With a roster that has lost NBA Draft hopefuls Josh Selby, Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball head coach Bill Self hopes that the current recruiting efforts of top ranked prospects DeAndre Daniels and Trevor Lacey pay off. Replenishing what has been lost is key in several areas, and Daniels and Lacey could both go a long way in shaping KU's ability to lead the Big 12 next season.
Self already has some solid talent coming back, especially with athletic forward Thomas Robinson,and Daniels would provide an ideal complement at the three to give KU a tremendous pair of forwards heading into next season. Scouts, Inc. cites his ability to score from anywhere as a key component to his game, and Self could certainly use another scorer on the wing. The only problem is that KU is hardly the only suitor, with Texas still considered a strong front-runner for his services.
Lacey is less of a question mark than Daniels, given that he's rumored to choose KU over Kentucky and his home state of Alabama. After winning two state championships, Lacey brings not only top ranked talent to the shooting guard position, but high leadership and intangibles in such a young player -- a tremendous boost for a Kansas team losing the senior leadership of Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Mario Little. Last year, Lacey averaged 31.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.6 assists while winning the state's Mr. Basketball award..
Sporting News lists Lacey as the second highest ranked player yet to commit behind Daniels, so Kansas potentially stands to benefit more than any other team at this point in the signing season. More details to come as both players sign with Kansas or other teams.