Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Brandon Rush has enrolled at the University of Kansas. He’s as good as in, a done deal, a lock. Just one more academic clearing from the NCAA Clearinghouse and Jayhawk basketball fans can put to rest their Rush doubts for good.
The Jayhawks couldn’t be more fortunate to find this “gold rush” so late in the recruiting season. With the addition of the 6-foot-6 Rush, this young KU hoops team just gained so much more potential.
If the theory of “basketball skills run in the family” holds any water, than this kid has some scary potential. Throw him into an already outstanding recruiting class that includes McDonald’s All-Americans Mario Chalmers, Micah Downs and Julian Wright, and suddenly Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self’s dilemma is that there are too many players capable of starting.
When coaches have so much talent that it’s a tough decision to choose starters, that’s what they call a “good” tough decision.
Let’s not forget about the five sophomores that are returning to the squad. Guards Russell Robinson and Jeremy Case and big men C.J. Giles, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson are all going to battle for starting positions. Senior Christian Moody is the team’s only returning starter, and he’s not going to want to give up his spot in his final season.
Moody and the sophomores have some experience under their belts, and the freshmen don’t, but the crazy thing is that every one of these freshmen has the ability to start.
How many freshmen classes contain three McDonald’s All-Americans and a player who decided not to go into the NBA?
This is something that isn’t often seen in college basketball. There are no Stephen Vinsons or Nick Bahes in this class. Those guys didn’t have a prayer of starting as freshmen. All of these freshmen have NBA talent and are here to get playing time immediately.
This upcoming season could see a starting five of freshmen and sophomores, but the question of which ones is entirely up in the air. Another positive from these battles for starting positions will be the development of quality backups. The Jayhawks are going to have a long bench with plenty of talent.
If Self isn’t happy with the way his starting five play, he could bench all of them and throw in five other players with just as much speed and size. You might think you’re watching a line change in a hockey game.
This is why Self is here. This is what this guy is capable of when it comes to recruiting.
Hoops fans can prepare to watch four impact freshmen mixing in with the other second-year youngsters. If nothing else, they’ll be fun to watch.
— Hall is a Woodbridge, Va., junior in journalism.Sarraf: Looking to the future
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