KU Boot Camp ‘off to a good start’

By Gary Bedore     Sep 25, 2007

Kansas University’s 17 men’s basketball players walked through the northwest tunnel of Allen Fieldhouse onto James Naismith Court at 6 a.m. Monday – one hour and 10 minutes before sunrise.

Everybody on the roster was present and accounted for for the squad’s first Boot Camp conditioning workout of the 2007-08 preseason.

“Everything went fine today. We’re off to a good start,” said KU coach Bill Self, who put the Jayhawks through a batch of conditioning drills and sprints, all without the use of a basketball.

“We’re not where we are going to be or need to be during the season, but certainly are in pretty good shape a couple of weeks before (Oct. 12) Late Night.”

All the players went through Boot Camp drills, including junior Brandon Rush, who had ACL surgery on June 1.

“Brandon does some of it. He’s not ready to go full speed,” Self said. “He has his own routine during some of the time we’re out there. He’s doing well.”

Freshmen Cole Aldrich, Tyrel Reed, Conner Teahan and Chase Buford had their eyes wide open by the end of the workout.

“The young kids are a little nervous,” Self said. “They actually did pretty well. Now that they’ve been through the first day … .

“Going into it, I’m pleased with the perimeter returnees. They are not far away from being ready to practice. The big guys and others need a good two weeks before the start (of practice).

“It was a long day for the guys,” he added of players who also had regular weightlifting and individual workouts as well as classes on campus. “We’ll get after it again tomorrow (today).”

KU’s players will condition at 6 a.m. today through Friday, then likely receive the weekend off before returning to Boot Camp Monday for the second and final week.

¢ Morgan visits UCLA: J’Mison Morgan, a 6-foot-10, 275-pound senior from Dallas South Oak Cliff High, made a recruiting trip to UCLA last weekend.

He also has visited LSU and Kansas and is expected to make trips to Alabama and Kentucky.

“Los Angeles seemed like a good place,” Morgan told Rivals.com, breaking his recent silence regarding his recruiting. “It reminded me of Dallas with the traffic and all. I could see myself living there.

“I plan to make my decision on November 2nd, my birthday. The top five are LSU, Alabama, Kansas, UCLA and Kentucky. There are a couple of more, but I’m not sure that I will end up visiting them.”

Morgan averaged 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game last season for the three-time state champs.

¢ In home with Henry: Self was a bit bleary-eyed for his early wake-up call for Boot Camp conditioning. He spent Sunday in Harvey, La., visiting Terrance Henry, a 6-8 senior from Carroll High School in Monroe, La.

Henry, who visited Mississippi last weekend, will be a campus visitor for Late Night in the Phog. He will head to Arkansas this weekend, LSU on Oct. 5 and Miami of Florida on Oct. 19.

“I just love how people view basketball at Kansas,” Henry told Rivals.com. “When people think about Kansas, they think about basketball. Fans treat Kansas basketball likes it is No. 1. That’s important to me.”

¢ Thomas visits Maryland: Quintrell Thomas, a 6-8 senior from St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J., will visit KU this weekend, one week after his trip to Maryland. He has visited Rutgers and will trek to UNLV on Oct. 12.

“I think every school on the final list fits the style of play that suits his skill level,” Thomas’ AAU coach, Derrick Bobbitt, told recruiting analyst Adam Zagoria of West Paterson (N.J.) Herald News. “Everybody’s in the mix.”

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