Let the Building Do the Work

What a great recruiting tool--a U17 tournament in Allen Fieldhouse. The winning team (K.C. Pump N Run) featured scout.com's #3 ranked player in the class of '08, Travis Releford (pictured). KU's working on attracting him (the 6'5" player scored 10 points in the championship game, hitting 3 of his four FGA's), and he told kusports.com that playing in Lawrence was attractive: “I like the lights and the fans,” Releford said. “There’s a whole lot of people giving me hype.”

A couple of other guards KU's after were in the game as well, Conner Teahan and Tyrel Reed. The two were a combined 6 of 14 from 3, scoring a combined 35 points. (For a breakdown by player, see the story at kusports.com).

On his resemblance to a distinguished KU alum, Reed had this to say: "People compare me to Kirk Hinrich just because of my looks, my style of play a little bit," Reed said. "It's a good comparison, I think." (Story here.)
A bit over the top, perhaps, but he's an in-state prospect (Burlington, KS), and he's made scout.com's top 100 for the class of '07, so it seems like a good fit for Allen. Roy, of course, wants him at Carolina (he's visited Reed three times already), perhaps confirming the Hinrich resemblance. . . .


Last but not least, Cole Aldrich reaffirmed his devotion to the Crimson and Blue: "Home, sweet home, that's all I've got to say," he told the Journal-World. With an injured foot, he was held to four points on Friday, and ended up in the hospital Saturday after an elbow to the ribs. Despite all of that, the 6-11, #1 ranked center (according to scout.com, at least), remains enthusiastic about KU.

No doubt about it--Coach Self knows how to recruit.