Chicago — The late Branch Rickey, considered the founder of modern baseball scouting, used to say if he saw a pitching prospect throw 49 bad curveballs and one great one, then he marked "great curveball" next to his name. If he saw another pitcher throw 50 so-so curves and no bad ones, he would scratch "so-so curveball."

Sandy Koufax was the best example of why Rickey's methods, passed down for generations, worked. Koufax was wild and wildly talented. Once he learned to harness his gifts, he was as dominant as any left-hander in history.

As the story goes, Dodgers coach Clyde Sukeforth stopped Koufax while he was heating up in the bullpen, throwing not quite at full velocity, and told him to take that exact fastball into the game. That was the beginning of the end for the poor souls who tried to hit him.

Late great left-handed power hitter Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates likened trying to hit Koufax to "trying to drink coffee with a fork."

If that was the case, then trying to guard Kansas University sophomore forward Julian Wright must be like trying to get a cooked spaghetti noodle to stand at attention. Wright's too long for most quick players to handle and too quick for most long players.

Yet, scoring has been the last facet of Wright's game to arrive. During his senior year at Homewood-Flossmoor High in the Chicago area, Wright averaged 14 points, nine boards and six assists.

When Wright arrived at KU, he was more like the prospect with the one great curveball out of 50 than the pitcher with 50 so-so curves. The athletic talent and passing ability were obvious, the lack of polish, particularly as a scorer and ballhandler, sometimes frustrating to watch. Having a front-row seat to Wright's development has been fascinating. He still is more inconsistent than most and probably always will be, but he has improved.

His defensive progress was quicker in coming. Early in this season, when Wright received a pass on the block with his back to the basket, Wright often had a look of panic. He seemingly couldn't wait to pass it elsewhere, as if it were a live grenade. Now he sports a calmer, more purposeful expression. Lately he has benefited from fancy footwork that often results in either short banks or quick, two-handed flushes. His jump shot remains on the homely side.

"I think I'm getting more comfortable," Wright said of playing with his back to the basket. "I still need to get a better feel for my spacing and knowing when to pick my spots. I just need to watch more tape and get better at that."

Wright isn't close to reaching his ceiling, but he's becoming a more complete college basketball player all the time.

He tends to look to score more against better competition. Kansas played four games versus teams that drew a top-four NCAA Tournament seed, winning three and losing to Texas A&M. In the victory against Florida and the pair versus Texas, Wright averaged 19 points and 10.3 rebounds. In the loss to Texas A&M, he totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, he averages 12.1 points and eight rebounds.

Look for a high-scoring NCAA Tournament from the 6-foot-8 Wright and a higher-scoring one in his junior season.