Here’s something for high school basketball players to ponder as the Nov. 8 start of the week-long early signing period nears:

Pick the wrong school, and your life might be in jeopardy.

Indianapolis blue-chipper Eric Gordon’s decision to renege on an oral commitment to Illinois – and switch to Indiana – has prompted some fans to send death threats to the Gordon family both in the mail and to Gordon’s MySpace Web page.

“One person could look at them (the messages) and say they’re death threats, and another would say, ‘Ah, it’s just somebody blowing off steam,'” Gordon’s father, Eric Gordon Sr., told the Indianapolis Star. “I take them pretty seriously. They’re so over-the-top.

“I can understand missing out on a top recruit, but there are plenty more things out there that are more important. Health care, starving kids, education – more important things than making threats to a 17-year-old kid and making harmful comments about the kid and his family. It’s pretty pathetic, to say the least.”

North Central High School coach Doug Mitchell is considering extra security at games this season.

“It’s hard to know how serious some of these people are,” Mitchell told the Indy paper. “How beyond reality are you when you’re that upset about the decision a 17-year-old makes? About a game? A game! For some of them (fans), it’s like they’re not dealing with real people. It’s like a video game to them.”

Mitchell was especially upset when one Internet poster called Gordon’s decision to switch schools a “tragedy.”

Mitchell’s son, Bryce, was killed in a real tragedy – a car crash – June 7, 2002.

“This is a game. I mean, if people can’t handle that, sell insurance,” Mitchell told the Star.

Astonishingly, a columnist in the Peoria, Ill., newspaper called Gordon’s decision to switch to Indiana “gutless and foolish” and referred to Gordon as a “steaming pile of two-guard.”

The writer later said he regretted referring to a 17-year-old as a piece of excrement.

As far as Kansas University recruiting, the Jayhawks – who will be down to 11 scholarship players if C.J. Giles is permanently removed from the team – are still hoping to land Kyle Singler, a 6-foot-9 senior forward from South Medford (Ore.) High, who will commit either to KU, Duke or Arizona later this week.

Singler, who attended Late Night in the Phog, told the Medford Mail-Tribune that KU coach Bill Self was “an easy guy to talk to and the funniest coach I’ve dealt with in the recruiting process. And the Kansas players were really friendly. I’d be comfortable going to school there.”

A Medford sports writer who has monitored Singler’s recruitment closely wrote, “The feeling from here is that Singler will pick Duke. (Mike) Krzyzewski, considered by many to be the nation’s top college coach, has already formed a close relationship with Singler and has told him he has the potential to become an All-American.”

The Chicago Sun Times reports that KU is “out of the picture” for Derrick Rose, 6-4 from Chicago, who the paper says will choose Memphis or Indiana, but still has DePaul on his list.

James Anderson, 6-6 from Junction City, Ark., is visiting Oklahoma State this weekend after making trips to Arkansas, Kansas and Florida. He still may visit Kentucky.

KU is also recruiting Dominique Sutton, 6-4 from Durham, N.C., who has a list of KU, K-State, Oklahoma and Illinois. Sutton, who may have grade issues, may wait until the spring to sign.

KU on Nov. 8 will sign Cole Aldrich, 6-10 from Bloomington, Minn., who orally committed last year.

¢ Ex-Jayhawk update: Louisville center David Padgett, who had knee surgery March 6, is targeting December for his return to action.

“I’m putting him on the back burner,” coach Rick Pitino told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “He can come in because of his intelligence and smarts and give us some things, but it will be a slow journey for him.”

Former KU forward J.R. Giddens had a spat with senior forward Aaron Johnson at a University of New Mexico practice last week. Johnson was thrown out of practice for tellng Giddens to quit hogging the ball.

“It will all get worked out,” Giddens told the Albuquerque Tribune. “We’re all men. Sometimes heads will clash. Coach (Ritchie McKay) probably has a lower tolerance than any coach, ever. It might be something major here, but in another program it might have been like, ‘Just shut up.”’

Twenty-four hours after the incident, Johnson said: “Me and J.R. are really good friends. When you’ve got someone you’re close with like brothers, you have brother arguments.

“We have an understanding. J.R. is a great scorer. When he’s hitting, we’re going to let him shoot. I’ll have one of those games when I’m really feeling it, but the ball will be distributed on this team, too.”

¢ Walker qualifies: ESPN’s Andy Katz reports that guard Bill Walker has earned a qualifying test score and his paperwork is with the NCAA Clearinghouse. If he is cleared, he’s expected to play for Kansas State in the spring semester. Walker, 6-6 from Cincinnati, is Rivals.com’s No. 6-rated player nationally. He’s ineligible to play his final season of high school ball and is trying to graduate early.