Word that Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison will return to Kansas University for their senior seasons was not man-bites-dog news.

Most people realize that as talented as the two Iowans are at playing the sport of basketball, Hinrich and Collison can’t help but benefit from another year of college ball before playing for pay.

Neither Hinrich nor Collison figures to ascend to lottery status in the 2003 draft like teammate Drew Gooden did this year, but then again nobody expected Gooden to explode on the college basketball scene like he did in 2001-2002.

The 6-foot-3 Hinrich may have the best chance of shooting the moon in 2002-2003. The pros love his deceptive athleticism. Hinrich looks like Tom Sawyer, but plays like Tom Terrific. The pros like his three-point shooting range, his court sense and his competitiveness.

But then they compare Hinrich to established NBA guards and he doesn’t quite stack up in terms of strength and quickness. The pros want to see Hinrich more assertive. They want to see him take over a game. They want him to want to be a go-to guy.

With three-point machine Jeff Boschee’s eligibility over and with Aaron Miles still maturing, it’s not hard to envision Kansas coach Roy Williams asking Hinrich to become more offensive-minded next season, not only because that mind-set would enhance his draft chances but because the Jayhawks may need him to score more.

Collison, like Hinrich, is also deceptively athletic. At 6-9, he can run, he can jump and he can shoot. Not only can Collison shoot, he has a variety of shots jumpers, hooks, finger rolls, and not all with his right hand, either. Collison doesn’t shoot jump shots left-handed, but he’s otherwise ambidextrous.

Do not underestimate the ability of a big man to shoot. Former Jayhawk Scot Pollard doesn’t have a shot, yet he’s making more than $4 million a year with the Sacramento Kings. Greg Ostertag, another former KU big man, couldn’t shoot his way out of a paper bag, and the Utah Jazz are paying him nearly $7 million a year.

Collison, however, isn’t as strong as Pollard and he isn’t as tall as Ostertag. Collison, again like Hinrich, needs to become stronger, tougher and more offensive-minded. With Gooden gone, it’s possible Collison, too, will be asked to look more to score and, if so, the pro scouts will be looking for a breakthrough game. They’ll want to see if he can light it up like Gooden did several times last season.

Regardless of how the 2002-2003 Jayhawks fare, that Kansas University basketball squad will go down in history as The Nick Collison-Kirk Hinrich Team. Collison and Hinrich will be the only seniors on the roster. They will be on the media guide cover. They will be the captains. They will be the most quoted Jayhawks in the newspapers, the primary faces you’ll see on television and the main voices you’ll hear on the radio.

How Hinrich and Collison handle those responsibilities will also go a long way toward determining how high or how low they go in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Does anyone really believe they’ll falter? I sure don’t. Hinrich has improved as much in three years as any Kansas basketball player I’ve ever seen, and that includes Gooden, who also took giant steps. Collison’s improvement hasn’t been as dramatic, but his stats have taken incremental leaps each season.

Collison averaged 15.6 and Hinrich 14.8 points per game both career highs during the Jayhawks’ memorable 33-4 run to the NCAA Final Four. Will those numbers be higher in 2002-2003?

Put it this way: They may be flatlanders, but Hinrich and Collison have never been flatliners.