Henry's On Tap, Could There Be More?

Yesterday I theorized on three scenarios that could play out for the Jayhawks in recruiting. According to a wide variety of Web sites, Xavier Henry will verbally commit to KU tomorrow morning. He can not sign another Letter of Intent since he had already signed one with Memphis. He won't officially be a Jayhawk until he enrolls in school. If he holds a press conference and verbally commits, I'll take his word that he is coming. And if Xavier is coming, so is his brother C.J.

Of the three scenarios I presented yesterday, that was the one that got me the most excited. Zagsblog indicates that Lance Stephenson is probably not going to be a Jayhawk. There are still rumors that Lance is considering KU knowing that he will have to accept sharing the limelight. One of his criteria for picking a school was winning. I don't think that is possible at either Maryland or St. Johns. Sure, they may have a winning record, but I don't think they have a chance to advance deep in the big dance. If Lance wants to win, he could still become a Jayhawk. He'll just have to accept fewer minutes per game.

Another possibility is John Wall. He is considered the best prospect available. Unfortunately KU is already pretty loaded at point guard for next season. So he too would have to accept fewer minutes per game in exchange for a chance to win a ring. It is also possible he could apply to the NBA, especially since it is possible he won't qualify academically.

If KU added either Stephenson or Wall, the Jayhawks would have an embarrassment of riches. It would be hard to imagine them not advancing to at least the Final Four. Without either, they are still stacked at all positions.

Only one problem if Xavier Henry commits. He would be taking the last available scholarship. Roger Morningstar, father of Brady and big booster, has claimed that he would pay Brady's tuition if it meant getting an important player. My guess is that Stephenson or Wall would be considered important.

My guess is that Bill Self is finished adding players if Xavier commits. But you just never know!

Two Henrys, One Stephenson or Bust?

When John Calipari moved his used car lot from Memphis to Kentucky, the world of recruiting went crazy. It has left the Jayhawks in a tough position where it seems there are three potential outcomes.

1. Xavier and C.J. Henry commit to Kansas and Lance Stephenson goes elsewhere.
2. Xavier and C.J. Henry go elsewhere and Lance Stephenson becomes a Jayhawk.
3. KU loses all three in the insanity.

While option #3 would still leave the Jayhawks loaded for 2009-2010, it would be a bitter pill to swallow. Even under this worst case scenario, the Jayhawks have a good shot at another championship. As fans, we would like one more player to all but guarantee that championship.

In reading the comments of many fans, they wish Lance Stephenson to sign on the dotted line right now. He is a top 10 player and I would certainly welcome him to Lawrence. While it seems he only wants to be in college for a single season, he might just stick around for at least two seasons.

Sentiment seems to run against option #1 simply because the Henry boys can't seem to make up their mind. Some fans feel Lance is a better player than Xavier. That might be true. I think the real kicker of the deal is that C.J. Henry would be a walk-on with his scholarship paid for by the New York Yankees. Xavier may also leave after a single year. But it is quite possible that C.J. would be a Jayhawk for at least two to three years and possibly even all four years. He is no slouch on the court though he is probably a little bit rusty after taking time off for baseball and an injury. Thus Xavier could be the piece to secure the 2010 trophy, but C.J. could help bring another trophy to Lawrence in future years.

If the latest rumors are true, we should have an answer for this in the next week. Which option would you prefer?

A Quick Introduction

As the first post in this blog, I thought I should introduce myself and give you a preview of what you might expect to see posted here in the future.

I grew up in Kansas City, Kansas (the Dotte) and graduated from KU in 1989. After graduation I moved to Arizona though I still am a season ticket holder for KU football and basketball. Due to the distance, I don't get to attend as many games as I like, but I still get to attend a few each year. If I can't attend a game in person, I do everything possible to watch on television and follow the statistics via the Internet.

Like many of you, I have opinions I like to share about the Jayhawks. Sometimes you will agree with me, sometimes you won't. I simply ask all of you to debate the subjects with respect for the opinion of the poster. As we get started, I don't plan to moderate comments and I'd like to keep it that way so that we can have lively discussions. No, we don't allow anonymous comments. I don't think it is too much to ask for you to have an OpenID or Google Account to comment. Even then you will only be known by your screen name so you can still have anonymity if you desire. This way we just have a name to use if we want to comment on your comments.

My main focus will be on Jayhawk sports and mostly basketball and football. There may be an occasional post of baseball or women's basketball or even some of the other sports. And since I grew up in Kansas City, there will be occasional posts on the Royals and Chiefs. If there are other sports stories that pique my interest, I may even comment on them.

Now that I have the formalities out of the way, I'll start working on the second post where we can starting talking about the Jayhawks!