Solid. Getting Henry to KU for Late Night is awesome news. The place and atmosphere will sell itself, I just hope it's not too overwhelming.

Now, this Stephenson guy is an example of the poor state of the priorities in our country. Kids in Africa would die for a chance to go to a US college and get a the education he's being offered. He's "thinking about it" like it's a choice between a Big Mac and a filet-o-fish. Sad.

Stephenson is all about himself and how much of a circus he can create. If Self secures a committment from him (and his father goes along with him) then the man is nothing short of God.

Henry is pretty darn special. I sure hope he sees a "fit" at KU. The thought of him going to Memphis is.........too.......much.............to...........bear.

I agree strikewso, I'm so relieved he's coming to Late Night I'm almost ready to convince myself he's coming.

Let's see...where can you learn more: Europe or Lawrence, Kansas?

It depends on what you want to learn, I suppose.

But as much as I love Lawrence and KU, I'm going to have to recommend Europe.

And this gives me an idea.

KU is a leader in having its students study abroad.

Why not have KU players spend the summer term in St. Tropez? This would be a pretty strong recruiting tool. :-)

Come on, now. Some bucks up alum should ante up for a KU basketball camp in St. Tropez.

No better time to unveil the 2008 National Champions banner!!!!

Jayhawkinatl and others-
Do you all think they will unveil the new banner at late night? the first preseason game? the first regular season game? I have to be there for that.

The one or two year "education" he'd get at KU is useless, unless he took a variety of courses in personal finance. He'd come here to improve as a basketball player. The question is whether he improves more here for free, or in Europe for money.

quigley, I would think they would want to have as much of an impact on the top-notch recruits at Late Night. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if they do it then.

How does Self do it? Honestly, I feel that he's going after the two most physically gifted kids in the class, and I have no doubts that he will get them. It's hard for me not to look ahead and you can't really judge anything you haven't seen, but if he gets Henry and Stephenson, I can't imagine anything but a National Championship again next year. ESPECIALLY if Sherron were to stay.

The team would basically be deeper than we were this year. We would have the size (Aldrich, Morris twins, Thomas) the swingmen (Henry, Releford, Stephenson) and guards (Collins, Appleton, Taylor, Little). Wow!

OK, I'll come back to reality now....

"Kids in Africa would die for a chance to go to a US college and get a the education he's being offered. He's "thinking about it" like it's a choice between a Big Mac and a filet-o-fish. Sad."

"Kids in Africa" (of whom I'm just SUUUUUURE you can impart intimate knowledge) would die for a chance to be able to provide for their families, period. 99.9% of the time, getting a college education is the best way to do that. But don't get self-righteous or use their struggle as justification; immigrants and foreign exchange student from all over, not just Africa, would love to work for $200K/year for a European basketball team.

Why is that 15- and 16-year-old American girls can start their professional modeling careers in Milan or Paris, with far less grousing than when an 18-year-old American boy wants to play basketball overseas?

I'm REALLY fed up with the demonization of these kids.

I'd suspect that they'd 'unfurl' the banner at Late Night and then 'dedicate' it during either the first game of the season or during a strategic moment in the schedule.

That way, they can technically give two chances to different crowds to bask in the glory of the championship year. It also affords KU the opportunity to 'sell' the same event twice.

That's what I'd do...

crooner

You took the words out of my mouth. Lance Stephenson goes to the same high school as Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. From what I understand, this school is not in the most privileged of neighborhoods and does not host the most privileged of students. So when Lance Stephenson (and his family, who SHOULD have an influence on where he goes to school, or what he does with his life) assesses his college options, he has to look at what is best for him and his family in their situation, not simply whether he can help us hang another banner.

Every year people get more and more frustrated with high school basketball players looking to go to the NBA. Where is the outcry when a girl like Michelle Wie (who just reached college age) plays pro golf all over the world for pay?

Where is the outcry when tennis players turn pro at 15-18? Or figure skaters? Or gymnasts? Or is it just that we as a country don't think that these particular kids (basketball players) "deserve" to make millions of dollars before their 21st birthday.

I hope Lance Stephenson comes here. He's a tremendous ball player. But if he plies his trade in Europe, I can't hate him for it. I can't decide that he's a bad player or bad person just because he decided that he wanted to play ball somewhere other than Lawrence.

It's great X is coming for late night, but he has been to previous late night's before, so don't think he is going to be "blown away" by the event.

And yes, any kid that goes to Europe for a year is a demon.

Just kidding, but look at it this way. If KU had a modeling program for 15/16 year old girls where they could come for one year, be on national TV on a regular basis, be the most popular personalities in town, and then sign multi-million dollar modeling contracts the next year, they probably wouldn't go to Milan, especially if it meant a year of modeling every day with sweaty foreigners and having people scream at them in other languages.

Getting Xavier at Late Night is HUGE. Sure, he's been before, but come on, his dad is royalty here and he'll get to see what it's like when a National Championship banner is raised to the rafters. He'll want a championship too. I'm sure the KU players from the past will try to make this one. It is gonna be special. How could Henry not want to commit right there?

Any kid that goes to Europe for a year is a demon??

That is whack, man. Why would a shoe-in for the NBA play for free for one year in the NCAA while they make MILLIONS off his skills when he could go to Europe for a year...make half a mil...then jump to the NBA??

Trust me, you are wrong on this. This stuff is going to start happening all the time, so get used to it. The only remedy is for the NBA to drop the age restriction or for the NCAA to somehow 'pay' the student-athletes for the oodles of money they bring in...

sadly, though, the NCAA suffers in all EVERY scenario possible...

just think of how big of a deal this will become when the next "LeBron" decides to spend a year in Europe instead of a one-and-done here...

http://ballerblogger...

p.s. i know you were kidding, but I wanted to still make the point. thanks.

I remember Carl Henry being part of the famed "Heart and Soul" of the Jayhawks with Kelly Knight. Carl was a straight up "baller" who scored, defended, rebounded, and did whatever the team needed that game to keep them in it and go get the victory. I'd love to see Xavier wear the Crimson and Blue.

I remember being in Oklahoma City when KU played Utah State and Arizona State in the first couple rounds of the 2003 tourney. There were the early whispers that Carl Henry had a couple of sons in Oklahoma City who might someday be Jayhawks. I was pumped back then and now I am getting even more excited if this thing works out with Xavier. Love KU and always loved Carl Henry so it would be sweet to add Xavier to this great team too!

I agree with KUFan90 but want to take it a little further. Another reason for the lack of outrage by young tennis and golfers going pro is the people within a particular community don't care. College basketball and football have become part of the culture of the US and so for young people to opt out of that is news and cause for outrage. But college tennis and golf is not even close to those sports in coverage or interest, so those choices are not really discussed or even cared about from the vast majority.

The reason people care about these kids going to Europe or the NBA so fast is because these kids often come from backgrounds where they don't neccessarily have a lot. Not all of them of course, but many. Kids that play Golf or Tennis often have been tutored from a young age professionally. I mean I grew up without a lot of money and football, basketball and baseball were the sports I played. Basketball and football were cheap as a kid. All you needed was a ball and a park. My point is, when a 17-18 year old is given millions of dollars and starts to play in a league with men, not all of them can handle it. For every Kobe Bryant there are several Leon Smiths (google him). I mean, these kids can't even drink legally and they are joining a sport that makes them a man, immediately. I remember reading about Kwae Brown eating McDonalds everyday after he was drafted #1 by the Wizards because he didn't know how to cook. The culture of team sports where you play 82 or more games a year is different than Tennis or Golf where your mom or dad can be there all of the time.

"The thought of him going to Memphis is.........too.......much.............to...........bear"

Honestly though....how do you think a Memphis fan would feel about KANSAS taking a star recruit after stomping on all those Memphis Tiger hearts?!?!

ahhh......who cares.....go hawks!

Seems like me may be able to make another serious run at the NC in 2 years (not that I'm discounting the talent we have coming in for this year) if some of these big recurits come in.

Hmmm. Let's see. You're telling me I could take an unpaid internship in the US for one year? Or instead I could take a high paying job in some exotic European city for a year without even going to college? I think if any of us were in the same position we'd be giving this choice a lot of consideration too. Don't trash on the kid because he's trying to do what's best for himself and his family.

kansaspike -
I think it's a little different for us in regards to X because his family is a part of ours. Memphis has no ties and would be "stealing" him away from us.

Cant you see all of AFH making "X" gestures with crossed forearms on every sweet play by Xavier Henry?

This is home, son.

Come home.

why would a guard want to play for any other coach than head coach bill self? he's proven his commitment to running offenses through guards, and he's won national championships based on a four deep rotation, and he has put a couple in the most recent draft early. X plays in lawrence.

singular

Can anyone tell me, is it too late for a student to order their football/basketball ticket package? How do I do it?

rockchalkAZ - call the ticket office 800-JAYHAWKS

Another big reason basketball fans should feel cheated when a young guy decides to bypass college for pay ball is that it degrades the game itself. How much different is the game now compared to when Michael, Larry, and Magic played? And it's not just athleticism...those guys guarded. Nowadays, they only guard in the Playoffs and Finals.

Crooner, I've been to Africa - spent four months in various countries there and used to teach english as part of an exchange program. All the kids talked about was furthering their education and they asked a lot of questions about American colleges. They didn't have any money and couldn't get the visas anyway - post 9/11 world.

Arguing that Stephenson would get a better education from a year in Europe is a joke. He'd be playing video games in his room the whole time.

By the way, when you use ALL CAPS to make a point, it makes you look like a moron.

Who cares, strikewso, if you've "been to Africa?" I don't. I am with Crooner. Your dreams and goals are not the goals of these kids. You never had the talent to weigh it, probably. Neither did I. So if these kids have what appears to them a truckload of money offered to them to do something that they already like to do, what is your problem with that? Oh, yes. Some people have all the answers. The WRONG answers.

Lots of ALL CAPS on this post.

Didn't this article start with a cool visit to Late Night?

Hey, if you've got the chance to lure X, with Late Night, you've got the most powerful recruiting tool we could ask for. "I personally believe" If other recruits choose Europe or South Africa or The Iraq... "such as"... then that's their deal. Who cares?

Self doesn't need to answer to blogging fools. He's proved himself within the recruiting world. KU will get capable players.

STOP THE CAPS!!! AND EXCESSIVE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!

What ever happened with CJ Henry (sorry for capping his name)? Still in single A ball for the Yankees? Used to be talk of him dropping baseball and coming here, guess that's off the table. Anyone know?

we need henry

Late Night has GOT to make an impression on a hopefully-still-impressionable X.Henry...Frankly, the Memphis choice is perplexing on cursory analysis: What exactly does X want in terms of style of ball? KU and Memphis in the same breath? Highly structured, disciplined offense + defense + athleticism VS. a few athletes turned loose on the court (street ball. Really.) I am not sure I am a Calipari fan, after digesting some of the comments he made during this season regarding his philosophy towards coaching. Its a free country--Xavier can go choose whatever he wants to. With the talent Self goes after, if his recruits buy-in to his system and develop like his teams always seem to, we will be fine.

...Xavier thinking about Memphis? Hmm: (...do Iverson press conference skit:) "Memphis? We talkin bout Memphis!? We not even talkin bout the game (true, D1 level structured bball)--we talkin bout Memphis!!..." Why is anyone talking about Memphis, except for the fact Rose went #1 ($$$). Their first 6 guys were tall and athletic. No post presence other than Dorsey. No depth. No free throw consistency. Weak conference=inflated stats all the way across the team.. The only reason we didnt dump them the first half like UNC was their height and athleticism. Thats how they managed to beat TX--guard height and weak TX postplay, and a selfish Augustine. Each of our baskets took on sooo much importance (understatement of the year) only because we couldnt buy a shot most of the 2nd half (poor shooting night). The game was closer than it should have been--only made Memphis cred falsly stronger. We line up and do a best of 5 series with those pretenders, we kick their a$$e$ 5 more times. Go to Memphis, Xavier, and collect some fake stats. Afraid of a school with real tradition (KU, UNC, Duke, etc) that you might not be able to uphold? Or being asked to think every minute you are on the hardwood? Or is it the great shoes of your father you are unsure you can fill. You got to put up real proof on a big stage before you get paid. Some NBA people will see through the fake stats--ask Chris Douglas-Roberts about draft day. And someone please forward this to Calipari--would make my day. That man gave the world a lesson in how NOT to coach a bunch of talented athletes, in sharp contrast to Bill Self. Just my take...

KG, nice use of "such as." Geography is very important to kids in Iraq or South Africa.

ralsterKUMed95

I couldn't have said it any better myself. Applause in the background!

Late Night will be special (as always)...but more so this year... regardless, Xavier Henry will not be blown away. As stated before, he has been in attendance before... HOWEVER, the positive sign is that he will be there!... Young Mr. Henry could have easily said/thought: "been there, done that", and used that weekend to be elsewhere... I think it is a good sign, and more positive indicator that we may land him... most on the sideline would say he is leaning toward Memphis.

There used to be an assistant at KU named Calipari who recruited a fellow named Henry. Hmmm.

Hey CROONER,

I agree with what you are saying but there is something you left out. Its called a UNION. The NBA players don't want the 16 year olds playing because it makes less of their future income. Come on, comparing apples and oranges is stupid. A kid doesn't get a scholarship to college for modeling and really nobody would care. Its about tv dollars!