Dear Alex,

Say it isn’t so. Tell me that you are not considering transferring from the premier basketball school in the nation. Tell me that this is an April Fools’ Day joke.

Where else would you want to go? Rutgers? Pittsburgh? Georgetown? They’re all schools that you visited when you re-opened your recruiting last year.

The Big East may be the top conference in the country next year, but those schools will not be able to match the enthusiasm that is given to basketball players here in Lawrence. Those schools don’t have 1 percent of the tradition that Kansas’ basketball program has to offer.

There is no other place in the country where basketball players are more idolized than here at the University. You get recognized wherever you walk. You get to play for the most knowledgeable fans in the country. Fans recognized you when you came to Lawrence on your recruiting visit last year. Not too many schools can say that they have fans that know what their recruits look like. You are clearly a fan favorite.

If you leave, you are going to miss playing in front of 16,300 fans every home game — the sell-out exhibition games against Division II teams because the fans want to see you play. You get a standing ovation every time you walk out on the court, more than an hour before tip-off.

You received the most playing time of any of the five freshmen in your class. Where else in the country would you be able make a three-point shot on New Year’s Day against Georgia Tech or make difficult shots at Rupp Arena against Kentucky? You exuberate the kind of confidence that fans in Lawrence love, and your passion for the game is great. This team needs your shooting skill. You were one of the few players who were able to knock down that difficult shot when it mattered most.

Your coach knows he put you in a difficult position at times. Most of the time you played this year you did so in a foreign position, guarding a post player. Time after time you were put in this tough spot, yet you were still able to be successful. Next season with the development of some of your freshmen teammates you will be able to move back to your natural position at small forward. If you stay for next season, you are going to be a key part of a team that will be so unbelievably young. If you are worried about playing time, you shouldn’t be. While some of the incoming freshmen may be able to play the same position as you, you have the experience. You proved last season that you shine in the face of adversity. This team is going to need leadership next season and you could be one of the players to give it. It is difficult to replace four seniors, but you and the other players would be able to be just as good of leaders as this year’s graduating class.

I hear that you want to move closer to home. Why would you leave when you have a town of 100,000 that has embraced you and will embrace any player that plays basketball at this institution? The whole city is your family.

Alex, I really hope that you look at what being a basketball player at Kansas has to offer.

There is no place like it, and this team needs you to stay.

Sincerely,

Ryan Colaianni

Colaianni is a McLean, Va., sophomore in

journalism and political science.