“My family and I want to give back. A lot of people out there are struggling with breast cancer. It’s something that affects a lot of people,” said Chalmers, who today hosts the second-annual National Championship Golf Classic at Alvamar.

“I consider Alaska my home because I was born there. This is my home away from home,” added former KU guard Chalmers, third-year combo guard with the NBA’s Miami Heat. He suffered a high-ankle sprain playing pick-up basketball on July 12 and is expected to be in a cast a couple more weeks.

“I feel good,” he said. “I’m trying to get my ankle right and get back on the court.”

He’ll be playing with the threesome of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the 2010-11 campaign.

“I look forward to talking to them once the season gets closer,” Chalmers said. “I don’t have an NBA ring. I need one of those to go with my Jayhawk ring. Hopefully we can get one.”

Chalmers was joined at Thursday’s mixer by four other players from the 2008 NCAA title team: Russell Robinson, Matt Kleinmann, Brennan Bechard and Brady Morningstar. Brandon Rush, Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur have said they’ll be in town for the golf today.

“It’s good to be back seeing teammates and enjoying each other. That was a long three weeks,” former KU point guard Robinson said of his summer league stint in Orlando with the Indiana Pacers and in Las Vegas with the NBA Development League all-stars.

Robinson said he hasn’t heard official word whether he’d be invited to Pacers’ training camp.

“I’d say there’s an 80 percent chance I’ll be somewhere in Europe next year,” Robinson said.

Back to No. 15

Mario Chalmers gave his OK for NBA phenom James to wear his jersey No. 6 next season.

“I always wanted to go back to 15,” Chalmers said of his number at KU and in high school. “I started at 15. That’s my number.”

No. 15 wasn’t available his first two years in Miami.

Perhaps James will be willing to pay a little penalty, say pick up the tab at dinner in exchange for the number?

“We haven’t talked about it yet. We are going to get to that once everybody gets back to Miami,” Chalmers said.

KU to play Buckeyes

KU’s basketball team will begin a two-year home-and-home series with Ohio State starting in the 2011-12 season, KU senior associate athletic director Larry Keating said Thursday. The Buckeyes would play at KU in ’11-12, with KU returning the game to Columbus, Ohio, the following season.

Keating said the signed contract hadn’t been returned yet, but both schools had agreed to play. An OSU official told the Columbus Dispatch the series had been scheduled.

KU will be traveling to the Maui Invitational in 2011 and also will play at the University of Southern California. Keating said the Jayhawks likely would be looking for just one more marquee game that nonconference season, likely to be played in Allen Fieldhouse.

Recruiting

Future KU player Zach Peters is not at this week’s Hoop City Classic in K.C. Rivals.com reports the 6-foot-9 Plano, Texas, native suffered a concussion at the James camp and is out a couple weeks. … Perry Ellis, a 6-8 junior from Wichita Heights, received a scholarship offer from Texas A&M on Thursday, his family reported. He’s considering KU, Kansas State, Memphis and several others.