Kansas #4 in Pre-Preseason BlogPoll

posted by Hoopinion on 7/13/2007 - -

FanHouse’s Nathan Fowler pens the Jayhawk entry in the Premature Hoops BlogPoll.

Why they should be ranked higher: There’s not much room to be ranked higher, but KU is a serious threat to win the national championship thanks to their backcourt, which is probably the best in the entire country.

Why they should be ranked lower: Not only is Rush the Jayhawks’ best player, he is also the one at the position with the least depth. If he returns from the injury as only a shell of himself, then KU will have to play a smaller lineup with three guards or use a much less skilled player (Roderick Stewart, possibly) in his place. Even totally without Rush though, this is a top 10 team.

UCLA, Memphis, and North Carolina appear to be teams 1-3 in the poll.

College Football News Preview

posted by Hoopinion on 7/11/2007 - -

Pete Fiutak of CollegeFootballNews.com previews the 2007 Kansas Jayhawk football team for FOXSports.

The schedule is light enough and the team is experienced enough, especially on defense, to expect six wins like last year without much of a problem. Considering the team is better, and it lost four games by seven points or fewer, winning eight games and being a little bit of a factor in the North race should be an easily attainable goal.

Last year, I handicapped the Jayhawks as having a roughly even chance of winning 6 games as winning 7. They played better than I expected but did not win any more games. This year, I figure 8 wins to be the most likely result, followed by 7, and I give them an outside chance at 9 wins.

I am curious about the expectations of others. Please share.

Brandon Rush Hearsay

posted by Hoopinion on 7/9/2007 - -

I wouldn’t look to Andy Katz for tactical insight or high-level critical thinking, I think he understands this about himself as his ESPN blog (Insider) reads as a transcription of what people have said to him (no matter how ridiculous) in the last day or so.

From today’s blog (Insider):

Kansas coach Bill Self is still confident that Brandon Rush can return to play in games by Dec. 1 after having ACL surgery. He’s hoping to have him practicing by Nov. 1.

It may be plausible. It may or may not be true, but I’m confident that Bill Self said that to Andy Katz.

Henry Brothers Update

posted by Hoopinion on - -

Pete Thamel reports in today’s New York Times that Kansas is in Xavier Henry’s top 3 (with North Carolina and Memphis) and that CJ Henry is considering going to college next year.

Good genes have helped the Henry boys. Their father, Carl, played basketball at Kansas and their mother, Barbara, ran track and played basketball there. The strong Jayhawks ties have led to speculation that Kansas is atop Xavier’s list, but he said that the Jayhawks were tied with Memphis and North Carolina.

“I need to take my visits and learn more about the schools,” said [Xavier] Henry, who has a 3.8 grade-point average.

CJ Henry, traded from the Yankees to the Phillies last year in the Bobby Abreu deal, is playing the South Atlantic League (low-A) for the second year in a row. In about 650 PAs, he’s hitting 216/286/362 (AVG/OBP/SLG) and striking out once every 3.2 PA. He is in the last year of his contract.

Carl Henry said that it was written into his son’s baseball contract that the Phillies would have to pay for his tuition, meaning that a college program would not even have to give up a scholarship to take him. C. J. Henry said Kansas would be the place that he would probably go.

Getting a commitment from CJ Henry would be good for the program, especially if it gives the coaching staff flexibility in signing the necessary gaggle of recruits to replace the senior class and whoever decides to enter the draft at the end of the season.

Darrell Arthur vs. Michael Beasley - The View from Behind the Scout’s Notes

posted by DHarger on 7/6/2007 - -

This picture is making the rounds on message boards.  Interesting.

It purports to be notes of a scout for the Raptors.  Arthur rated as “flashes only” with notes indicating he plays excellent for a few plays and then has a few “real dumb” plays.  The notes indicate that Beasley is the Second Coming.

I wonder if this wasn’t staged.

Seth Davis Doesn’t Believe In Tempering Expectations

posted by Hoopinion on 7/3/2007 - -

On the basis of three workouts and an exhibition game against the Chinese team, Seth Davis from the U19 trials in Dallas:

“[Darrell] Arthur looked more serious, poised and confident than at any point during his freshman season at Kansas. During 5-on-5 play, Arthur did most of his damage on the block, but he showed impressive shooting range during drills. I expect him to be an All-American next season at Kansas before becoming an NBA lottery pick.”

Davis also comments on future Kansas State Wildcat Michael Beasley:

“Though Beasley is strong for his age and has some impressive moves around the basket, his effort level and body language was not very good during the three workouts I watched in Dallas. As evidenced by his play against China, Beasley usually turns on the burners when game time comes, but to succeed in college he will need to develop a more professional approach overall.”

and Texas A&M’s incoming freshman DeAndre Jordan:

“DeAndre Jordan is listed at 6-10, 215 pounds, but with his wide shoulders and long arms he looks even bigger on the court. He runs the floor well and is a strong finisher, and, in the half-court, he moves with an awkward gracefulness (or a graceful awkwardness, take your pick). He suffers a bit from stone hands and his shooting range is limited at this point. But there was no one in Dallas with more upside than Jordan.”

The U19 World Championship begins July 12th in Novi Sad, Serbia.

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