Quick hitters for a Thursday:
• Kansas coach Bill Self said Thursday morning that Brandon Rush is possibly within a few weeks of getting on the court for full-contact drills. Rush, suffered a torn ACL in his knee while getting ready for the NBA draft last spring, is ahead of schedule. Rush has been practicing without contact since practice started on Oct. 12.
"I'm hoping by the end of November he'll be out there practicing," Self said. "He looks good."
Meanwhile, the main beneficiary of Julian Wright's decision to bolt for the NBA is clearly Darrell Arthur. Arthur will be the go-to guy for the Jayhawks, according to Self.
"He's terrific, he's doing great, the game has really slowed down for him," Self said. "He's better at everything, as a passer and defender. He's not as anxious anymore."
Self said senior Rodrick Stewart has taken advantage of Rush's absence to carve out a role for himself on the squad. Self said Stewart has been a consistent performer, being active around the basketball and staying vocal. Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins and Russell Robinson are the stable guards with Rush being the fourth member of the rotation (obviously the first once he's healthy). Now, Stewart has been added to the mix to get quality playing time. Rush can move down to small forward, so the Jayhawks can go with a smaller lineup at times if need be.
Getting the 6-9 Memphis twins Marcus and Markieff Morris (Cherry Hill, N.J.) to verbally commit to Kansas was huge for the Class of 2008 in Lawrence. KU already has two commitments -- 6-5 Travis Releford (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) and 6-7 Quintrell Thomas (Newark, N.J.). The Jayhawks need bodies. Self said he expects to lose seven players -- five seniors (Jeremy Case, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Russell Robinson and Rodrick Stewart) and two underclassmen Rush and Arthur, to the NBA draft -- off this season's team.
• Tragic news out of Nevada after the triple-homicide of three Halloween party goers in Reno over the weekend. The shooting spree occurred after Nevada player Tyrone Hanson was beaten and robbed.
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"It was just a senseless tragedy," Nevada coach Mark Fox said of the homicides of Charles Coogan Kelly, Derek Kyle Jensen and Nathan Viljoen.
Many have wondered about how Nevada coach Mark Fox could dismiss Hanson in light of the events. But Fox said Thursday that Hanson was already suspended prior to the party. He said Hanson was warned not to go out and if he did, he was subject to dismissal from the team.
"I told him not to go," Fox said. "I know the timing is unfortunate, but he was already in trouble. He knew where he stood. I like the kid. But he's not going to be able to continue his career here."
Fox reiterated Thursday that no other players besides Hanson were at the party.
Hanson was a role player on last season's WAC championship team. His departure hurts the Wolf Pack's depth but it shouldn't affect the overall team's potential. The Wolf Pack continue to lean on senior guard Marcelus Kemp on the perimeter and are hoping that Demarshay Johnson shakes off the rust after being academically ineligible a year ago. Johnson is penciled in to be one of the primary scorers, but Fox said Johnson was "rusty. All he did was foul people" during a scrimmage with Loyola Marymount over the weekend.
• Wisconsin announced Wednesday that guard Michael Flowers was back on the squad after missing the past two weeks for medical reasons. The Badgers didn't elaborate. But Flowers, the team's top defender, is fully expected to return to his usual role of being the top on-the-ball defender. He should play this weekend in an exhibition. With Flowers back, the Badgers once again become a legitimate sleeper to finish at least fourth in the Big Ten, behind Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State.
• Good news out of San Diego. San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said assistant coach Brian Dutcher's home was spared during the fires that made him evacuate last week. But Fisher said Dutcher returned to a house that had no power and "everything around him burned down. He was very fortunate." Fisher returned to his home without incident, too.
Andy Katz
