Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Freshman Micah Downs is just another player in a long line of talent that transferred from Kansas since the Bill Self era began.
Downs said he left because he wanted be close to home while he sifted through “personal problems.” His dad, Steve Downs, said his decision had nothing to do with basketball.
That’s hard to believe, considering his recent playing time issues, but this is a confusing situation. It’s not clear why Downs wasn’t playing. Rumors swirled about illness and injury, but the most likely reason is Self’s recruiting style.
Self takes as many good players as he can get. In his first two recruiting classes, he signed 10 players who were all talented enough to play right away. Combining all that talent with the current players and a consistent rotation means not everyone can play. Lack of playing time was a concern to at least three of the six players who left Kansas in Self’s first three years.
Omar Wilkes, Alex Galindo and Nick Bahe seemed to be unhappy they were left out of the rotation and found different schools where talent wasn’t as plentiful. The other two transfers, David Padgett and J.R. Giddens, were out of Self’s hands. Giddens needed out of Lawrence, and Padgett was a constant target of the student body. None of these transfers should be equated to a problem with Self.
Downs saw a lot of time early, starting with the game against Chaminade and ending with the game against California. But since conference play began, Downs played only two games with a total of 12 minutes and no points.
Self needs to put the best team on the floor in conference play. Based on the minutes Self has given out, Downs isn’t part of that team.
Down’s decision will most likely benefit him and won’t hurt the progress of Self’s program. Kansas doesn’t need Downs. The Jayhawks played their best basketball against Nebraska without Downs. They can keep it up without him for the rest of this year and the next few seasons. Self also has another scholarship available, so look for a solid replacement in a year or two. As for Downs, he will probably transfer to a school where he will play and be happy.
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