Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Bill Self could’ve at least entertained the idea or humored wishful-thinking fans, right? Maybe said that Brandon Rush would worry about the NBA in a few months.
Yeah, Self could’ve done all that, but he would’ve been lying. Instead, while he chatted with the media just a few feet from Brandon Rush in the ballroom of the Kansas City Marriott during Big 12 Media days in October, he gave a blunt assessment of how likely it would be for Rush to come back for a senior year.
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“Brandon accepts criticism well and just took it as coach trying to motivate him and turned it around.”
—Russell Robinson, senior guard
“Nobody’s thinking that he is, including me, including him,” Self said. “He knows he would not be here now if not for the injury so why should we expect him to play for two more years.”
Now, toward the end of his junior season, Rush is finally playing like someone who’s worthy of getting drafted. He’s averaging better than 19 points a game in the last four games and is starting to rely less on his outside shot by taking the ball to rim more often. Rush won’t publicly tell anyone about his future plans – he maintains he’s focused on the NCAA Tournament – but he couldn’t hide his enthusiasm when asked how much a solid run in March would help his draft stock.
“They’re definitely going to be more impressed,” Rush said about the pro scouts.
He was right. An NBA executive, who insisted on anonymity, said the tournament could often make or break a player’s draft standing. Someone who was not even on the radar could sneak into the second round or someone who was already a high pick could go even higher because of a strong postseason. This means a player like Rush could go from the late second round, where he was projected to land just a couple months ago, to a possible late first round or early second round pick.
Most analysts thought Rush would be drafted in the late first round last summer, when he entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore year. His workouts were good, and he was regarded as one of the best defenders in the draft. That all changed when Rush tore his ACL in late May and had to withdraw from draft considerations.
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Mock Draft Projections
These aren’t always the most reliable, but here’s where a few mock drafts place Brandon Rush.
NBADraft.net - 34th
MyNBADraft.com- 28th
Collegehoopsnet.com- 38th
Draftexpress.com- 22nd
However, Rush said that throughout the season his knee felt fine and didn’t bother him. In fact, his play showed the opposite. Games went by, and Rush rarely looked comfortable. He could still score – he was KU’s scoring leader in conference play - but almost never ventured in front of the three-point line.
Throughout the season Self pled with Rush to be more aggressive, as he often has during the past three seasons. One confrontation may have finally worked. It was halftime of KU’s quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Tournament against Nebraska.
“He challenged his manhood,” senior guard Russell Robinson said. “Brandon accepts criticism well and just took it as coach trying to motivate him and turned it around.”
The next day Rush scored a career-high 29 points. He followed it up with six three-pointers in the Big 12 Championship and earned the MVP award for the Big 12 Tournament. He has stayed aggressive in the NCAA Tournament, going for 18 points and 12 points in the first two games.
The improved play has boosted his draft status and helped his team win. A National Championship or Final Four might make Rush a better draft pick than anyone would have thought possible a month ago. Robinson would love to see Rush’s value increase because it would mean that the team was having success.
“The main thing is he’s playing well,” Robinson said, “and we need to get him to continue playing well. Good things will happen for us and they’ll happen for him as well.”
—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina
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Brandon Rush sets sights on NBA
I have tickets available for the sweet 16 and great 8 games for any Kansas fans interested. Tickets are lower bowl. Email me at bildste1@hotmail.com if interested.
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