while Sherron could score from just about anywhere but when defenders shut them down or the duo struggled on their own accord the Jayhawks never found a consistent third go to option. 

Factor in the return of Cole and Sherron, the addition of Henry, the improvement of the current players and 3 other top 40 players being added to the roster next year you've got to believe this problem won't persist and the Jayhawks have tremendous potential.  Even to the extent that some are favoring the Jayhawks to cut down the nets for the 2nd time in 3 years at Indianapolis in 2010.

Now clearly there is a long way to go and a lot of things have to go right to get there so don't count me in the group counting their chickens before they hatch, but looking at previous national title winners and the time to rebuild, I am extremely happy with the way FHOFNCHCBS has reloaded this program in no time.  Not to mention he did it without really skipping a beat and bringing home the 5th straight Big 12 conference title.  Might want to start the battle cry for next year and being in the mix for six.

No matter how you felt about this process throughout the fact remains that this is a big victory and Henry will be a huge addition to the Jayhawks.  Now maybe we can move our focus to football...??  Maybe??

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

We've all cried. We've all sat down for hours, the pain numbing. But now, it's time to stand up, wipe your cheek, and look forward to next season. Mmmkay, Tyrel? If I can do it, you can do it. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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The season ended 3 weeks ago, tomorrow. Just 20 days back in the past, the season was still alive and kicking.

But, later that night, it all went kaput. We've gone over this a million times. To this day, and maybe it's just me or whatever, but it still sucks. We could have won. We should have won.

It's taken me awhile to get over it. Sure, all of us knew this wasn't a National Championship type of team. It never looked like one, really. It had flashes of Final Four potential, but maybe that was just me; maybe that was just the optimist in me. But still, the way it went down. Oh, how it hurt.

You all were there, though. You all felt the same hurt. When Kalin Lucas hit that and-one, the OGT quickly became filled with dejection. It sucks, how months of improvement and getting better and, at times, flashes of outstanding basketball can all be thrown away in a coupe, short minutes. One second you're up, holding on to the ball, the time is ticking away, and you are on top of the world. The next, you're clutching to a desperate heave as your last chance to get in to the game, and you all of a sudden realize that the season is over.

That's what hurts the most: the realization that it is all over. That was particularly hard to deal with this year, for a couple of reasons. This was my favorite Kansas basketball team, ever. Really, my favorite sports team, ever. Now, this may seem ridiculous to you, and it assuredly is. But, to me, there were three things that made this season so special and, when the time was up, what made it so devastatingly difficult to say goodbye too.

1) Youth -- I'll admit, I'm a sucker for youth. Partly because I'm so young myself, I'm sure, but mostly just because it's fresh. It's exciting. Even when it doesn't really exist (although it usually does), you always get the sense that it will be better in the future. In a word, it provides hope. Ask any coach why they still are coaching, why they stick it out through the 18-hour days and the media pressure and the constant travel, and the nearly unanimous answer will be that they love to see kids grow. It's just fun as hell. Whether it's the next possession, the next half, the next game or even the next month, that far-far-away March that sits at the end of the tunnel. As this team progressed from November to now, it was so much fun to watch.

2) For Once, We Weren't the Odds-On Favorite -- Just like my penchant for youth, I have a strong attachment to the underdog. My favorite Royal of all time (remember, I'm only 17)? Mike Aviles. Chief? Tyler Thigpen. I love the rags-to-riches story, rising from obscurity to come out and shock the world and dominate. And while sure, it isn't like we were the Mike Aviles of CBB this year. Far from it (no, that'd be Missouri). But still, we weren't the can't-miss, number one team in the country. Hell, we were picked to finish tied for 3rd in our own conference. With basketball powerhouse Baylor, no less. So, yeah, it was nice to be an underdog of sorts. We weren't ranekd for most of the season, and nearly all of the non-conference portion. We lost an absolutely embarrassing game to UMass, which bought us a lot of time under-the-radar. After that loss, everyone pretty much discounted us, until we started to make some more noise in the Big 12. But anyways, that's beside the point. The point: it was fun to be the underdog, again. What made last year's Final Four that-much-more special was the fact that we were not commonly picked to do antyhing in either game. It's a fun thing, to be the underdog and to win games. That helped out a lot.

3) Rock Chalk Talk -- I'll try not to make you cry, or anything. And I do want to establish some sort of rep, so I won't be making some heartfelt speech. That's for later. But, the active community here (particularly the 2009 version) was so awesome, it made every game that much better. Every game so much more fun to watch, being able to talk with all of you here about it. It was the icing that capped it off for me, making this my favorite season ever.

But, even the best things in the world must be leave us. It's sad, but it's true. And, the great thing about sports is there's always next season. So, with Cole and Sherron announcing they are up for another go-around, and the recruiting mess likely to be solved at some point with us picking up another commit (at this point, I'm leaning towards Lance, but whatever), next season will be way different. We won't be a ridiculously experienced team, but we won't really have this whole "youth" thing to fall back on. We will be on everyone's radar, and are most people's #1 Overall right now (whatever that means). And, this site should (hopefully) continue to grow, and next season should be an even better, awesome-r place to hang out.

So, on that positive night, I bid adieu to the 2008-09 season. It was a blast. My favorite ride ever. But it's over.

Time to move on.

Plus, we're totally winning it all in 2010!

* Note: I actually do have one more post scheduled that kind of wraps up the whole season. The plan is to release it sometime this weekend. So, yeah, I kinda-sorta lied here. But really, I'm moving past it. And yes, I realize I'm the last person in the world to move past. But hey, that's who I am. This is sad, and just proves I have no life, but it's like Kansas basketball is my girl. And, it gets quite serious towards the end. But then, she leaves. Blech. I'm really not that big of a loser, though, I promise.

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Tonight Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich announced their intentions to return to the University of Kansas and play one more season for Bill Self and the Jayhawks

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Tonight it's official.  Recent weeks have been running wild with speculation of 5 star recruits and a potential fit with the Kansas Jayhawks.  However tonight they landed two high caliber stars for a second time when team leaders Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins announced their intentions to return to school for one more go around.

Aldrich will return to Kansas as one of the top big men in the country after a sophomore season averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks per contest.  Cole was particularly impressive down the stretch in the NCAA tournament where he recorded the first official triple double in Kansas basketball history.

Collins returns for his senior season and what is quickly becoming one of the more successful careers in Kansas basketball history.  The uncontested heart and soul of the Jayhawks in 08'-09' Collins averaged 19 points and 5 assists in his first season as a full time starter for the Jayhawks.  Collins always seemed to save his best performances for the games that mattered most scoring 26 against the Oklahoma Sooners and 25 agains the MIssouri Tigers in back to back games that ultimately earned the Jayhawks their fifth consecutive Big 12 conference crown.

The return of these two pieces combined with a far more experienced corp group will make the Jayhawks a team to reckon with next season.  Throw in the mix top 40 recruits Elijah Johnson, Jeff Withey and Thomas Robinson along with a possible surprise late and the future looks aweful bright.

The decision to stay holds pluses and minuses for both but ultimately both Aldrich and Collins have a lot to gain from another season in the college game.

Why this is the right decision after the jump...

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Awards time, folks. You know, that one awkward Banquet, or whatever, at the end of the year for the big-money boosters. Yeah, it's kinda like that, but way better in every way, because no Banquet is involved. Only the internet.

Of course, Sherron won't be coming on to accept his award(s), so I suppose that kind of makes it worse. You can just get over it, though, yes?

In this edition, we nominate the Game of the Year. Was there really any question?

Game of the Year -- Missouri 65 vs. Kansas 90 (March 1st)

Oh, what a game. It wasn't just that we hate Missouri. It wasn't just that Missouri was a Top Ten team. It wasn't just that we had lost so torturously a month before on a back-breaking, last-second shot. It wasn't just a chance to essentially clinch up the Big 12 Regular Season title. It wasn't just that Kirk Hinrich, always a crowd favorite, was getting his jersey hung up in the rafters at halftime.

It was all of it, jam-packed into 16,300 Jayhawk fans ready to scream their asses off. And it was that, more than anything, that made it so special. So, so special.

It was loud an hour before tip. Five minutes before, it was deafening. Seconds before the ref tossed the ball up in the air to officially begin the game, you couldn't hear the person breathe next to you.

That was all before the game. The actual, physical, 40 minutes of gametime? Oh boy.

It started out well. Really, well times a million. A quick, early lead quickly turned into something ridiculous. By the time the first half was over, we were up 26-points, 45-19, and the game was over. Way, way over.

The place didn't get quiet, though. Certainly not. There were John Brown posters to show off,  and Rock Chalk chants to close it out with.

I wasn't there. I didn't even show up to the OGT, the only 2009 OGT I wasn't a part of (yes, that's true...no, I don't have a life). And yet, it was so, painfully obvious just how big this game was. All of the perfect elements combined to make it the most enjoyable experience possible.

Honorable Mention -- Kansas @ Oklahoma (Feb. 23rd)

In terms of watchability for your partisan fan, this was certainly the pick. Kansas-Missouri in Columbia too, but it wasn't as well-played as the one down in Norman, and the result wasn't good. KU-OU, though, was fantastic. Particularly the end-of-game, Sherron Collins vs. Willie Warren show. Sherron, man what a performance. But, you all know everything about that.

Next Up: Moment of the Year is a really stupid category, really, so I disbanded it. Plus, I couldn't think of a definitive moment.

Previous Editions: Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year

Note: I know that we're well beyond basketball season, but I just don't want to let this season die. I enjoyed these past 4 months more than just about any other 4 months of my life. Honestly. A lot of it is because of all of you, too, so I thank you all. But, no, I won't quite let this season die down yet. I have at least one more post planned, kind of like a farewell. It's just about whether that's the next one to show up, or not.

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Sherron Collins, everyone's most wanted signature. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Awards time, folks. You know, that one awkward Banquet, or whatever, at the end of the year for the big-money boosters. Yeah, it's kinda like that, but way better in every way, because no Banquet is involved. Only the internet.

Of course, Sherron won't be coming on to accept his award(s), so I suppose that kind of makes it worse. You can just get over it, though, yes?

In this edition, the final player-related RCT award of 2009, we hand out the big one. And, to no surprise to anyone, this one was painfully easy...

Player fof the Year -- G Sherron Collins (Jr.)

It's a funny exercise, to imagine this season without Sherron Collins. It seems silly, and trivial, and pointless. But, it gives you true meaning just how much he meant to this team. Just from a statistical, offense-and-defense point-of-view, we lose more games. Maybe a lot more, maybe just a handful. But, a substantial amount more. That's without question.

More importantly, though, Sherron was the flag bearer for this team. He would go out there and guard the opposing team's point guard, keeping him out of the lane. He would lead the team with 19 points and dish out 5 assists. All while playing 38 minutes and taking the team on his back. And then he'd proceed to get heavily criticized in the media, by message board lifers, even by me. He took too many shots, didnt pass the ball enough, sat on the bench for too long, committed too many turnovers, didn't play good enough defense. It's ridiculous, really. But, mostly it was the first one: his shot selection.

Really, you could tell the season's story through the eye of Sherron Collins' shot selection. At the beginning of the year, Bill Self made it a big deal to let everyone in the media know that he wanted Sherron to shoot 20 times a game. However, this quickly proved to be a fautly strategy, as our offense would become far too much one-dimensional late in the game, when we "needed" a bucket so badly. He felt all of that pressure, the task of defending a National Championship resting solely on his shoulders.

He was perfect for this situation, though. If you could have picked one player of of last year's team to come back, eligibility and NBA futures be damned, I would have chosen Sherron. Put simply, he has the attitude for it. The Chicago swagger this team needed so bad.

As a whole, this team lacked confidence. It's a common element of youth: uncertainty. We needed someone to step up and take on a me-against-the-world mentality. We were the defending National Champions, with a Target-sized bullseye on our backs, with a bunch of wide-eyed, inexperienced underclassmen tasked with keeping it that way.

All except their leader. And that was really his most impressive accomplishment. Sure, think about how we would have fared in any number of games without #4, and we might not even make the NCAA Tournament. Statistics-wise, he was as integral to our success as any player in the country. But he provided so much more.

He was everything we needed. No, he wasn't perfect. He did, quite often, shoot too much and pulled up from 18-feet too often. His turnovers against Michigan State played a big role in doing us in. And yet, that made it all the better. He fell victim to the same pratfalls that killed our team all year long (in some order, three-point shooting, defensive lapses and turnovers), and still alway beyond them.

If he comes back, as it looks like he will, he should have his jersey hanging proudly in the rafters. As maligned as he was this past season, it's only because of what we needed from him. We, as a fanbase, required more from Sherron than any player in a long, long while. Since Danny Manning graduated, I can't think of a single player that we so depended on to do everything right, and all of the time.

Better than anyone else in the country, really, Sherron filled that void.

Honorable Mention -- C Cole Aldrich (Soph.)

Duh, right? Cole is the man, and we badly needed his umpteen rebounds a game and double-figures in the scoring tally. When Sherron wasn't on, it's always nice to have the security blanket a 6'11" center provides. He will almost certainly be the better pro, and is almost assuredly more athletic than any other player on our team. He could be so incredible, it isn't even funny. But, statistically, Sherron was the better player. And that isn't even getting into the whole pyschological aspect.

Next Up: Game of the Year (Sunday Noonish), Moment of the Year (Sunday PM)

Previous Editions: Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Freshman of the Year