Stunning loss leaves several Jayhawks undecided on futures

By Matt Tait     Mar 27, 2011

Nick Krug
The Kansas Jayhawks sit in a somber locker room following their 71-61 loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

? VCU’s shocking, 71-61 victory over Kansas University in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, nudged a handful of Jayhawks to talk about their NBA futures a little sooner than they would have liked.

As many as five KU players have legitimate decisions to make about whether to return to school for the 2011-12 season or jump to the NBA.

Junior twins Markieff and Marcus Morris, both projected by several mock drafts to be first-round selections, said they don’t know what they will do yet and that they’ll take some time to decide.

Junior guard Tyshawn Taylor said he understood why the question was asked but indicated that he did not believe himself to be one of the guys who has to make a decision.

“I think I know what I’m gonna do,” Taylor said. “But we’re really not thinking about that right now. This is just so tough.”

Sophomore forward Thomas Robinson, who may have seen his pro stock soar the most this season, was the quietest of the bunch, saying only that he was not thinking about his future yet and that he would do whatever was best for him and his family.

Finally, freshman guard Josh Selby also said he was not trying to think about the NBA right now. Selby, an almost sure-fire one-and-done player when he arrived, had a disappointing season and is no longer a lock to be picked in the first round.

“I’m not even trying to think about that right now,” Selby said. “I’ll have to talk it over with my mom. Right now, I’m just trying to get this loss out of my head.”

The Jayhawks finished the season 35-3, which tied them for the second most victories in school history.

Seniors Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Mario Little played their final games for Kansas.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.