Bill Self and the Jayhawks are expecting three announcements today that could substantially impact the makeup of the Kansas basketball roster heading into the 2011-2012 season. Jamari Traylor, DeAndre Daniels and Trevor Lacey are all expected to make their college decisions known throughout the day today with Lacey being the one set time near 2PM CST.
To give a quick reset, Traylor is a 6'7" athletic power forward out of IMG Academy in Florida. Traylor is a three star prospect that has been rated higher than current signee Braedon Anderson but is still viewed as a three to four year player. Traylor is a traditional big in every way but his height. The comparison to a Roy Williams player Richard Scott has been brought up by Kansas fans. Finalists include Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas Tech.
Daniels is a 6'8" wing forward similar perhaps to Texas' Jordan Hamilton or maybe even a former Jayhawk Paul Pierce. That's not to say that he'll achieve what either of those have but Daniels is the 10th ranked player in the 2011 class and would be the top ranked player in the Jayhawk class if he signs. Finalists for Daniels are Kansas, Texas and Oregon although some are still contending that Duke is in the mix.
Lacey is a 6'4" shooting guard out of Alabama that packs an offensive punch from the outside and is a player that Kansas jumped in on late this spring following Josh Selby's departure. Lacey was considered a heavy Alabama lean at one point and since the end of the NCAA tournament Kentucky fans have been VERY confident that he will be a Wildcat. The latest buzz seems to put him in a Jayhawk uniform but we'll know for certain one way or the other later today.
If you like to win Big 12 championships and you believe in Bill Self, today could be a good day for you. Kansas would take a tremendous step in the right direction and catapult their recruiting class as well as their chances at an eighth straight conference title in the right direction. Not many coaches and not many programs can accomplish that and what exactly the Jayhawks end up with is still up in the air but there seems to be a confident buzz floating around Jayhawk circles when it comes to these players and even two of three helps solidify the rotation and put Kansas in the hunt of what looks to be a down year in the Big 12.