Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Volume 125 Issue 101
COMMENTARY McLemore can still affect Kansas
W that can a player do for a school once he's gone?
kansan.com
Maybe that doesn't sound right.
Perhaps the word "do" isn't best.
Maybe the question should be:
How can a player change a school once he's left it?
If there were any player capable of altering what Kansas basketball is right now, it's Ben McLemore.
Chances are, you were in class at 2:30, or streamed the press conference, just followed it on Twitter, heard from a friend or all of the above. But the clock struck that time on Tuesday, and Ben McLemore made the — absolutely fair — decision to declare for the NBA Draft.
That was no surprise.
That is no surprise, either.
That was no surprise.
ESPN's draft expert Chad Ford tweeted that McLemore is likely a top-five pick.
That is no surprise either. McLemore is not the first Jayhawk to leave early for the NBA Draft and he won't be the last. Even though he's gone, he can still be incredibly important to Bill Self and Kansas basketball.
You see, there are certain names that still resonate in Lawrence that are fairly irrelevant elsewhere. Names such as Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry and, of course, Josh Selby still have meaning in Lawrence. At the same time, it wouldn't be fair to forget about Miami Heat starter Mario Chalmers, and Brandon Rush, who tore two ligaments in his left knee just as his career seemed to pick up steam.
Sure, some of the other aforementioned names have had their moments in the league, but they haven't exactly become household names across the country outside of their careers at Kansas.
Ben McLemore has that chance.
He has a chance to be the first pick in the draft. He has a chance to be a longtime NBA starter. And he has a chance to be an NBA All-Star.
How can this help Self and the Jayhawks? Some players have been able to alter the reputations their programs. Kansas has a great reputation, but it's not for churning out NBA All-Stars.
Take Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant, for example. Derrick Rose went first in the NBA draft and helped to give John Calipari his reputation of the nation's best recruiter. Kevin Durant still wears his Texas gear, and has probably been a big selling point for Rick Barnes.
But he has a chance to be great.
He can help the Jayhawks. And
he can help them change their
reputation.
Rose and Durant are two great players. No one knows how good Ben McLemore will be.
When a recruit comes to Allen Fieldhouse and sees the names and faces on the wall, he could look up and see McLemore's image and think to himself, "I could be the next Ben McLemore."
One player can change a program. It's been done before and will be done again.
It's that simple. A great player becomes a selling point.
Will Ben McLemore be one of those players? We'll have to wait and see.
Edited by Tara Bryant
BENNY JETS OFF
TYLFR ROSTF/KANSAN
Ben McLemore, along with head coach Bill Self, answers questions at a press conference held for the announcement that McLemore would be entering the NBA Draft. McLemore emphasized how much he had come to learn at the University and that he would never forget his coaches, teammates and fans.
SO LONG, FAREWELL
Freshman guard Ben McLemore declares for NBA Draft
gcalvert@kansan.com
GEOFFREY CALVERT
calvert@kansan.com
Sitting inside Alen Fieldhouse on a dark, overcast Lawrence afternoon, coach Bill Self couldn't contain his smile as he quipped about how he expected freshman guard Ben McLemore to announce he would return for his sophomore year.
That remark drew quite a few laughs as the Jayhawks' all-time leading freshman scorer had already revealed his true plans for next season.
"I made the decision that I was going to enter the NBA Draft," McLemore said. "My teammates and the coaches, they definitely said 'if it's your time, it's your time.' It was my time."
McLemore, who hasn't hired an agent yet, said he didn't expect to play only one year of basketball at Kansas after sitting out last season
as a redshirt because he was a partial qualifier. But he averaged 15.9 points per game to lead the jayhawks in scoring and finished the year with 589 points.
If he had stayed four years at Kansas and scored at the same rate he did last season, he would have left school as the Jayhawks' second-leading career scorer behind Danny Manning's 2,951 points.
"Really there was no decision to be made," Self said. "I think that anybody with a clear conscience at all would have to say, 'Hey, go for it when the time's right,' and the time is definitely right."
Although McLemore said this was the right decision for his family, he wiped away tears as he exited
Chad Ford of ESPN slotted McLemore third in his first mock draft, while draftexpress.com projects McLemore as the second pick, and nabrad.net picked him first overall in its current mock draft.
through the Fieldhouse concourse with family members. McLemore loved the fans at Kansas, and thanked them several times during the press conference. He often attended women's games, in part to sign autographs for fans. He's so nice, Self said, that it isn't always positive for him as a basketball player, because he sometimes needs to adopt a mean streak.
Self said McLemore told him as late as February that he planned to return for his sophomore campaign, although Self joked that McLemore wasn't willing to make a public announcement about that proclamation. Even if McLemore did want to return, Self would advise him it would be in his best interest to turn pro.
"If he told me that he wanted to come back I would tell him, 'Well Ben, we need to look at this again.' Self said. "I don't think there was one time that our staff
sat around this year and said "We hope Ben comes back." That didn't happen once."
The NCAA ruled McLemore a partial qualifier last season, meaning he could practice with Kansas during the second semester of the 2011-2012 season but could not play. Freshman forward Jamiari Traylor was in the same circumstance, and McLemore said he developed a special relationship with Traylor because it.
Traylor and most of the other Jayhawks attended McLemore's announcement.
McLemore said one of his goals has always been to eventually provide for his family, as he grew up in poverty in St. Louis. Being a certain lottery pick in the NBA Draft gives McLemore the ability to do that.
"Growing up with not having a lot, I don't need to talk about what I don't have," McLemore said. "I."
just talk about what I want to try to get and try to help my family, Being little, growing up, you just think about you want to provide for your family."
McLemore's departure means Self must replace all five of his starters for the first time since losing his starters from the 2008 national championship team. Mario Chalmers was one of those starters that season, and he now plays for the Miami Heat, a team that McLemore said he's always been partial to. But he said he doesn't have a preference which team selects him. As Self noted, it probably won't be the Heat, which has the NBA's best record.
"You're not going to fail to [pick No.] 30, bud." Self said, laughing.
Edited by Dylan Lysen
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Ben's best moments as a Jayhawk
1) Kansas was in serious danger of opening the Big 12 season with a loss until Ben McLemore hit a bank-shot that will be remembered in Lawrence as well as any other. The bucket sent the game into overtime, giving McLemore five more minutes of unstoppable scoring. He would finish with his first career 30-point game and Kansas won 97-89 against Iowa State.
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
2) Do you remember where you were the first time Air McLemore took flight? The Jayhawks had edged out Oregon State 84-78 at
the Sprint Center in Kansas City, but the game sticks out because of McLemore's dunk from the free throw line that showcased just what kind of ups this kid has. McLemore finished with his second 20-point game of the season.
3) During the Jayhawks biggest nonconference game, their most talented player shined brightest. McLemore marched into Columbus, Ohio and scored 22 points while grabbing six rebounds against the Buckeyes. Kansas went on to win. 74-66.
4) As the season continued, McLemore got more creative with his mid-air acrobatics. And he made sure to save 'his best
for primetime. During an ESPN Gameday meeting with Texas, McLemore put down an emphatic 360 degree dunk as the Jayhawks put the finishing touches on a 73-47 torching of the Longhorns.
5) After slumping through his previous four games, Kansas fans were just waiting for McLemore to show the NCAA Tournament why Jayhawks fans had raved about him all year. And in his last game in a Kansas uniform, McLemore delivered, shooting 8-15 with four 3-pointers and finishing with 20 points.
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Edited by Dylan Lysen
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Freshman guard Ben McLemore aims a shot during the Jayhawks' Big 12 season
opener against Iowa state in Allen Fieldhouse.