cmh6476
09-03-2005, 09:17 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/colleges/university_of_kansas/12550921.htm
Posted on Sat, Sep. 03, 2005
HOOPS STAR ELIGIBLE AT KU
It’s official: Rush is now a Jayhawk
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE — Brandon Rush sat down for a powwow with Kansas reporters Friday evening — but not before coach Bill Self made a peculiar request.
No photographers.
“Brandon,” Self said, “isn’t real big on attention.”
The limelight is something Rush will have to grow accustomed to, whether he likes it or not. Along with being the newest member of Kansas’ nationally esteemed basketball program, Rush on Friday became the highest-profile Kansas Citian in recent memory to join the Jayhawks.
All of it went down shortly after 3 p.m., when the NCAA Clearinghouse deemed Rush eligible after reviewing his transcripts from four different high schools. The announcement marked an end to the monthlong saga that, at times, made Rush feel as if his college career were in limbo.
“Right now,” Rush said. “I’m just glad it’s over with.”
Rush will begin classes Tuesday — more than two weeks after the Aug. 16 start date. He’s enrolled in 15 hours and needs to pass only six to be eligible for the spring semester. To be eligible as a sophomore Rush must pass 24 hours of coursework by the end of next summer.
Of course, he may not be around that long. Rush told The Star last month that he planned to attend college for just one year before entering the NBA draft. Rush sang a bit of a different tune Friday, saying it would be a mistake to assume he’d be in Lawrence just one year.
“I don’t know how long I will be here,” Rush said. “I don’t know how my year will turn out.”
Self said it would be premature to predict how long Rush will stay in college.
“We’ve never talked about one-and-done,” Self said. “He has not once mentioned to me that he wants to be out of here in one year. He just wants to be a guy that fits in. He’s not looking to go anywhere and be ‘The Man.’ He wants to be a guy that fits in and helps Kansas do well.
“He has goals for this team and some strong personal goals for himself. In order to attain either one of them, he’s going to have to be a piece of the puzzle. Obviously he has a chance to be a very large piece.”
A 6-foot-6 small forward, Rush visited Illinois and Indiana in early August before deciding on KU. His initial plan was to skip college altogether and play in the NBA. But Rush withdrew his name from the 2005 draft when it became obvious he wouldn’t be selected in the first round.
Rush, 20, is the brother of Kansas City high school legends JaRon and Kareem Rush, both of whom starred at Pembroke Hill. JaRon played college ball at UCLA. Kareem is a former Missouri standout now with the Charlotte Bobcats.
“Kareem didn’t give me a hard time (about going to rival Kansas),” Rush said. “He just wants me to be happy. JaRon wanted me to go to KU. He thought KU was the best place for me.”
Rush attended three local high schools — Kansas City Charter Academy, Hogan Prep and Westport — before playing the last two years at Mount Zion Academy in North Carolina. He said the time away forced him to mature, but now he’s ready to return to the area in which he grew up.
“I’ve been away from home for a while, and my family hasn’t seen me play,” Rush said. “That’s why I came back.”
In becoming a Jayhawk, Rush joins what is now being hyped as one of the strongest recruiting classes in the history of KU’s storied program.
Rivals.com ranks Rush as the 13th-best player in the Class of 2005. KU’s other three freshmen — Julian Wright (No. 8), Mario Chalmers (No. 12) and Micah Downs (No. 28) — are all McDonald’s All-Americans.
“We got a lot better today,” Self said. “Whether it’s putting pressure on other guys to perform or adding depth … we got a lot better today.
“He’ll add to our team chemistry. He’ll give us an air of confidence. Even though he’s a freshman, he’s a little bit older. That’s one of our selling points: ‘You’re in our freshman class, but you’re one of the oldest guys on the team.’ ”
Nationally, the Rush is considered to be one of the two or three most athletic players in this year’s class. Rush can play both shooting guard and small forward, meaning he could be swishing a three-pointer in your face one minute and dunking on you the next.
Rush used just one word when asked to describe his game: “Highlights.”
Sitting nearby, Self rolled his eyes at that one before playfully moaning, “Oh no!”
Eventually Self offered an assessment of Rush’s game. He said one of Rush’s biggest attributes is getting to the basket.
“He’ll give us someone a lot like Keith (Langford) on the court,” Self said. “You can run bad offense and the shot clock will be running down, and he can go get his own shot.
“He can explode by people and over people, and he’s long. He’s a terrific talent that has a chance to become a great player. But right now he’s probably a better talent than he is a player.”
Rush said he realizes one of the knocks on him is that he often lags on defense and that he doesn’t play within a system. Rush said the problems don’t stem from laziness.
“I’ve never been coached before,” Rush said. “(My high school coach) just threw it out there and we just played.”
Rush has been scrimmaging with his new teammates for about a week. He said he couldn’t be more excited about playing with Chalmers, Downs and Wright, as well as sophomores Russell Robinson, C.J. Giles and Sasha Kaun.
Self can’t wait to get back on the court, either. After a summer spent dealing with the season-ending loss to Bucknell and the J.R. Giddens fiasco, Friday’s announcement seemed to make the KU coach walk with a little more pep. Still, when it comes to Rush, Self hopes people keep things in perspective.
“Fans shouldn’t put more on him than they have other freshmen that have come in here,” Self said. “The reason there are expectations that are going to be placed on him is because his last name is Rush.”
Posted on Sat, Sep. 03, 2005
HOOPS STAR ELIGIBLE AT KU
It’s official: Rush is now a Jayhawk
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
LAWRENCE — Brandon Rush sat down for a powwow with Kansas reporters Friday evening — but not before coach Bill Self made a peculiar request.
No photographers.
“Brandon,” Self said, “isn’t real big on attention.”
The limelight is something Rush will have to grow accustomed to, whether he likes it or not. Along with being the newest member of Kansas’ nationally esteemed basketball program, Rush on Friday became the highest-profile Kansas Citian in recent memory to join the Jayhawks.
All of it went down shortly after 3 p.m., when the NCAA Clearinghouse deemed Rush eligible after reviewing his transcripts from four different high schools. The announcement marked an end to the monthlong saga that, at times, made Rush feel as if his college career were in limbo.
“Right now,” Rush said. “I’m just glad it’s over with.”
Rush will begin classes Tuesday — more than two weeks after the Aug. 16 start date. He’s enrolled in 15 hours and needs to pass only six to be eligible for the spring semester. To be eligible as a sophomore Rush must pass 24 hours of coursework by the end of next summer.
Of course, he may not be around that long. Rush told The Star last month that he planned to attend college for just one year before entering the NBA draft. Rush sang a bit of a different tune Friday, saying it would be a mistake to assume he’d be in Lawrence just one year.
“I don’t know how long I will be here,” Rush said. “I don’t know how my year will turn out.”
Self said it would be premature to predict how long Rush will stay in college.
“We’ve never talked about one-and-done,” Self said. “He has not once mentioned to me that he wants to be out of here in one year. He just wants to be a guy that fits in. He’s not looking to go anywhere and be ‘The Man.’ He wants to be a guy that fits in and helps Kansas do well.
“He has goals for this team and some strong personal goals for himself. In order to attain either one of them, he’s going to have to be a piece of the puzzle. Obviously he has a chance to be a very large piece.”
A 6-foot-6 small forward, Rush visited Illinois and Indiana in early August before deciding on KU. His initial plan was to skip college altogether and play in the NBA. But Rush withdrew his name from the 2005 draft when it became obvious he wouldn’t be selected in the first round.
Rush, 20, is the brother of Kansas City high school legends JaRon and Kareem Rush, both of whom starred at Pembroke Hill. JaRon played college ball at UCLA. Kareem is a former Missouri standout now with the Charlotte Bobcats.
“Kareem didn’t give me a hard time (about going to rival Kansas),” Rush said. “He just wants me to be happy. JaRon wanted me to go to KU. He thought KU was the best place for me.”
Rush attended three local high schools — Kansas City Charter Academy, Hogan Prep and Westport — before playing the last two years at Mount Zion Academy in North Carolina. He said the time away forced him to mature, but now he’s ready to return to the area in which he grew up.
“I’ve been away from home for a while, and my family hasn’t seen me play,” Rush said. “That’s why I came back.”
In becoming a Jayhawk, Rush joins what is now being hyped as one of the strongest recruiting classes in the history of KU’s storied program.
Rivals.com ranks Rush as the 13th-best player in the Class of 2005. KU’s other three freshmen — Julian Wright (No. 8), Mario Chalmers (No. 12) and Micah Downs (No. 28) — are all McDonald’s All-Americans.
“We got a lot better today,” Self said. “Whether it’s putting pressure on other guys to perform or adding depth … we got a lot better today.
“He’ll add to our team chemistry. He’ll give us an air of confidence. Even though he’s a freshman, he’s a little bit older. That’s one of our selling points: ‘You’re in our freshman class, but you’re one of the oldest guys on the team.’ ”
Nationally, the Rush is considered to be one of the two or three most athletic players in this year’s class. Rush can play both shooting guard and small forward, meaning he could be swishing a three-pointer in your face one minute and dunking on you the next.
Rush used just one word when asked to describe his game: “Highlights.”
Sitting nearby, Self rolled his eyes at that one before playfully moaning, “Oh no!”
Eventually Self offered an assessment of Rush’s game. He said one of Rush’s biggest attributes is getting to the basket.
“He’ll give us someone a lot like Keith (Langford) on the court,” Self said. “You can run bad offense and the shot clock will be running down, and he can go get his own shot.
“He can explode by people and over people, and he’s long. He’s a terrific talent that has a chance to become a great player. But right now he’s probably a better talent than he is a player.”
Rush said he realizes one of the knocks on him is that he often lags on defense and that he doesn’t play within a system. Rush said the problems don’t stem from laziness.
“I’ve never been coached before,” Rush said. “(My high school coach) just threw it out there and we just played.”
Rush has been scrimmaging with his new teammates for about a week. He said he couldn’t be more excited about playing with Chalmers, Downs and Wright, as well as sophomores Russell Robinson, C.J. Giles and Sasha Kaun.
Self can’t wait to get back on the court, either. After a summer spent dealing with the season-ending loss to Bucknell and the J.R. Giddens fiasco, Friday’s announcement seemed to make the KU coach walk with a little more pep. Still, when it comes to Rush, Self hopes people keep things in perspective.
“Fans shouldn’t put more on him than they have other freshmen that have come in here,” Self said. “The reason there are expectations that are going to be placed on him is because his last name is Rush.”