Ballyhooed prep Hairston visiting KU

Malik Hairston, the nation’s No. 6-rated high-school basketball player according to rivals.com, is on Kansas University’s campus today for an official visit.

It’s Hairston’s third visit of the recruiting season.

Whether the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Detroit native makes a fourth visit is anybody’s guess.

“I’m really not sure,” the guard/forward told theinsiders.com prior to departing for Lawrence.

“I really don’t think it has hit me yet and just said, ‘This is where I need to be,”’ added Hairston, who has visited Ohio State and UCLA and made unofficial trips to Michigan and Michigan State.

“I need to compare schools and then see if I need to make another visit somewhere else.”

  • Giles loves Kansas: KU is in strong position to land C.J. Giles, a 6-11, 240-pounder from Seattle.

Giles, the son of former KU players Chester Giles and Gail Goodwin, told the Seattle Times he had cut his list of schools to KU, Miami and Arizona.

The Jayhawks, he said, are strong favorites.

“If I like it,” Giles said of next weekend’s visit, “I might end up saying I want to go there.”

Giles, who has visited Miami, will head to Arizona Oct. 17.

  • Big Jayhawk on display: Fans wanting to take a look at the new court design at Allen Fieldhouse may do so today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as part of KU’s official “open house” festivities. A Jayhawk hot air balloon will be outside the fieldhouse at the same time.
  • Roster: KU has completed its roster for the 2003-04 season with current heights and weights. Senior center Jeff Graves checks in at 6-9, 255 pounds after reporting to camp last year at about 290 pounds.

Weight changes since last year include Christian Moody — who, at 6-8, 215, put on 10 pounds — and five players adding five pounds — Moulaye Niang, 6-9, 220; Jeff Hawkins, 5-11, 180; Bryant Nash, 6-7, 210; Keith Langford, 6-4, 210; and Stephen Vinson, 6-2, 190. Moody and Nash added an inch to their frames.

  • Making a strong Case: Coach Bill Self in speaking with ESPN this week said guard Jeremy Case has excelled in individual drills of late and could make a big splash his rookie season. Case is a 6-foot, 165-pounder from McAlester, Okla. Case’s dad, Win, a former Oklahoma State standout and current coach at Oklahoma City CC, was in Lawrence last weekend and before a pick-up game worked out with Jeremy at Horejsi Center.