Self rates KU recruiting class among his best ever

Bill Self isn’t calling this his best recruiting class.

At least not yet.

“It’s one of the best classes we’ve had on paper, but you don’t play the games on paper,” Self said Wednesday, a day after wrapping up his first basketball recruiting class at Kansas University by landing Seattle center C.J. Giles. “Guys still have to come here and perform.”

Self had signed his share of highly touted talent in 10 years as a head coach at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois, but his first class at KU looks especially solid.

KU signed Florida Air Academy center Alexander “Sasha” Kaun (6-foot-11, 245 pounds), New York guard Russell Robinson (6-1, 180) and Midwest City, Okla., forward Darnell Jackson (6-9, 240) in the early period.

Kansas, which had reached the NCAA limit of 13 scholarship players for 2004-2005 at that point, continued to recruit in case one or more players transferred. Self’s staff also operated under the assumption that the NCAA would rescind the unpopular five-and-eight rule, which limited schools to signing five players in one season and a total of eight in a two-year period.

The NCAA did, in fact, kill the five-and-eight restriction, and freshmen Omar Wilkes and David Padgett announced their intentions to leave Kansas — which signed four players last year — at the end of the semester.

That chain of events opened two more scholarships for Self to fill in the late period.

Self praised assistants Tim Jankovich, Joe Dooley, director of student-athlete development Danny Manning and former aide Norm Roberts — now head coach at St. John’s — for their persistence.

“They all did a great job in continuing to recruit when there were no scholarships available,” Self said. “They continued to recruit when there was a five-and-eight rule and even when we didn’t know there would be any defections. That allowed us to get Alex and C.J. late.”

Forward Alex Galindo (6-6, 200) of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., signed a scholarship agreement with KU on Monday. Giles, a 6-10, 240-pounder from Rainer Beach High, rounded out the class Tuesday.

All five KU recruits are ranked in the top 15 at their respective positions by rivals.com and are among the top 65 players overall. Rivals.com rated KU’s class second in the nation.

“I think it has a chance to be the best class we’ve ever had,” said Self, who expected all five freshmen to be on campus this summer.

Self and his staff already are at work on next year. Bothell, Wash., junior forward Micah Downs (6-8, 185) announced on Monday that he had made an oral commitment to KU. Downs is the sixth-ranked small forward in the class of 2005 and is the 22nd-ranked junior overall.

KU likely will pick up a commitment from another junior by the end of the week. Mario Chalmers (6-1, 165) of Bartlett High in Anchorage, Alaska, reportedly will make an oral commitment to Kansas in a Friday news conference. Chalmers is the top-ranked junior point guard in the nation and the eighth-ranked player overall.

Kansas also is in the running for Tyler Hansbrough of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Hansbrough (6-9, 230), the third-ranked power forward among juniors and the fifth-rated player overall, said he will choose a college in July after narrowing his search to Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky.

“We’re preparing to have four scholarships to give,” said Self, who will have four seniors on his roster in 2004-05. “We’re hoping to finish up in November.”

  • Short-handed: Self has not yet named a replacement for Roberts, though former Miami and Michigan aide Kurtis Townsend is thought to be among the candidates.

“I’m in no hurry,” Self said. “I don’t have a timeline at all.”

  • Up next: Self’s staff will conduct two camps next month — June 13-17 and June 20-24. Spots are still available in the second session.