Big 12 looking to rule basketball again

By Corey Thibodeaux

Friday, October 23, 2009

The SEC may dominate NCAA football, but college basketball belongs to the Big 12 Conference.

During the Big 12 Basketball Media Day at the Sprint Center Thursday, head coach Bill Self had high marks for his conference.

“I think what people have shown already, in that these coaches in our league, they’re getting it done,” he said. “I mean, the programs, if they haven’t been elevated, they’re real close to being on the verge of being elevated in a short amount of time.”

One of the best qualities of the Big 12 is the knack for recruiting. How could kids not be interested, Self asked, in a league that saw Kevin Durant from Texas, Michael Beasley from Kansas State and Blake Griffin from Oklahoma come through?

“All those guys were the best players in the country the last three years,” he said. “They may not have won all the awards, but they impacted the game more so than anybody else.”

Over the past few years, the Big 12 has seen elite players, such as Durant, Beasley and Griffin, as well as a national championship in 2008. Mix those components with good coaching and smart hires by athletic directors, Self said, and the conference will continue to attract highly sought-after recruits.

Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich appeared on the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Joining them are Iowa State’s Craig Brackins, Oklahoma’s Willie Warren, Oklahoma State’s James Anderson and Texas’ Damien James.

Self considers all those players NBA material, not just his own. He commended each individual on their talents such as Warren’s strength and scoring abilities as well as Anderson’s capability to score 30 on a given night.

“I think you have six pros,” Self said. “I also think there are a couple others that may emerge to be in the top six players or seven players in our league that hadn’t even been mentioned yet. So that tells you the depth, the quality of players.”

— Edited by Lauren Cunningham

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