Let the speculation begin!

A recent article on Phog.net highlights KU Coach Bill Self’s philosophy for building his team and setting his lineup. The author, Kristi Chartrand, really did her homework and was given a great interview by Self. It is clear from the excerpts she includes in the article that Self emphasizes three areas in particular: (1) player versatility; (2) ignoring traditional position classifications (i.e. playing the 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5); (3) defensive pressure. Self said:

I don’t like labeling guys positions. I personally like it when guys are versatile . . .

The Perfect scenario for me is to play with three guys who all have point guard skills, and one of them big enough to defend the three. That would be the perfect scenario for me.

There will be pressure. We’ll play faster. . . .

With Stewart unavailable for the first semester, I expect that there will be several starting lineups. Once the Big 12 season gets under way, and Stewart is available, Self will settle in on one starting lineup. Here’s my prediction:

STARTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OFF THE BENCH
Chalmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robinson
Stewart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hawkins/Case
Rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Downs
Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moody/Jackson
Giles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaun

Chalmers will start, but Robinson will play a big role. He has gotten stronger in the offseason, and he will settle down with a year under his belt. Pressure on the ball will be a trademark of this team, and they will be fast with either point guard leading them.

Stewart is a slasher with a handle and is an excellent on-ball defender. Hawkins will play significant minutes. There’s been lots of talk about the offseason work Case has done, but I don’t see him playing significant minutes.

Rush gets the nod over Downs because he has a better handle and similar scoring capabilities. Rush is better in the open court as well. Downs will play significant minutes.

Moody’s role will not be nearly so great this year as it was last year, when the team’s depth was an issue. Moody and Jackson will split the backup time, assuming Jackson has made progress this summer. Otherwise, it may be a long season for Darnell.

I expect Giles and Kaun will split time pretty equally. I am excited to see how they have developed in the offseason.

Comment and let me know what you think! In February, I will pull out this blog and re-post it. We’ll see how accurate it is then.

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From CJOnline:

Brandon Rush, the 6-foot-6 guard who is being recruited by Kansas, continues to wait on approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse regarding his eligibility. A ruling was expected Tuesday, but the Clearinghouse required an original document from one of the high schools Rush attended rather than the photocopy that had been sent. If all the correct paperwork is in order, it appears Rush should be cleared. If cleared, Rush intends to play at KU this season after already enrolling in fall classes.

It’s becoming farcical, really.

On Monday, it looked as if New Orleans had been spared from the worst of damage from Hurricane Katrina, and I think it was. But the creeping flood that no one predicted has settled in and things are still getting worse. Indeed, it’s getting a lot worse and will probably continue to do so for the next several days as the rainwater soaked Lake Ponchartrain waters continue to pour into the cityy. I’m compiling a list of ways that we fellow Americans can help our suffering countrymen and women. Other bloggers have done a lot of legwork here, but it can’t hurt to add the information.

If you’re looking to donate money to relief agencies, Instapundit provides a list, which he will be updating as he gets new information. Here’s his current list:

FLOOD AID UPDATE: Here are some places you can donate to hurricane Katrina relief: (Bumped to top — scroll down for current posts.)

American Red Cross

Catholic Charities is involved, and probably has lots of resources to draw on in the heavily Catholic New Orleans area.

Austin Bay is recommending Episcopal Relief and Development.

Liz at Rightalk suggests that animal lovers donate to the Humane Society.

Here’s a link to Mennonite Disaster Services. The Sanity Inspector says they’re highly efficient.

Reader Peter Viditto recommends The Mercy Corps

Here’s the link for Methodist Relief.

The Salvation Army does good work. (WalMart just gave them a million dollars, but that’s just the barest beginning of what’s needed.)

Hugh Hewitt recommends Samaritan’s Purse

Scott Ott recommends Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.

Also, the good folks at Boing Boing point us to one unique relief effort: If you have a boat that could potentially be used for rescue, follow this link.

In the spirit of New Orleans resident Paul’s instructions, Boing Boing also points us to an effort to use Google Earth to help residents discover the condition of their and their families’ neighborhoods using map overlays.

People are desperate for information. Anything you can do to help, even if it’s small, please do it.

In the immortal words of Jimmy Walker, Bill Self’s recruiting class is “DYNOMITE!”

1. “Super” Mario Chalmers: Arguably the top PG prospect in America.

2. Julian Wright: Consistently in the top 10 on every recruiting analyst’s list; can play every position from PG to PF.

3. Micah Downs: Talented wing with deadly accuracy from outside and terrific baseline moves.

4. Brandon Rush: (Assuming he gets the final nod from the NCAA Clearinghouse this week) An incredible athlete with unmatched open floor, passing and finishing skills. Although snubbed by the McDonald’s AA voters, he was also on every analyst’s top 10- list.

5. Rodrick Stewart: A slasher and finisher from the SG spot who is an absolute stopper on the defensive end. He was a top-50 SG prospect out of high school. He was asked to run the point at USC, but he should fit in comfortably at the SG spot for the Jayhawks.

Add in a quartet of impressive sophomores in PG Russell Robinson, C’s CJ Giles and Sasha Kaun, and PF Darnell Jackson. It will be especially exciting to see the development of Giles and Kaun this year with the impressive young cast around them, but all four sophomores show great promise.

I think it’s fair to label Self’s 2005 class as this year’s “FAB 5!” They’re every bit as talented as the Michigan recruiting class that coined the name. All the press is going to the 2006 recruiting class at Ohio State (Oden and gang), but I think Self has OSU beat too. I sure hope he has recruiting incentives built in to his contract, ’cause he’s pulled off a masterpiece.

I’ll post my thoughts on the lineup in the days ahead. Self now has to decide who starts - a tough choice, but as the Kansan reported, not a bad problem to have!

P.S. Will anyone miss Dwight Lewis? Wouldn’t it be ironic if he ends up at USC after we got Stewart as a transfer? They’re on Lewis’ list, but it’s not clear if they (or anyone) is recruiting Lewis now.

P.P.S. In this time of turmoil caused by a couple of unfortunate incidents in Lawrence clubs, I think we should try to focus on the positives as we look at the KU Basketball program. There’s plenty there to comment on. Why dwell on Giddens, Moon Bar, and the recent injury to Stewart any further? October 14 can’t come soon enough for me!

JR Giddens has been charged with two misdemeanor crimes, battery and disorderly conduct, arising from the May 19 Moon Bar brawl that led to his transfer from KU to New Mexico. Only Giddens and Jeremiah Creswell were charged; none of the others involved in the incident will face charges. You can read about it here.

The prosecutor will take media questions at a press conference this afternoon. We should know more then.

Let the flood of negative comments begin. The close timing of Stewart’s injury to Giddens’ charges will be called a “problem” without regard to the truth. One blogger already asks “What’s the matter with Kansas?”

Fortunately, all of the comments point out the truth to the blogger. Again, let’s keep it all in perspective.

New LJW sports editor Tom Keegan calls for a curfew for KU hoops. I understand the appeal, but it’s important to acknowledge that Rodrick Stewart was doing nothing wrong when he got hit by a (as it seems likely) flying bottle.

He’s right that it looks bad, but I’m not sure a curfew, at least a really tight one, is the answer.