No hard feelings.
Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams wished DeShawn Stevenson well early Monday morning after Stevenson, the 6-foot-5 KU signee, told Williams by phone that he had entered the 2000 NBA Draft.
“This spring has been a very stressful time for DeShawn and his family,” Williams said after hearing from Stevenson’s mother, Genice Popps, that her son had mailed a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern. “Now that the decision has been made, we in the Kansas basketball family should support him. This youngster is a fine young man who signed with KU in the fall and wanted to be a Jayhawk. Now he has decided to move in a different direction and I understand and support that. He has decided to pursue another dream and there is nothing wrong with that.
“Kansas will always be a special place to DeShawn, and he will always be a special young man to us.”
Stevenson’s decision to enter the draft after signing with KU last November means the Jayhawks’ incoming recruiting class consists of one scholarship player Bryant Nash.
Williams officially announced Nash’s signing on Monday.
“We’re very happy to have Bryant Nash as part of the Kansas basketball family,” Williams said of the 6-6 guard/forward who averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks last year for 25-8 Carrollton (Texas) Turner High. “In recruiting this year, we wanted to find someone who would help this team get more athletic, and Bryant has those qualities. He has played inside his entire career, but has the ability to move out to the perimeter as well.”
Kansas has plans to add walk-ons Chris Zerbe, a 6-5, 230-pounder from Hutchinson Community College, and 6-1 Mario Kinsey of Waco, Texas.
Kinsey, a quarterback, will attend KU on football scholarship, but is expected to contribute in basketball, also.
The Jayhawks have 10 scholarship players on the 2000-2001 roster seniors Eric Chenowith, Kenny Gregory and Luke Axtell, juniors Jeff Boschee, Jeff Carey and John Crider, sophomores Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, plus Nash.
Since KU will lose three seniors, the Jayhawks will have a whopping six scholarships to give in recruiting next year.
One scholarship already has been awarded to 6-8 Leavenworth High forward Wayne Simien.
Stevenson, who has not spoken to the media since last Thursday, was not answering phone calls Monday. A Fresno TV reporter again was turned away after knocking on the door of the family’s house.
Earlier, Stevenson said he’d been told by his high school coach, his AAU coach and adidas’ Sonny Vaccaro that he’d be chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Recruiting analyst Mike Sullivan agrees, though he wouldn’t be shocked if Stevenson drops to the second round.
It’s believed Orlando, which has three first-round picks, may take Stevenson. Also, the Lakers are believed to have interest, since they had success taking shooting guard Kobe Bryant right out of high school.
Stevenson told the Journal-World he’d like to be taken by the Sacramento Kings, who have a need at 2-guard.
It’s likely he will log little playing time his first couple of years in the pros, the experts say.
“What better way to learn than on the bench, right?” Sullivan quipped.
Stevenson will land a guaranteed contract if he’s taken in the first round. If he’s picked in Round Two, he’d have to make a team’s roster to earn a living.
“It’s a shame DeShawn didn’t take the smart path. The smart way is usually the hardest way take the (SAT) test again, if he didn’t do well, go to prep school a year, then go to Kansas,” Sullivan said. “He is not ready for the NBA. Now he is risking being a three-year-and-out guy if he does go in the first round.”
Stevenson, who recently said he’d be attending KU on scholarship after learning he’d recorded a qualifying score on the SAT test, changed his mind when his SAT score was red-flagged by the Educational Testing Service. He improved 700-points in two years, and the service told him he’d have to test again.
FOX Sports spoke to Washington High athletics director Jeff Cardoza on Monday.
“It’s been pretty hectic. I’ve had 15 to 20 calls from the media and did interviews with two TV stations,” Cardoza said. “The crazy thing is, I don’t have any information for them. DeShawn isn’t talking and he pretty much wants to be left alone.”
