Wednesday, November 18, 2009
All-world basketball recruit Harrison Barnes sat down for his press conference to announce his college decision Saturday. Six signs showing the logos of most of the major basketball programs in the country, including Kansas’, faced him.
But instead of throwing on a ball cap or simply stating his college plans, Barnes decided to Skype the announcement of his decision to his future coach, Roy Williams, at North Carolina.
Williams, Kansas’ former coach, yanked Barnes away from his former program. A player Kansas coveted went east.
But let’s not look too much into his ranking or any other recruit’s ranking.
Let’s just recognize that coach Bill Self seems to recruit players that continually surpass the online appraisal of Rivals, ESPN or Scout.com. Self gets players who fit his program. Barnes would have certainly fit well, but Self will have a backup plan.
Kansas fans need to take a collective deep breath when looking at the recruiting class for 2010, which currently contains just one three-star recruit, Royce Woolridge.
Let’s look at Self’s recruiting classes since his arrival in Lawrence.
Consider the 2005 class as Self’s first, because a coach’s contact during recruits’ junior year is often the most crucial factor in where they decide to play.
That class? Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Julian Wright and Micah Downs. Three of them are now starting in the NBA. Julian Wright was Scout.com’s highest ranked player at No. 3. Rush was No. 12.
In 2006, Self brought in Sherron Collins, Darrell Arthur and Brady Morningstar — an NBA first-rounder, a probable NBA player and one solid college player. Collins and Arthur weren’t the top-ranked guys in their class at their position.
In 2007, Self didn’t have much room but picked up Tyrel Reed, walk-on Conner Teahan and some dude named Cole Aldrich, the No. 35 recruit in Scout.com’s class of 2007.
The book is still out on the 2008 and 2009 class, but it’s clear that Self knows how to get players who will make an impression.
It’s about putting the right pieces together. Maybe the No. 1 recruit has more freakish potential, but maybe the No. 42 shooting guard Woolridge, is a lot safer bet to be a happy part of the bench.
Who knows?
Mixing and matching is as much a factor in a building championship team as any recruiting ranking.
Believe in the system. Self won’t get every player that he wants and he shouldn’t expect to. With a couple of scholarships available, Self will probably find two more great players in the 2010 class.
By now, Self knows his recruits much better than any recruiting service could. He has built a championship team once already with players he recruited and might have built another one this year.
Self should be trusted.
— Edited by Jacob Muselmann
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