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.

 

 

Just this past week, the Big 12 Conference schedule was announced. And from a this-team-is-going-to-be-young perspective, it works out pretty well for the Jayhawks.

The opening six games are painfully easy, with only a trip up to Lincoln and a should-be-improved Cornhuskers team even posing a threat of a loss. Directly following that is what probably will be the toughest in-conference test of the year, a trip to Waco to face the talent-laden Baylor Bears, a game that will be a tremendous test for the Jayhawks. And then, following the Baylor game, the Oklahoma game in Norman sticks out. Boomer Sooner, despite the epic domination put forth by Kansas and Texas the past couple-of-years, should be the conference favorite this season. Making a trip down to the conference favorite is no fun, and if I were to tell you the most likely conference loss of the season, I'll go here. Finally, we are treated to two March battles against the Texas schools; Texas Tech and Texas. While it won't contain all of the National Title implications of the past five years, the Kansas-Texas battle should be yet another epic battle. 

Looking at the sixteen conference games, you can fairly easily break up the games into three separate categories. Should-be victories, 50/50 games, and likely-losses. In previous seasons, the third category would remain empty. However, with us losing every single 'name' off of last year's team save Sherron Collins, the incredibly young Jayhawks figure to be the underdog in at least a handful of games, likely losing more this season than the previous two years combined.

Group 1 :: "99%" Victories

1. vs. Colorado
2. vs. Kansas State
3. vs. Nebraska
4. vs. Oklahoma State
5. vs. Missouri
6. vs. Iowa State
7. vs. Texas A&M
8. @ Colorado

Group 2 :: 50/50 Tossups

1. @ Nebraska
2. @ Iowa State
3. @ Kansas State
4. @ Missouri
5. @ Texas Tech
6. vs. Texas

Group 3 :: Should-Be Losses

1. @ Baylor
2. @ Oklahoma

I probably put a little too many games in Group 2, but I didn't want to come off too arrogant.

More actual analysis and such regarding the upcoming football season only hours away...

ROCK CHALK!

The 2006 Class had Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.

The 2007 Class had Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.

The 2008 Class, as of right now, has nobody who is going to show up and knock your socks off. Some future stars in the pros, sure, and maybe an All-American here-or-there, but there doesn't appear to be a freshman, much less a duo, to change the landscape of college basketball, at least in their freshman season.

The 2009 Class has John Wall, Lance Stephenson and Xavier Henry. Plus a handful of others. But of all of those future-stars, I like Xavier Henry the most. And while Bill Self will never be able to cite a lack of talent as a reason for failure to win another Championship, he is far too good of a recruiter for that to happen, the recruitment of Xavier Henry, or X, feels so much different. We have been in on him for what seems like since the day Bill Self was hired (in all actuality his sophomore season in High School, unofficially) and his recruitment has been extremely public. He has unveiled numerous different list of "finalists", most recently narrowing his list of colleges down to only Kansas and Memphis, only to later renege his cut of certain schools, resupplying the list with numerous potential destinations. But one name has always been there, associated with almost every single recruiting move made by Xavier; Kansas. And so, all along, it has generally been assumed that he was an ever-so-slight lean to KU, and eventually, after all of the circus and hullabaloo of the recruitment process had run its course, for him to publicly declare his intention to be a Jayhawk. But it has yet to happen, and with the recent news of him expanding his list from simply Kansas and Memphis to include Texas and UCLA his assumed final destination of Kansas has become nebulous. 

But we have to be his final destination. It just has to work out. Quite possibly the most important event in the next 12 months of Kansas Basketball will be the press conference Xavier Henry throws, because it is more like a party anyways, stating his choice of college. Because if it isn't Kansas, it could bring some nasty ramifications along with it.

Reasons why after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Tomorrow, in the glitz-and-glam of New York, the 2008 NBA Draft will take place. And with the new, one-year-of-college-is-mandatory rule, you should recognize almost every single name said, with the exception of a small-school prospect here and an International prospect there. There has already been numerous trades finalized, and the whole Beasley-or-Rose debate surrounds the first couple of picks. However, with all three eligible North Carolina Tar Heels returning to school to team up with Psycho T for another season, the top-part of the Draft will be dominated by one team: the Kansas Jayhawks. Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur all entered the Draft early, and all figure to be highly-prized commodities from just about any team 10 and on. All three could go as high as the late Lottery, and all figure to be gone by 20-or-so no matter what happens. No other teammates, other than the Lopez twins from Stanford, figure to both go in the 1st round, although Chris Douglas-Roberts could sneak his way into the bottom 5 of the first round.

While Mario, Brandon and Darrell will draw all of the Kansas-targeted attention, in all actuality, there are five Jayhawks who stand a possiblity of having their name be called tomorrow night. Both Darnell and Sasha have a shot at sneaking into the bottom portion of the second round, although Sasha's appeal will be hampered by the contract he signed on Sunday with CSKA. It will be interesting to see how high the Top 3 go, and if the Bottom 2 get selected at all. Here is a player-by-player breakdown of a best-case scenario, a worst-case scenario and my personal prediction.

Brandon Rush :: Brandon is the most NBA-ready of the bunch, as he is basically a college senior, age-wise, because of his year spent in prep school. He could compete in an NBA game tomorrow without too much difficulty, and should play a large role on which ever team selects him. He figures to be a strong defender at the next level as well as a 3-point specialist of sorts, although he has been shooting up Draft Boards across the league because of his driving ability he has shown off workout-after-workout. While at Kansas, in the zone-heavy congested langes of college basketball, Brandon stuck more to the perimeter, opting to fire up long balls and dish it around to his teammates as opposed to taking his opponent one-on-one to the rack. However, workouts show that this wasn't necessarily an indication of style preference or even lack of ability; it was simply him following the whole 'team concept'. He has been driving all over everyone in workouts, causing him to become a multi-faceted offensive threat to go along with his defensive impressiveness. Thus, the heightened interest.

With all of that said, here is where he figures to end up.

Best Case :: #11 - Portland Trailblazers

Worst Case :: #15 - Phoenix Suns

Most Likely :: #15 - Phoenix Suns

Saying that #15 is as low as Rush will go might be over-doing it, and I guess it is possible that he could slide past the Suns, particularly if the Suns trade out of the pick for a more established vet. That being said, all indications point heavily to the Suns coveting Rush, loving his D and his dual threat on O. Plus, if things break the right way, he could find his way in the starting lineup early on, replacing the traded-away Shawn Marion.

Mario Chalmers :: Speaking of jumping up Draft Boards after workouts, no one has improved their stock more through team-by-team workouts than Super Mario. Put simply, he has wowed at these workouts, which combined with his obvious 'clutchness' because of his absolutely frickin' unbelievable three-pointer against Memphis, has skyrocketed him from the low 20s all the way up to as high as the Lotto. The main concern upon him entering the Draft was his height, and it forcing him to be a  PG-or-bust. Considering that he never truly played the position in college, it seemed preposterous for him to be a high-1st-round pick, with all of the risk involved in him having to become a precious PG. However, in his workouts he has displayed almost everything necessary in a PG, and has proven to most of the teams pursuing a point that he is capable of filling the role. Entering the night, he could have gone as high as #11, to the PG-starved Indiana Pacers, but their trade of Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for a package including PG TJ Ford likely ends that possibility. Still, him going at 12 to the Kings is still a distinct possibility, one that Chad Ford predicts in his latest Mock. For a Kings' fan reaction to Mario Chalmers going to Sactown, check this out. With all of the teams in need of a PG, Chalmers, having proved that he should be a point at the next level, should be a top-half selection. However, there is little chance he falls all the way down to the 20s, where I originally felt he was most likely to go. My, how a month and a whole-lottta-workouts can change that sorta stuff.

Best Case :: #12 - Sacramento

Worst Case :: #19 - Cleveland

Most Likely :: #12 - Sacramento

Again, maybe my Most Likely is a little on the optimistic side, but everything I've read seems to point to him going at 12. Sacramento badly needs a point, and while DJ Augustin might still be available, if he is gone Mario is clearly the best available option.

Darrell Arthur :: My, how his stock has fallen. Well, actually, his stock has only precipitated a handful of picks, but it seems to be a much heavier drop because of the rise of his Kansas teammates, Rush and Chalmers. While he was originally projected in the Lottery, to Sacramento most often, he has now been passed up by the potential Lotto picks of Rush and Chalmers, while Arthur now seems to sit comfortably on the Lottery bubble. He still has an outside shot at getting picked up at #12, if they pass on Chalmers, or even at #11 with possible interest from the Pacers. Still, he will likely be the last of the Big Three to hear his name called tomorrow night, an entirely unanticipated event that no one would have believed only a month ago.

Best Case :: #11 - Indiana

Worst Case :: #28 - Memphis

Most Likely :: #18 - Washington

Again, DA is easily the most difficult to project among the Big Three. He could, although it is hardly a predictable possibility, end up going higher than his 'Best Case', and he also could slide, potentially, beyond #28 at Memphis. However, he more than likely will fall somewhere in that area, although your guess is as good as mine as far as which team actually calls out his name.

Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun :: Both are dirty-work bruisers, although Sasha does hold one large advantage over D-Block: size. Darnell came in at slightly less than 6'8", not all that great for a big bruiser like Darnell is, as he will almost always be matched up with much taller, larger opponents. However, he still will have a role on whichever team selects him as an end-of-bench garbage man who will do all of the rebounding you need. Same with Sasha, although his deal with CSKA likely killed any chances of him getting selected. However, rumor has it that the deal he signed with CSKA has a buyout option after a year or two, so he could become an attractive option to someone like the Boston Celtics, who could afford a year-or-two of development in Europe while they still maintain his rights. Because, in all technicalities for Thursday's Draft, Sasha technically counts as an international player because of his contract.

in summation, all five figure to be very interesting to watch when and/or if then get picked. The Big Three will draw all the headlines from the Kansas perspective, and rightly so, but it will be equally intriguing in my eyes to see where the senior backbones of our program, Sasha and Darnell and even Russell off a UDFA contract, will end up.

More Draft coverage tomorrow, with quick updates following each Jayhawk news, note or selction.

ROCK CHALK!

At the behest of SwedishHamma, although this should have been a regular feature already, we will start going in-depth on all of the incoming and potential recruits in both basketball and football. With us already concentrating on the football season, I will begin with previewing the basketball recruits; all seven of whom figure to be important next season, with all that professional basketball has taken from us. I will be previewing them in order from worst-to-first (of course, this is simply my opinion; reasonable minds can and will disagree), beginning with the lone 3-STAR recruit in our class, according to Rivals: Quintrell Thomas.

THE BASICS

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 225 Lbs.

Position: PF

Rivals Stars: 3

Scout Stars: 4

THE HIGH SCHOOL CAREER

Quintrell Thomas played at Saint Patrick's High School, a miniscule school in Elizabethtown, New Jersey which has only 250 kids. In the entire school. However, despite the relatively minute talent pool to choose from, they were one of the premier high school basketball programs last season, led by their two Division 1 prospects, Quintrell and Dexter Strickland (who is on his way to Chapel Hill). Last season, however, Thomas and Strickland teamed up with Jeff Robinson and Corey Fisher, who played as freshmen for Memphis and Villanova, respectively. The foursome took home a New Jersey State Championship, beating the famed Bobby Hurley Sr.-led St. Anthony's squad. But that isn't all that important. Because of the other talent on the roster, Thomas was cast off as a role player of sorts, a rebounder-and-dunker who rarely was granted the opportunity to showcase his more-athletic skills.

This season, on the other hand, provided Thomas an opportunity to shine. And while his recruitment was hot in the fall, when he decided to narrow it down to Kansas, Maryland, UNLV and Rutgers, he became a big name in the recruiting world months after his October 23rd committment to the Jayhawks. As has been done for years, some of the best High School programs in both New York and New Jersey meet up in January for 'Super Six', which showcases the best programs in the two states. The games, all of which are played at the revered Madison Square Garden, featured four teams that were in USA Today's Super 25, the lowest of which was ranked 12th (Russell Robinson's alma mater, Rice High School). Saint Patrick's took on Saint Raymond's, the #8 team in the entire country, where, under the bright lights of national exposure, Quintrell Thomas exploded. 25 points, 13 rebounds, game MVP. Scout's Mike Sullivan summarized the game by saying:

But the best player on the court was Thomas, who slammed home six dunks and electrified the crowd with his around the rim play.

ESPN's Christopher Lawlor also had all positives on Quintrell Thomas:

Thomas' elite performance included 25 points, making 9 of 11 shots (and three dunks), 13 rebounds (10 defensive) and three blocks in 30 minutes.

"He brought an intimidation factor for the quick guards that like to slice," St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle said.

Patrick Stevens of CSTV included a lengthy quote from Thomas' Coach, Kevin Boyle, regarding Quintrell:

"He brought the intimidation factor we were looking for," Boyle said of his stud 6-foot-7 power forward. "Going up against those city guards who get to the rim and can create, I told him if he has to get a goaltend right away then we'll take it. He gave us a good 5 or 7 shot blocks, did his usual consistent rebounding, and was able to knock down that face-up jumper he's been working at."

And finally, Austin Burton of Dime Magazine, in its report card on the Super Six event, had a glowing report of Quintrell:

Every time you looked up, Thomas was getting a dunk on the collective heads of St. Ray’s. Of his nine made field goals, at least six or seven were dunks. The Kansas-bound forward was, as St. Pat’s coach Kevin Boyle said, “A man against high school guys.” And while he was given credit for three rejections, Quintrell also altered a ton of shots and set the tone early as a shot-blocking presence that St. Raymond’s guards didn’t want to challenge.

Every single person who was at the Super Six event wrote glowingly of Quintrell, in what could have been the best game (considering the stage, opposition, etc.) of his entire life. He knocked down the mid-range jumper, he was a major force in the paint altering shots left-and-right and he was a factor above the rim. This Super Six output, 25 points 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, is likely the celing of his Kansas career. But more on that later; Quintrell's High School career did not end following his magical Super Six performance.

Just as in 2006, and what seemed like every year, St. Pat's and St. Anthony's met up in the State Championship game. This time, however, with the absence of Fisher and Robinson, the game went in Bobby Hurley Sr.'s favor, forcing Quintrell's High School career to end in disappointment.

THE RECRUITMENT

We already went over Quintrell's finalists (Kansas, Maryland, UNLV and Rutgers) before he finally decided on coming to Kansas, but what led to that decision. After all, as he said, he knows almost the entire Rutgers basketball team, and with that being his homestate team-and-all, wouldn't that be his choice. Of course, looking at it the other way, it is no contest. Rutgers, every year, fights-and-scraps just to be included in the Big East Tournament, having finished in the Top 12 in the conferece. They stand little chance of improving enough to skyrocket to an NCAA Tournament before Quintrell's eligibility clock runs out of time. Kansas, on the other hand, was coming off an Elite Eight appearance (at the time of his decision) with a legitimate chance of winning a National Title in the immediate future. Plus, that whole legacy thing. So, as we all know, Quintrell selected Kansas.

How did the recruiting services rate Quintrell, the Kansas commit? Scout was kinder to Quintrell than Rivals was, making him a 4-STAR recruit as opposed to Rivals' 3-STAR ranking. In terms of other Power Forwards, Scout was again more favorable, ranking him the 32nd best power forward as opposed to Rivals' 38th overall ranking. Overall rankings-wise, Rivals is more negative, ranking him at #150 compared to Scout ranking him 77th overall. What makes Scout's assessment of Quintrell especially odd is that they list him as 6'7", an entire inch shorter than Rivals' more generous listing of 6'8". Given the fact that the position he plays is wildly dependent on each-and-every inch, it is either a positive or negative, depending on how you look at it, that a) Scout likes him a lot even though they list him as 6'7" or b) Rivals doesn't like him as much, despite listing him an inch taller. Of course, I am probably blowing this way out of proportion, but it is kind of interesting. 

Since he has come to Kansas in June, in order to attend Summer School, Quintrell has shown himself off twice to Kansas fans; at the Alumni Games at Bill Self's two separate weeks of his Basketball Camp. Julian Wright has dominated both games, Quintrell Thomas had himself two quality games. The first game, Quintrell dominated the glass, being the only big not named Cole Aldrich on the current roster, grabbing a game-high 11 points while picking up 13 points. Even more promising than the 13-and-11 line is Julian Wright's approval, of which he gave early and often regarding Quintrell: "Quintrell is looking really good". Plus, in a Q&A afterwards, Julian again was optimistic regarding Quintrell (and his roomate and fellow New Jerseyite Tyshawn Taylor), stating "Quintrell (Thomas, freshman) looked good, putting the ball on the floor, knocking down shots." However, that was only the first of two alumni games. The second one, Quintrell again impressed, scoring 15 points and grabbing 7 of the few rebounds that weren't immediately snatched away by the never-ending reach of Cole Aldrich's arms.

THE EXPECTATIONS

This first season, his freshman year, will be a telling one on how good Quintrell Thomas should end up being. With his height, his mostly (for a Kansas recruit, at least) low-key recruitment and his style of play Quintrell has often been compared to Darnell Jackson. And, of course, Darnell wasn't all that great of a player, relatively of course, until his senior season, where he exploded to go all crazy on all of us. Still, given the uncertainty regarding the Morris Twins and the complete dearth of all other bigs on our roster (besides Cole Aldrich, of course), Quintrell will be depended upon from the onset. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised for him to start from Game One and not be supplanted unless one of the Morris twins (most likely Markieff) thoroughly outplays Quintrell. All of this scares me. Kansas fans, what with our history and all that, expect a high-quality product to be placed on the court at all times. And, frankly, a team that starts Quintrell Thomas at the very beginning of his freshman year probably isn't going to be cutting down nets in the immediate future. So, while Quintrell has the potential to be awesome, he and the rest of his classmates will go through a learning curve.

One positive is that he did play high-quality competition, and frequently, while in High School. He shouldn't be as intimidated because of that, especially considering that he played with a 5-STAR recruit two years ago in High School in Corey Fisher. And, as the quotes have shown, he is an explosive player around the rim, something that Darnell never really was. From what I have read, he seems to be more athletic than Darnell, and has the potential to be a better rebounder than Darnell, and soon. Just like Darnell, he is supposed to play with a boatload of passion and heart and all of those intangibles that are often overrated in mostly non-emotional sports such as baseball, but are wildly important in basketball. Oh, and he can really dunk.

On the negative side of the ledger, there is one thing that he and Darnell have in common: lack of size. While listed at 6'8" by Rivals, most people who have seen him claim that he looks to be pushing 6'7", which is awfully small for a Big 12 PF. Still, given all of his intangibles and rebounding ability and all that fun stuff, it should work out, especially with Big Cole banging down low with him for much of the night. But the biggest negative I see in his game, and it isn't really close, is his lack of a consistent mid-range jumper. He has never had to knock it down, with his dexterity close tot he basket, but he will have to be able to step out and knock it down at Kansas. Plus, he seems to have gotten by on the Darrel-Arthur-patented-turnaround-fadeaway-unblockable-jumper, although the reports I've read lead me to believe it isn't as impossible-to-stop as DA's is. ESPN's Joel Fransisco lays into Quintrell in really the only negative thing I read when reasearching:

Quintrell Thomashas a chiseled frame with long arms and soft hands, but his post game, other than a solid looking turn-around jump shot, needs to tighten up to be an effective scorer in the Big 12 Conference.

Agreed on all accounts. And if Quintrell is really going to be starting for us soon, he should be in the gym bright-and-early every day, working on the jumper.

The jumper will be the key to his success, not only this season but his entire career at KU. If he proves that he is a force to be reckoned with from the perimeter, he will stretch out the defense, which will help out Big Cole a ton. However, while the jumper is the longterm key to success, he will need to rebound from the onset for him to be productive.

In summation, I think that Quintrell will have a career similar to that of Darnell Jackson's, but with a quicker learning curve. I expect him to be able to contribute this year and next moreso than Darnell, and then have the same massive improvements that Darnell had going into his senior season, transforming himself from a bench-guy to a starter on a National Championship team. And frankly, as long as everyone else in the class (I'm looking at you Marcus and Markieff) gets the 'OK' and is ready for the start of the season, that would be quite a haul from a guy that has gone this unregarded.

ROCK CHALK!

Editor's Note: This was a new thing for me, and I wasn't really sure how to do it. So, any of you who actually read my stuff, is this good? Is this what you want, Sweed? I know it is still kind of research-driven-reading, and isn't an update, but it is recruiting. I do plan on doing updates and stuff, but I wanted to try this out. Feel free to criticize or whatevs, the goal is to post what you guys want.

I'm really sorry about the lack of activity around here, I have been swamped in the weeks since our glorious National Championships.

And, unfortunately, it won't be getting much better in the next couple of weeks.

For the next three-or-so weeks, it will be tough to find time, at all, to blog. I will try to do it as often as possible, but it might have to wait until mid-Mayish. After that, though, this blog will be crazy-busy. I promise.

Now, on to the real reason I'm posting. Mario Chalmers declared for the 2008 NBA Draft, but chose not to sign an agent. And while it seems weird now that he actually did declare, ever since his shot fell through the hoop (well, let's say a couple of days following that shot, giving me time to recover) I figured that he would be at least declaring for the NBA Draft. I still wouldn't be surprised if he comes back to school for another year, and with this weekend being semi-free will probably talk about it, but if he is guaranteed to be a first round pick, no way he comes back.

Really, it comes down to one, simple fact. If some team at the bottom of the Draft guarantees him to be drafted in the first round, at some point, I bet he stays in the Draft. If no such guarantee is made, and it looks more and more likely that he will drop into the second round, I hope (and think) that he will come back to school for another year and try and get into the first round next season.

I stick by my original with-Mario-without-Mario predictions. A Mario Chalmers-led 2008-09 Kansas basketball team has a chance to win an NCAA title (albeit a small chance), but a Kansas team without Chalmers probably has the Elite Eight as its ceiling.

Please, Mario, come back.

ROCK CHALK!

As was fully expected since the day we cut down the nets in San Antonio, both Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur declared for the 2008 NBA Draft today. Because Brandon declared then returned last season, he has now officially played his last game in a Kansas uniform.

This isn't a surprise by any stretch, because if he doesn't tear his ACL last May in a pre-draft camp, he is a bench player on a contender right now. And once he decided to come back, almost exclusively because of his ACL tear, it was pretty much accepted that he would try again for the League after a year of returning to health. Of course, while he was here he helped us win a National Championship, which was sweet of him, but even if we lose a heartbreaking game in the Championship game, Rush still declares today.

As far as Darrell Arthur goes, he can still technically return to Kansas, as he has yet to sign an agent. Still, he figures to have played his last game in a Kansas uniform as well, unless another freak injury happens to him like it happened to Brandon last year. He will likely be a mid first round pick, bringing with it a sizable amount of dough. Of course, his departure to the League doesn't come completely out-of-the-blue, as many thought he was a one-and-done when he signed his LOI to come to Kansas. And coming into this season, after he (smartly) decided to return for his sophomore season, I generally expected this year to be his last in Lawrence.

So, the news today that they are both going to the NBA comes as little shock to me. The very strong odds that this would be their last season only increased as we made our way through the NCAA Tournament, especially as both players led the way in our charge towards a National Championship.

The real question is what will Mario Chalmers do. Before the Tournament, I didn't really consider it a real possibility that he would leave for the NBA after this season. Now, after quite a six-game stretch highlighted by his awesome and amazing three-pointer to tie the Championship, he has drawn a bunch of interest nationwide, including from some NBA scouts. His decision will be crucial in how well we do next year, as a team without Mario will have little chance at winning it all next season. However, a team that returns Mario and Sherron, along with bringing in a whole bunch of talent (namely twins Markieff and Marcus Morris; a great article on them can be found here), could make a sneaky run towards a Final Four next season.

But I am getting ahead of myself. First, let's take a look at some pros and cons about Mario's possible departure to the NBA, from Mario's perspective and leaving the selfish desires of the KU fan base (especially me) alone.

Why He Should Stay:

• To improve your draft stock. Right now, Mario is thought of as a late first rounder at best, and most likely an early second rounder. That is some pretty good money, sure, but not nearly the level that a mid first rounder makes, which is what Mario could be if he came back and played really good basketball. Plus, Mario is only 6'1" and has never really handled the point guard duties full time. And while he would likely be more of a shooting guard next year as well, behind Sherron Collins, he would play a much bigger role in the offense and he could prove that he could be a point guard. Because at 6'1", it will be awfully tough to break into an NBA rotation as a shooting guard.
• Senior Day. Anyone who has ever been to Allen Field House on Senior Day, especially a Senior Day of some of the more "popular" players, knows how special it can be, for both the players and the fans. And despite being what would essentially be the only scholarship senior giving a speech, with the other three members of his class (Micah Downs, Julian Wright and Brandon Rush) all having transferred or left early for the NBA, the place would be rocking for him. With his shot, he basically allowed us the opportunity to win a National Championship, and it was probably the biggest shot in school history. So, yea, that experience alone could be worth waiting on the riches for another year.

Why He Should Leave:

• Possible injury. He could get hurt, threatening his possibilities of getting draft in the next draft. It would really suck to turn down almost-guaranteed riches only to throw it all away because of an injury. Still, the chances of an un-healable injury occurring are pretty slim, and even a pretty devastating injury, like a torn ACL, isn't career-ending, as Brandon Rush proved this season.
• Decreasing value. If he is given the point guard job, and struggles to adapt to it, it will limit an NBA team's intent to draft him and try and convert him to a PG. Plus, another year in college is a whole other year 'lost' in terms of developing as an NBA player, although playing everyday at Kansas isn't exactly a complete lack of training.

Whichever way you look at it, you can't be mad at Mario. If he decides to go to the NBA, there should be no angry calls from the fan base. Playing in the NBA is a big-time dream for nearly everyone in the upper levels of college basketball, and to wait an entire year for that dream to come true has to be pretty tough. Not to mention the immediate financial rewards allowed if you do get drafted in the NBA.

However, while I certainly won't be mad if Mario decides to take his game to the NBA, that won't stop me from actively hoping that he decides to come back to school for another year. Because with him, we have an outside shot at repeating. Without Mario, and I am highly doubting a run that extends beyond the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

ROCK CHALK!

Before we delve into breakdowns of players and such, I want to defend the title. Sure, this is our third National Championship, and the 1988 one was awfully special, with the whole underdog thing and all. Still, that was 20 years ago, and it isn't one of those years where everyone knows who one. Because of the late-game dramatics, and the incredible shot Mario Chalmers made, I have a feeling that this game will have a larger (and longer) impact on the minds of college basketball fans. You think Kansas, you think of the 2008 National Championship game and Mario's Miracle. Therefore, the greatest night in KU basketball history, because it will symbolize our program for awhile, at least IMO. But I digress.

I will break it up into three sections: what I liked, what I was 50/50 on and what I didn't like. And yes, even while winning a National Championship there was still some stuff I wasn't a fan of.

The Good
Mario Chalmers :: I think that just 'good' is an understatement, considering that he essentially gave us a National Championship with his shot. But, moving past the shot, he still played a pretty good game. He had scored 13 points up to that point, including making all of his freebies. You know, the shots that cost us the 2003 National Championship, and opened the door for us to win the 2008 NC. And yes, five years later no one really remembers the whole 15-32 debacle from the free throw line outside of Kansas fans, so eventually this whole "Memphis gave away the game to KU" will die down and people will only remember the shot. Plus, he played solid defense on his assignment, Antonio Anderson, holding him to only 9 points and forcing the two-headed monster to beat us by themselves. Of course, they nearly did, but more on that later.

Darrell Arthur :: For the second straight game, a Jayhawk player played a fantastic game, and I didn't really figure it out until I looked at the box score. DA put up a 20/10 double-double, and while the play that most sticks in my head is his non-box-out with under 20 seconds to go, which almost gave away our last shot at victory. Of course, even if we hadn't still found a way to get the game to OT, he sitll played a great game. Not only did he play tremendous on offense, providing our only 'real' low post option on offense (I continually found myself saying: "get the ball to Arthur!"), he also played great defense on the Memphis bigs. Taggart was completely ineffective, and while Dozier had himself a pretty nice game, their most important big, Joey Dorsey, was essentially invisible throughout the game.

Sherron Collins :: SC's line isn't incredible: 11 points, 6 assists, 4 boards. Still, without SC (as Dana O'Neill writes) no way we win this game. While I never fully gave up hope, I didn't honestly think we could come back until SC's soaring steal, pass while falling out-of-bounds, then to get the pass back and swish the ball through the next. All of a sudden, a seemingly impossible 9 point comeback became a surmountable 4, provided we were lucky with the missed FTs. Plus, SC played pretty good D on all-everything Derrick Rose, who is an absolutely phenomenal player. And after being told all week long that smaller players couldn't handle Rose, they were only partially right. Rose still did end up scoring 18 points, but a large majority of those were after we went into a Box-and-One on CDR, giving Rose way too much room to operate. Once he got going, he started playing like the Superman he was against UCLA. But going back to the point, after everyone claimed Rose would go off against the smaller guards of Kansas, specifically the 5'11" frame of Sherron Collins, they were proved wrong. SC played fantastic defense on Rose, muscling up and forcing Rose to out-physical him to the hoop, where a big would be waiting to help.

Russell Robinson :: Speaking of defense on Rose, everything that SC did Russell did even better. Even while standing 6'1", he played fantastic D on the taller and more-physical Rose, moving his feet and never allowing Rose an open lane to the bucket. That is the key to stopping the DribbleDrive-Motion offense Memphis employs, disallowing the easy layups, and Russell did that to perfection. Rarely does a 2 point, 3 assist, 4 rebound performance in the National Championship game earn you such high honors, but Russell's stats only tell a portion of his story, more than anybody else I've ever watched play this often. It is weird, but his stats have virtually no impact on my judgment of how he plays.

Disclaimer: Everyone who is labeled under either Indifferent or Bad is still greatly appreciated by me and (I hope) all other Kansas fans for their tremendous accomplishments. They all played a crucial role in making this team National Champions, and I am just making remarks about this one game.

The Indifferent
Brandon Rush :: I am incredibly hard on Brandon, I know, but it is only because I know he is capable of greatness. He played OK-not-great on offense and, even though CDR scored 22 points, he played pretty good D. CDR is an out-of-this-world slasher, maybe the best I've ever seen, and he finishes in the weirdest ways. While they look like once-in-a-lifetime shots, his one-arm flailings at the basket, he makes those shots more than he misses them. Which makes him virtually impossible to defend. Plus, the Box-and-One wasn't particularly adept at stopping Rose and CDR, so I am taking some blame away from the players and putting it on Bill Self. Yes, that is probably why he considered leaving. Even after winning a frickin' National Championship, he is criticized.

Darnell Jackson :: Darnell had himself a solid game, although it was overshadowed by the tremendous game DA put up. Still, 8 points and 8 rebounds is pretty impressive, and he was a huge factor in limiting Dorsey's boards.

Bill Self :: While I was watching the game, I wasn't a big fan of switching to the Box-and-One. In fact, me and my dad had an argument about it at halftime. I argued that we shouldn't switch defenses until they proved they could successfully (over a period of time) beat that defense. He argued, and took the side Bill Self eventually took, that you anticipate the success of the Tigers' O and switch before they ever prove they can beat the man-to-man. Of course, no one knows how the man-to-man would have fared during the same timeframe, but we all know that the Box-and-One didn't work. And for that, despite my love for the man, I wasn't as thrilled with Self's decisions on Monday night. Although I did like his tie, as opposed to the hideous dead animal Roy tried to pull off as a tie Saturday night.

The Bad
Sasha Kaun :: Let me preface this with the following: without Sasha Kaun, we don't reach the Final Four. OK, now I feel better about ripping him. For the second straight game, Sasha played pretty poor basketball. He played good defense, just like on Saturday, but not the 'great' defense we saw in Detroit or sporadically throughout the year, and his offense was virtually nonexistent. As incredible as he played up in Detroit, he was little more than a non-factor in San Antonio.

Later on tonight, I will take a look at the likely defections and 'where we go from here', but only in the briefest of forms. Because, in different ways, that is the question we will be answering all offseason here at RCT. For both the football team and the basketball team, 'Where Do We Go From Here?'

ROCK CHALK!

Finally, we are starting to wrap up this whole National Championship thing. The rest of the weekend, we will wrap up the 2007-08 season, before moving on to recapping both the football and basketball seasons. We have months before we actually get to talk about real-life games again, so we will have plenty of time to go over all of this stuff...

Going into Final Four weekend, I said I was searching for some memories over the weekend in San Antonio.

I think Mario Chalmers took care of that.

Those final 10.8 seconds, specifically the 8.7 seconds between the toss-in to Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers' gorgeous shot falling through the net, will always be engrained in my memory. Forever. When I am asked for my favorite memory, my mind will immediately turn to those magical milliseconds in San Antonio, where Mario Chalmers instantaneously became a Kansas legend. And yes, Mario Chalmers changed his life forever in those precious few seconds.

He didn't touch the ball until the clock read "5.1", and the ball had completely left his hand by "4.1". The ball was in contact with his body for all of one second, and the ball went through the next at "2.1". In a matter of three seconds, Mario Chalmers changed his life in more ways than one.

When the clock still read "5.1", Mario Chalmers was merely a great player on an excellent team more known for team qualities than individual star power, and in terms of well-known names, Mario firmly sat behind Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur.

When the clock still read "5.1", Mario was set to go down as a great player in Kansas history, but one that would largely be forgotten once his eligibility had run dry. Sure, Mario had accomplished a bunch of things when the clock still read "5.1", but not nearly enough to garner long-term attention at a history-packed University.

When the clock still read "5.1", Chalmers had yet to make a statement all Tournament long, and had only scored 13 points in the first 39-and-change.

When the clock still read "5.1", most Kansas fans recalled the other two times we had been in similar scenarios, once on the road against Texas and once on the road against Oklahoma State. In both instances, shots clanked off the rim as Kansas lost, and in the Texas game, we ran the same, exact, identical play that we ran to close the National Championship game.

When the clock still read "5.1", 99% of Americans fully expected the Memphis Tigers to win the basketball game, and Billy Packer had already crowned John Calipari's team the National Champions.
When the clock still read "5.1", I recalled my #1 sports memory. We were losing to the Syracuse Orangemen by three, 81-78, and we had the ball in an extremely similar situation to the one we found ourselves in Monday night. In that scenario, we jogged the ball up the court, and Kirk Hinrich found Michael Lee open in the corner. At least, Lee was open until ultra-athletic Hakim Warrick soared into the picture, sending Lee's shot soaring out-of-bounds and essentially diminishing any hope we had of tying the game.

But in just three seconds, all of that changed. Every single bit of it.

When only 2.1 seconds remained in the game, Mario had just become the most-known player on this roster. Every casual fan across the country knew Chalmers' name, as soon as the shot went through the net. 10 years from now, if you are asked to name a player on the 2008 National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, one name will pop out of your mouth before all others. And it won't be Jeremy Case.

When only 2.1 seconds remained, Mario clinched himself a place in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse as well as a special place in the hearts of all Kansas Jayhawk fans. While it is tough seeing anybody pass Danny Manning in the current generation of Kansas fans' hearts, Mario has to be a close second. Pre-shot, when there was still 5.1 left before the final horn sounded, Chalmers was well down the list of 'most beloved Jayhawks', and had little shot at having his number-and-name being hung beside the other Jayhawk greats.

When only 2.1 seconds remained, he not made a statement, he made THE statement of the 2008 NCAA Tournament by making the biggest shot in the Championship Game since Keith Smart's game-winner in 1987.

When only 2.1 seconds remained, all Jayhawk fans screamed in unison, and all agreed that the play that we ran both in Austin and then in San Antonio is the greatest play you could ever possibly run in that situation. Now, obviously I am exaggerating, and there might have been a more efficient play we could have run, but it is impossible to argue with the result.

When only 2.1 seconds remained, jaws dropped across the country, and 99% of America was proved wrong. As was Billy Packer. The had taken a monumental turn, a turn that ended up being the final twist in a game full of lead changes and ties.

When only 2.1 seconds remained, most importantly, tens of thousands of Jayhawk fans, along with millions of other observers, were christened with a new sports memory. Mario Chalmers soaring into the air and firing a shot, over Derrick Rose, that tickled the twine is easily the greatest sports moment of my life. Easily. And all of the ill-feelings about previous Championship game appearances, notably the incredibly similar result of the 2003 Final in New Orleans, suddenly evaporated.

In just three seconds, Mario changed a helluva lot. He changed how he will be remembered in both the eyes of the country and, more importantly, the hearts of Jayhawk fans.

And for that, I love him.

(More to come on actual analysis of everyone else coming a little later on...)

ROCK CHALK!

It actually wasn't that simple, but that is what it seems like Bill Self was choosing between. And it isn't like he is living off peanuts here at Kansas; he just received a five-year extension before the season even started, and to keep him at KU, there will be some added years and dollars to his contract.

Still, it is very comforting to know that our National Championship-winning Coach will be sticking it out here in Lawrence. And if he rejects his hometown team, where he and his wife both went to school, coupled with a fairly substantial raise, he just might be staying the Head Coach in Lawrence for awhile. Like, forever, until the NBA comes calling. Hopefully, at least.

More on the implications and such of this signing, along with all of the other stuff I mentioned, begins tomorrow, but for now here is one more YouTube to commemorate Mario's awesomeness. This is my favorite.

(Hat Tip: Kansas Football - Its Business Time)

ROCK CHALK!