Self sees no recruits on horizon
LAWRENCE - The spring signing period for college basketball ends Wednesday, and Kansas is expected to come up empty.
"We don't have anything going on," KU coach Bill Self said Thursday.
A recruit, of course, can still agree to come to a school after the signing period ends, but that commitment isn't binding until he actually is enrolled and begins attending classes in August.
KU has a history with that process. That's the path Alex Galindo, C.J. Giles and Brandon Rush all took to Lawrence.
And look where they are now. Gone, gone and probably gone.
Which is why Self was hoping to chase down a recruit this spring. It probably would have happened if Brandon Rush hadn't waited until the 11th hour to decide he was going to declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.
The recruiting cupboard was pretty bare by that time. Not that Self is out of options to add to next season's roster. There's always a transfer lurking about.
Self said he doesn't anticipate adding a transfer, but he added, "That doesn't mean it won't happen."
Different look -- Assuming Brandon Rush doesn't pull his name out of the draft hat -- and that's A reasonable assumption given the number of "friends" he has who are anxious to see him turn pro -- the Jayhawks will look a little different next season.
Without Brandon Rush and junior Julian Wright, another sophomore headed for the NBA, the Jayhawks won't have quite the speed factor. They can't, if Self hopes to incorporate 6-11 freshman Cole Aldrich significantly into his plans.
Aldrich has some nice moves and a mature body, but he hasn't shown he can run the floor the way the Jayhawks did this past season.
On the other hand, 6-9 Darrell Arthur can run like the wind and do something when he gets to the other end. If Arthur crawls back out of his shell and fulfills the promise he showed early in his freshman season, the Jayhawks should feel good about their inside game. Combine Darnell Jackson with Sasha Kaun and Aldrich in splitting minutes and KU won't get slapped around inside.
The perimeter will remain KU's strength with Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins. Collins has recovered from the tendinitis in his knee that tripped him up the final few weeks of the season and is working out again.
Look for guard Brady Morningstar to make an impact. He has his limitations, but he's heady enough to make some things happen.
It's not out of the question to think that Morningstar could be the only scholarship player from last season available for the 2008-09 season. Arthur will likely try the NBA, and Chalmers and Collins may join him.
That leaves Self needing to come up big in his '08 recruiting class.
Farewell -- Self is in San Antonio on for the National Association of Basketball Coaches convention. But he won't be staying over Saturday to watch the Phoenix-San Antonio playoff game, even if his good friend, R.C. Buford, is the Spurs' general manager.
That's because Saturday he'll be attending a going-away party for former assistant Tim Jankovich, who took the Illinois State job in March, and his wife, Cindy.
"It wouldn't look good if I wasn't there," Self said.
Okie dokie -- The latest wild rumor has Self becoming the Seattle SuperSonics' head coach and Buford leaving the successful Spurs to take over as the club's GM.
All predicated on the Sonics actually moving to Oklahoma City, as talks have suggested. The pull for Self is that he and his wife, Cindy, are both from the Oklahoma City area.
"I can't believe the things people think up," Self said. "Just another wild rumor."
No repeat -- Chances are real good that KU won't be on hand at the Oklahoma City's Bricktown Ballpark in less than two weeks to defend its Big 12 baseball tournament title.
The Jayhawks pulled off a surprise last year by winning the championship as a No. 6 seed. But they are in last place in the league now, two places away from grabbing one of the eight qualifying spots for the tournament.
KU (8-15 Big 12, 23-28 overall) would probably have to sweep next week's three-game home series from Nebraska (10-11, 25-20) and still get some help to overtake Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech for the eighth spot.
OU and Baylor are tied for seventh at 8-13, and Tech is a half-game back at 7-13. Baylor finishes up this weekend at Nebraska, while OU is at second-place Missouri and Tech is at home against third-place Oklahoma State.
The Jayhawks are all but assured of their first losing season in the four years under Ritch Price. And it's not hard to figure out why. They rank last in the league in hitting and next-to-last in pitching and fielding.
KU's pitchers do rank second in the Big 12 in strikeouts, but they have issued the third-most walks.
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