Browse through this year’s Kansas University men’s basketball media guide, and a picture on page 37 will leave you a bit intrigued.

It’s a photo of Bryant Nash, his arms expanded, palming a basketball in each hand. It’s reminiscent of the famous Michael Jordan “Wings” picture  except for one little difference.

“Jordan only had one ball,” Nash said with a grin.

Comparing Nash to Jordan is unfair, but the media guide photo adds to the mystique that has surrounded the junior forward since his arrival at Kansas  and reiterates the burning question that has followed him for three years now.

Just how good can Bryant Nash be?

“He’s got the most ability in the world,” Nick Collison said.

“He’s as athletic as any person in the country,” added Wayne Simien.

“You can tell he got better,” said Kirk Hinrich.

The question will have its best opportunity to be answered this season. Nash hasn’t been able to show it just yet. In his first two years in Lawrence, he’s been overshadowed by standouts like Kenny Gregory and Drew Gooden, waiting in their wings for his opportunity.

Now, he’s ready to spread his own.

Natural athlete

Nash’s physical weaknesses are hard to find. He’s 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, a size that gives him versatility to play both inside and outside. With question marks on the bench, he may be just what the Jayhawks need.

“He’s got a perfect basketball body,” Collison said. “He has perfect athleticism. He can run like crazy. He can jump like crazy.”

Collison’s right. In preseason conditioning tests, Nash was near the top of the list in almost every category. In the annual 12-minute run, Nash took second place to Stephen Vinson, completing 71â2 laps. Vinson managed to complete 73â4.

“I’m tougher at heart,” Nash says with a shrug. “I push through it.”

In the vertical leap measurement, Nash again took second  this time to Keith Langford. Nash hopped 321â2 inches.

“Keith got me by an inch,” he said with a laugh. “That was on my sprained ankle, though.”

It’s the type of speed and leaping ability that has coach Roy Williams delighted with what could be. Or, in a way, what has to be.

“Hopefully,” Williams says, “some of those guys like Bryant Nash, Jeff Hawkins and Michael Lee are going to step up there and do some things for us.”

Learning Experience

Nash got a phone call over the summer from C.B. McGrath, administrative assistant for the basketball staff.

McGrath asked if Nash wanted to represent Kansas on the Big 12 All-Star squad, a select team that would travel to Europe to play six games against foreign competition.

“I wanted to,” Nash says. “I’d be a fool to pass that up.”

Nash spent 11 days in Europe, traveling to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. It wasn’t all basketball. Nash and 11 other Big 12 players spent time seeing the sights of Scandanavia.

“They tried to throw in a little bit of education,” he said.

Nash likely learned the most on the court, though. Coached by Baylor’s Dave Bliss, Nash averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds on a team that went 6-0 in Europe. His teammates included Iowa State’s Jake Sullivan, Missouri’s Travon Bryant and Baylor’s Lawrence Roberts. Nash said the atmosphere was friendly  on the surface.

“It wasn’t much trash talking, but a lot of pushing and fouling,” he said. “It got a little aggressive out there, but it was under control.”

Williams said Nash’s experiences overseas could be criticial in his development as a Jayhawk.

“Anytime you have two to three weeks of concentration on basketball,” he said, “it’s got to help you.”

Bringing it Together

A player with the versatility that Nash has does have its setbacks, though. For one, there is a lot more areas of the game to work on.

He said he worked mostly on driving to the basket while in Europe. Since his return, he’s tried to further develop his jump shot. All along, he’s been working on his post game. Williams wants him to fill the rebounding void that Gooden left.

“He wants lots of rebounds,” Nash said. “Defensive, but mostly offensive.”

Despite missing nearly a month with a broken thumb, Nash proved that an outside game is in his arsenal. He nailed a three-pointer in the Late Night scrimmage on Oct. 11, answering one that former Jayhawk Jeff Boschee drilled just seconds earlier.

Perhaps it’s a sign of new-found confidence, something lacking his first two seasons but something, he said, improved tremendously in his stint in Europe.

“I saw the potential that I had,” he said. “I got to see what I could do.”

Now, it’s time for Kansas fans to see for themselves. Their first glance is in exhibition play, against the EA Sports All Stars on Nov. 4.

“I feel a little pressure,” Nash says, “but I welcome it. I got to step up to the challenge.”