COLUMBIA, Mo. – I’ve had reservations about Xavier Henry coming to The University of Kansas since the day John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, and the Henry brothers recruiting opened back up. After reading a piece in Sunday’s Kansas City Star, discussing C.J. and Xavier’s reasons for working out in Oklahoma City – rather than in Lawrence with the rest of what is expected to be a preseason #1 team – one thought keeps bouncing around in my head: I hope Bill Self is right.
With Lance Stephenson in the bag – and yes, I know of everything that has been written about him – KU had a kid with incredible game, a lot to prove both on and off the court, a developing friendship with Sherron Collins and, most importantly to me, a desire to be in Lawrence.
Instead, Bill Self and KU are taking on two guys who have absolutely no desire to be in Lawrence. I understand that neither Henry brother wants to take summer classes; Xavier would rather be playing in Europe, where he could at least make some money; and it was not knowing where he would play in Europe that turned out to be the deciding factor for Xavier and his father Carl. As it is, the article made it clear that the Henry brothers will only be in Lawrence until the moment the season ends, and then it’s off to the NBA.
Don’t be surprised if the HBs don’t bother to even unpack the boxes. Then again, they may bring just enough with them to get through the basketball season.
“Let’s see,” Xavier says, “I’ve got boxers, socks, shorts, practice jerseys, my bling, some sweat pants, some hoodies, and my trophy from the LeBron camp. Can’t forget my retainer. Whoops, almost forgot the keys to my Hummer – wait, these are C.J.’s Range Rover keys. Oh well, we might as well ride up their together. It’s not like we’re gonna be there long.”
I don’t have a problem with the Henrys being one-and-done. That’s their prerogative, and it’s an inevitable by-product of the NBA rule. C.J. may be exempt from the rule because of his age, but Bill Self has signed on to it. Self has demonstrated stellar judgment with recruits in his six years at Kansas. But as I read more about the Henrys, I get an uneasy sense that they think they are bigger than the Kansas program, that Kansas should feel privileged just having them. And that’s what bothers me.
Carl Henry has an Earl Woods-like obsession with making his sons professionals, and I don’t have a problem with that either. After all, it turned out well for Tiger. But even Tiger Woods went to Stanford and bonded with teammates. The problem is that Carl is already treating them like professionals. Sure, C.J. was a professional baseball player, but he’s not anymore. He’s a 23-year-old who hasn’t played a competitive basketball game in four years, yet Carl would want us to believe that C.J. is going to run circles around guys like Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor as though they were Putnam JV guys.
Then, there’s the matter of the coach being “on board” with the Henrys’ plan. Since when does a coach have to be on board at a program like Kansas? I wonder if Lance Stephenson, Sr. – with all the criticism he’s received for his handling of his son’s recruitment – made a similar pitch to Bill Self or Danny Manning, who was in NYC quite frequently watching Lance leading up to his anticipated decision to attend Kansas the morning of the Mickey D’s All-American Game.
I can understand if a coach needs to be “on board” at a program like Kansas State or even Memphis, but Kansas?! Is that how bad Self wanted these two?
So, here’s the deal. While Tyshawn is representing his country playing ball overseas, Sherron is back in Lawrence with his teammates, including sure-fire lottery pick Cole Aldrich. Marcus Morris is continuing to get better, dropping hints that he could be a double-double threat at the 3 or 4 next season. Jeff Withey continues to pack on pounds and get better, and freshmen Elijah Johnson and Thomas Robinson are working with their teammates to get better and prepare for the season. But the Henry brothers? They’re off doing their own thing, “training like professionals.”
That’s what made that 2007-2008 team so special. Sure, there were professionals on that squad, but they were “on board” with Bill Self, setting ego aside for the sake of the team. They worked together as Kansas Jayhawks. When everybody wrote them off after the Davidson win – that they were the weakest team in the Final Four – they bonded together and played two incredible games of basketball that only a collection of guys all buying in to the same goal could accomplish.
There’s too much “I” and “me” coming from the Henrys right now for me to believe they’re willing to sacrifice for the “team.” And I’m sure there are KU fans that will bellow, “Self knows what he’s doing, and he’s going to get the Henry brothers to buy in,” or “Sherron and Cole are the leaders and they’ll take control.”
You can only lead those who are willing to be led, and the HBs aren’t even willing to work out with their future teammates over the summer. Perhaps, I’m making more about this than is necessary, but egos can be a very dangerous thing. All it takes is two professional egos to ruin what could be another magical season.
I sure hope Bill Self knows what he’s doing.
