Overland Park — Rick Zych stood near the mid-court circle of a small, worn gymnasium on Thursday afternoon. The coach of the Bishop Miege High School team raised his head and gazed at the collection of eyes surrounding him.

“We’re leaving at four, and we’re in red,” Zych said, preparing his Stags — the No. 2 ranked team in the city — for their Friday night game against Blue Valley Northwest High School.

“Please don’t recognize their crowd,” Zych added. “When you’re number two in the city, you’ve got a target on your back.”

Among the collage of fresh young faces, Travis Releford intently focused on Zych’s every word. At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Releford’s body rose above the rest of his teammates.

He’s the star of this Bishop Miege team. He’s the player that draws strangers to suburban high school gyms just to get an opportunity to see what all the Releford fuss is about. He’s the player that is supposed to be the “next great player” to come out of Kansas City. The next Anthony Peeler. The next Tyronn Lue. The next Brandon Rush.

On Nov. 15, Releford signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Kansas. Since signing with Jayhawks, the spotlight on Releford has only intensified. But for Releford, who is a little less than four months away from his high school graduation, all the attention is nothing new.

Handling the Spotlight

For most Kansas fans, Releford is the most recognizable face in the Jayhawks’ 2008 recruiting class. That’s what happens when you go to high school less than 40 miles from Lawrence. Releford said he’s just happy to finally know where he’s going to be playing college basketball. More importantly, Releford doesn’t have to deal with the recruitment process anymore.

“I’m glad it’s over, I’ve been waiting for it to be over from the get-go,” Releford said. “Because, once I got in the spotlight of being good and ranked, colleges would call everyday. It got annoying.”

It started when Releford was a freshman at Central Senior High School in Kansas City, Mo. Releford was lighting up scoreboards, and his cell phone was lighting up with messages from college coaches.

“Day after day, in class I’d get texts from different colleges, it bothered me a lot.” Releford said.

One day, Missouri was calling, the next day, Oklahoma. North Carolina showed interest, too. But Kansas was the first school to offer Releford a scholarship.

“There were other choices, but he was going to go with KU all the way,” Releford’s mother, Venita Vann, said.

It didn’t hurt that Releford grew up cheering on the Crimson and Blue.

“My grandma, she worked with some people that were big KU fans,” Releford said. “We would always go to her job, and I was always around KU things and people who liked KU. I looked at them on TV and saw that they were a good team.”

Releford left behind Central High School after his freshman season and moved across the state line to Bishop Miege. For Releford, the distractions at Central — the fights, the metal detectors, the crime — were just too much. Releford averaged 19.6 points per game and led Bishop Miege to the Kansas 5A State Semi-Finals during his junior year.

“Coming here, I think I made a real good decision,” Releford said.

Zych has coached plenty of talented players at Bishop Miege. Jamar Howard went on to play at Wichita State. Jarrad Henry played at Pepperdine. Another player, Isaac Miles, graduated from Bishop Miege in 2006 and went to play at Creighton. He’s now at Murray State in Kentucky. Zych said there’s something that separates Releford from the rest.

“Travis can really defend,” Zych said. “I think coach Self would tell he’s probably a better defender than an offensive player right now. He’s more of a slasher on offense, with the ability to really defend the ball.”

After playing with Releford since the ninth grade, Kansas freshman guard Tyrel Reed only needs one word to describe Releford’s game: smooth.

“He’s a very smooth player, a great defender,” Reed said. “He can play on and off the ball.” Reed and fellow freshman Conner Teahan all played on the same AAU team, the KC Pump-and-Run.

“We’re just excited about getting him up here,” Reed said.

Releford said he’s excited about being reunited with Reed and Teahan next season. He’s also anxious to suit up alongside freshman Cole Aldrich — a player he’s competed against and met at some summer basketball camps. But Releford hasn’t spoken with any of the other members of his Kansas recruiting class — Marcus and Markieff Morris, Quintrell Thomas and Mario Little. He’s heard they’re all good players. But right now, Releford said he’s more focused on his final season at Bishop Miege.

Blessed with Family

A couple of weeks ago, Releford answered the phone. On the other line was his father, Tracy. Tracy called to let his son know that he had just seen him play on television. For most fathers, the conversation would be pretty standard — your kid plays a game, so you call to let him know he played well. Except, Tracy Releford’s situation is a little different. It was the first time Tracy had ever seen his son play basketball. Tracy is in prison, stuck behind bars, serving a sentence for first-degree murder.

“He can watch TV now and he saw me on Metro Sports, one of the highlights,” Releford said. “He said he saw a highlight of me dunking.”

Releford said he’s hopeful his father will be out of prison before he’s out of college. He’s said he’s hoping the next time his father sees him play, his dad will be there in person — at Allen Fieldhouse.

With his father incarcerated, Releford developed a close bond with his mother.

“She took care of me since day one,” Releford said. “I mean without my father, I just look up to her for that.”

It wasn’t just Travis either. Vann has six children, including Travis’ younger brother Trevor who is a sophomore on the Bishop Miege basketball team. Staying close to family was important for Releford.

“My family is being able to see my games, all of them.” Releford said. “My mom said she wanted to be there to watch me play.”

Vann is elated about her son’s choice also. Vann said she was impressed with Bill Self, Danny Manning and the entire Kansas coaching staff. Oh, and the fans, too.

“The KU fans are great,” Vann said. “It feels like home. Coming from a low-income family, it’s a dream come true. It’s truly a blessing.”

Looking forward

On Friday night at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Releford stood at the free throw line. Every eye in the gym focused in on the high school senior. With Bishop Miege ahead 45-41 and struggling to put away Blue Valley Northwest, Releford released his free throw and clanked it off the rim.

The game was another opportunity for more curious strangers to get a look at the blue-chip recruit. A local television station promoted the game as its “game of the week.”

Releford was matched up all night with Blue Valley Northwest freshman Brett Comer. Comer — bearing an uncanny resemblance to former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison — came into the game averaging 20 points per game. On the first play, Blue Valley Northwest controlled the tip and Comer drove to the lane. Releford jumped and swatted Comer’s shot.

“The freshman was just schooled by the division one,” one fan said.

Throughout the game, Releford showed flashes of the talent that made college coaches salivate. With 2:08 left in the third quarter, Releford went to his right and threw down a strong dunk. A few minutes later he elevated into the lane and made a short jump shot.

Releford has heard some people compare him to Kansas junior Brandon Rush. They’re both from Kansas City, are close to the same size and play the same position. The comparison makes sense. Well, for everyone except Releford.

“I attack the goal more,” Releford said. “He likes to stand out and shoot threes, but that’s really not my game. I like getting to the rim and making plays.”

Still, Releford said he knows Rush. He’d even like to ask him what it’s like for a Kansas City native to play at Kansas.

“I thought about asking him,” Releford said.

He hasn’t yet.

Bishop Miege held on against Blue Valley Northwest, 57-48. Releford helped ice the game with an assist to his brother, Trevor.

For one moment, Releford allowed himself to think about playing in front of 16,300 at Allen Fieldhouse. Releford — who has been a regular at Kansas home games this season — said the undefeated Jayhawks have caught his eye. He said he liked watching Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers play defense. For Releford, a national championship is a possibility.

“They got a chance,” he said.

Then the question is asked, what about next year? Kansas could realistically lose seven or eight players next season, depending on which players leave for the NBA draft. Releford nodded his head. He’s thought about that.

“I look forward to coming in and getting used to the system, learning all the plays and getting to know the players.” Releford said. “Coach Self, he’s a really good coach. He’s down to earth. I just like everything about the school.”

— Edited by Katherine Loeck