With 25 or more wins in each of the last 10 seasons and 11 straight Big 12 conference championships, Bill Self has been the pinnacle of consistency and success since arriving at Kansas. offer
While winning has been the constant, the variations have come on the recruiting front as he’s proven capable of building teams in numerous ways. His star-studded 2013 class was one of the most talented in recent history, built around the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, but he’s also won around guys like Thomas Robinson and Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, less celebrated recruits who developed into stars in Lawrence.
This year’s roster is a hybrid of sorts, a combination of both models, including two former five-star prospects but also three starters and two rotation players who didn’t even finish in the ESPN 100 coming out of high school.
In one of the most unpredictable college basketball seasons in recent memory, one that has seen other bluebloods like Duke and Kentucky both face their share of challenges in large part because of their freshmen’s inability to play up to expectations, Kansas hasn’t been nearly as vulnerable to those same problems because of the continued developed of once less celebrated prospects who are now upperclassmen.
Heading into Monday night’s matchup with Oklahoma State (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET), let’s take a look at the construction of the Jayhawks’ rotation, and a look back at the recruitment and high school evaluation of each player.
Starters
Perry Ellis, 6-8, PF, Class of 2012 -- A local prospect from Wichita Heights High School, Ellis had a decorated high school career including four state championships -- and Kansas invested a great deal of time and energy to keep the four-star prospect home. Ultimately KU won out over Kansas State, Wichita State and Kentucky, and Ellis announced his decision to play in Lawrence at a press conference in his high school gym. He was a major contributor off the bench as a freshman, and a member of the Big 12 All-Tournament team as a freshmen before becoming a full time starter and all-conference performer as a sophomore.
Landen Lucas, 6-10, F, Class of 2012 -- After gaining national recognition while playing at Findlay Prep during his junior year, Lucas returned home to Portland, Oregon as a senior and visited Tennessee, California and Stanford before giving Kansas the chance to close the deal on his final visit. He was a four-star prospect but not included in the ESPN 100 of 2012. He redshirted as a freshmen and has gradually carved out a bigger role for himself as one of the team’s best post defenders.
Wayne Selden, 6-5, G/F, Class of 2013 -- A celebrated five-star prospect who played to rave reviews with both the BABC and the Tilton School while playing alongside Nerlens Noel and Georges Niang, Selden came to ‘Late Night in the Phog’ in October of 2012 for his first official visit. There wouldn’t be a second as he committed shortly afterward, becoming the first top-20 prospect to pledge to Kansas since Josh Selby did so in 2010.
Frank Mason III, 5-11, G, Class of 2013 -- Mason initially committed to Towson before re-opening his recruitment and opting for a post-graduate year at Massanutten Military Academy. Maryland and Virginia Tech were among his more notable suitors that summer, but Kansas came calling in September after missing out on Chris Jones (Louisville), Anthony Barber (NC State) and Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame). Mason was the only member of that loaded six-player 2013 class to sit outside the ESPN 100, but exceeded expectations as a freshman and earned All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore.
Devonte' Graham, 6-2, G, Class of 2014 -- A year later it was a very similar story for KU. Graham had signed with Appalachian State as a high school senior only to have a change of heart and head to prep school at Brewster Academy in hopes of getting out of his national letter of intent. That didn’t happen until over a year later when Kansas, Providence, Virginia, Virginia Tech and NC State were all lining up to make their pitch. The Jayhawks prevailed despite the fact that Graham was essentially filling the vacancy created when another Brewster product, Naadir Tharpe, left the program after his junior year. Graham was a four-star prospect, but not eligible for the ESPN 100 because of his post-grad status.
Bench
Jamari Traylor, 6-8, PF, Class of 2011 -- Traylor was poverty stricken in his hometown of Chicago before following a local coach to IMG Academy in Florida where he had a breakout senior season and ultimately earned offers from Kansas, Oklahoma State, Indiana and Texas Tech, among others. He’d sit out his first season as a partial qualifier and play nearly 10 minutes per game off the bench a year later as a redshirt freshmen. Now, the fifth-year senior is the elder statesmen of the team.
Brannen Greene, 6-7, SF, Class of 2013 -- Greene was determined to bring an early end to his recruitment and picked Kansas over the likes of Louisville, Florida and Connecticut in December of his junior year, joining Connor Frankamp as the second early pledge for the Jayhawks in the 2013 class. Sixteen months later, Greene found himself a part of Self’s best recruiting class of all time. He played behind Wiggins and Selden as a freshman, but saw his role grow substantially upon Wiggins’ departure.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, 6-8, G/F, Class of 2014 -- Five-star prospects Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre were the headliners of the 2014 class but Kansas still needed a couple of strategic additions late. Graham became the first while Mykhailuk, a Ukrainian native who made a big name for himself starring with the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in April of 2014, became the final piece just about a month later.
Cheick Diallo, 6-9, C/F, Class of 2015 -- The MVP of last year’s McDonald’s All-American Game, Diallo committed to Kansas over Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and St. John’s last year but has struggled to unseat veterans like Ellis and Lucas. Diallo’s motor and athleticism always overshadowed his liabilities at the high school level, but it comes as no surprise that his skill set and understanding of the game need development.
Carlton Bragg, 6-9, PF, Class of 2015 -- Bragg too owned offers from all the bluebloods, choosing Kansas over Kentucky, Arizona, Illinois and UCLA, among others. His tools and talent were never in question at the high school level, but his motor was, and he too has had to sacrifice some early playing time to learn necessary lessons.
…Conclusions
Only two years after starting three freshmen and a sophomore, Bill Self has somehow been labeled “anti-freshmen,” most likely by those trying to compete with the Jayhawks on the recruiting trail. The reality though is that Kansas, Duke and Kentucky all possess high-profile freshmen who weren’t quite ready to be impactful playing major minutes in their freshmen year. Diallo and Bragg aren’t any different from Skal Labisierre at UK or Chase Jeter at Duke. The difference is that Kansas hasn’t lost as many games, and that’s because while the Jayhawks continue to target the top prospects in the country, their recruiting approach is versatile enough to simultaneously identify and develop lesser celebrated prospects who are ultimately no less capable of leading the Jayhawks to continued success.
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While winning has been the constant, the variations have come on the recruiting front as he’s proven capable of building teams in numerous ways. His star-studded 2013 class was one of the most talented in recent history, built around the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, but he’s also won around guys like Thomas Robinson and Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, less celebrated recruits who developed into stars in Lawrence.
This year’s roster is a hybrid of sorts, a combination of both models, including two former five-star prospects but also three starters and two rotation players who didn’t even finish in the ESPN 100 coming out of high school.
In one of the most unpredictable college basketball seasons in recent memory, one that has seen other bluebloods like Duke and Kentucky both face their share of challenges in large part because of their freshmen’s inability to play up to expectations, Kansas hasn’t been nearly as vulnerable to those same problems because of the continued developed of once less celebrated prospects who are now upperclassmen.
Heading into Monday night’s matchup with Oklahoma State (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET), let’s take a look at the construction of the Jayhawks’ rotation, and a look back at the recruitment and high school evaluation of each player.
Starters
Perry Ellis, 6-8, PF, Class of 2012 -- A local prospect from Wichita Heights High School, Ellis had a decorated high school career including four state championships -- and Kansas invested a great deal of time and energy to keep the four-star prospect home. Ultimately KU won out over Kansas State, Wichita State and Kentucky, and Ellis announced his decision to play in Lawrence at a press conference in his high school gym. He was a major contributor off the bench as a freshman, and a member of the Big 12 All-Tournament team as a freshmen before becoming a full time starter and all-conference performer as a sophomore.
Landen Lucas, 6-10, F, Class of 2012 -- After gaining national recognition while playing at Findlay Prep during his junior year, Lucas returned home to Portland, Oregon as a senior and visited Tennessee, California and Stanford before giving Kansas the chance to close the deal on his final visit. He was a four-star prospect but not included in the ESPN 100 of 2012. He redshirted as a freshmen and has gradually carved out a bigger role for himself as one of the team’s best post defenders.
Wayne Selden, 6-5, G/F, Class of 2013 -- A celebrated five-star prospect who played to rave reviews with both the BABC and the Tilton School while playing alongside Nerlens Noel and Georges Niang, Selden came to ‘Late Night in the Phog’ in October of 2012 for his first official visit. There wouldn’t be a second as he committed shortly afterward, becoming the first top-20 prospect to pledge to Kansas since Josh Selby did so in 2010.
Frank Mason III, 5-11, G, Class of 2013 -- Mason initially committed to Towson before re-opening his recruitment and opting for a post-graduate year at Massanutten Military Academy. Maryland and Virginia Tech were among his more notable suitors that summer, but Kansas came calling in September after missing out on Chris Jones (Louisville), Anthony Barber (NC State) and Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame). Mason was the only member of that loaded six-player 2013 class to sit outside the ESPN 100, but exceeded expectations as a freshman and earned All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore.
Devonte' Graham, 6-2, G, Class of 2014 -- A year later it was a very similar story for KU. Graham had signed with Appalachian State as a high school senior only to have a change of heart and head to prep school at Brewster Academy in hopes of getting out of his national letter of intent. That didn’t happen until over a year later when Kansas, Providence, Virginia, Virginia Tech and NC State were all lining up to make their pitch. The Jayhawks prevailed despite the fact that Graham was essentially filling the vacancy created when another Brewster product, Naadir Tharpe, left the program after his junior year. Graham was a four-star prospect, but not eligible for the ESPN 100 because of his post-grad status.
Bench
Jamari Traylor, 6-8, PF, Class of 2011 -- Traylor was poverty stricken in his hometown of Chicago before following a local coach to IMG Academy in Florida where he had a breakout senior season and ultimately earned offers from Kansas, Oklahoma State, Indiana and Texas Tech, among others. He’d sit out his first season as a partial qualifier and play nearly 10 minutes per game off the bench a year later as a redshirt freshmen. Now, the fifth-year senior is the elder statesmen of the team.
Brannen Greene, 6-7, SF, Class of 2013 -- Greene was determined to bring an early end to his recruitment and picked Kansas over the likes of Louisville, Florida and Connecticut in December of his junior year, joining Connor Frankamp as the second early pledge for the Jayhawks in the 2013 class. Sixteen months later, Greene found himself a part of Self’s best recruiting class of all time. He played behind Wiggins and Selden as a freshman, but saw his role grow substantially upon Wiggins’ departure.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, 6-8, G/F, Class of 2014 -- Five-star prospects Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre were the headliners of the 2014 class but Kansas still needed a couple of strategic additions late. Graham became the first while Mykhailuk, a Ukrainian native who made a big name for himself starring with the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in April of 2014, became the final piece just about a month later.
Cheick Diallo, 6-9, C/F, Class of 2015 -- The MVP of last year’s McDonald’s All-American Game, Diallo committed to Kansas over Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and St. John’s last year but has struggled to unseat veterans like Ellis and Lucas. Diallo’s motor and athleticism always overshadowed his liabilities at the high school level, but it comes as no surprise that his skill set and understanding of the game need development.
Carlton Bragg, 6-9, PF, Class of 2015 -- Bragg too owned offers from all the bluebloods, choosing Kansas over Kentucky, Arizona, Illinois and UCLA, among others. His tools and talent were never in question at the high school level, but his motor was, and he too has had to sacrifice some early playing time to learn necessary lessons.
…Conclusions
Only two years after starting three freshmen and a sophomore, Bill Self has somehow been labeled “anti-freshmen,” most likely by those trying to compete with the Jayhawks on the recruiting trail. The reality though is that Kansas, Duke and Kentucky all possess high-profile freshmen who weren’t quite ready to be impactful playing major minutes in their freshmen year. Diallo and Bragg aren’t any different from Skal Labisierre at UK or Chase Jeter at Duke. The difference is that Kansas hasn’t lost as many games, and that’s because while the Jayhawks continue to target the top prospects in the country, their recruiting approach is versatile enough to simultaneously identify and develop lesser celebrated prospects who are ultimately no less capable of leading the Jayhawks to continued success.
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