Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self said this week that the talent void created with the departures of Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry and Sherron Collins will help be filled by big man Marcus Morris, who he says was the most consistent player on the 2009 team.
I think it will be different because the target will be on him more so and he will be the defense's number one option to stop, whereas in the past he probably had the luxury of defenses keying in on somebody else. He is ready. He is ready. He is prepared. He has worked hard. And he is poised, in my opinion, to have a big, big junior year.
Morris had a lot of help with Aldrich down low so it will be very, very interesting to see how he does this year. It's always easier to be a big man when you have someone like Aldrich down there. Self, speaking from Big 12 Media Days, says the leadership role will help be filled by a number of guys, not just one.
I think we will have to do it more by committee this year, which I'm fine with. The guys are holding each other accountable. I think it remains to be seen who will be that guy on the floor. Marcus will probably be as much as anybody else because basically he can play anywhere on the floor.
This is a big year for the preseason All-Big 12 player. He's among the most talented in the country. Now it's just about proving it without the help of Aldrich and others.