Gee, if only Julian Wright hadn’t left early for the NBA.

Admit it. You thought you might be uttering those words sometime during this Kansas University men’s basketball season. Instead, the Jayhawks have missed Wright about as much as they’ve missed a shot putter on the roster.

Sure, Kansas would have had more depth if Wright hadn’t opted for pro dough after his sophomore season, but Wright’s departure hasn’t weakened the Jayhawks a bit. If anything, his absence has opened the door for Darnell Jackson’s breakout senior year.

On another front, if the Jayhawks weren’t enjoying an unbeaten season, you could bandy about the names of five players who pulled the rip cord before completing their eligibility on Mount Oread.

In fact, you could have come up with a pretty competitive starting lineup composed of five players who transferred to other schools : if C.J. Giles hadn’t been booted the other day at Oregon State.

Operating in the double post could have been David Padgett and Giles while J.R. Giddens, Alex Galindo and Micah Downs worked on the perimeter.

Padgett, now a fifth-year senior at Louisville, left Kansas after his freshman year. I’ve always believed the 6-foot-11 pivot pulled up stakes because a student faction ripped him unmercifully and unfairly in the University Daily Kansan newspaper.

Padgett was never going to become a star, but I’m convinced he would have thrived in Bill Self’s high-low offense. At the same time, you have to admire the way he has battled back from knee injuries at Louisville.

Meanwhile, for some reason, Giles never suffered the slings and arrows of KU students despite numerous unimpressive court performances and suspect citizenship tendencies. Self eventually booted the 6-11 Giles after a handful of run-ins with the authorities.

Giles surfaced at Oregon State where he became eligible last month and played in 10 games, fouling out six times while averaging 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds, numbers similar to the ones he posted while at KU. Giles blamed the excessive fouls on the officials, saying they let the “little bumps go” in the Big 12. Hmmm, Giles obviously didn’t see Saturday’s Kansas-Missouri game.

Oh, by the way : before he was dismissed at OSU, Giles had been suspended for one game after missing a practice and being late for another. He also reportedly engaged in a shouting match with an OSU assistant coach during practice.

Unlike Giles, Giddens’ departure from Lawrence wasn’t forced, yet it was clear he needed a change of scenery after that heavily publicized watering hole brouhaha, and he’s found a home at New Mexico. As a fifth-year senior, Giddens leads the Lobos in scoring (13.5) and rebounding (8.7). His NBA stock has diminished but he can still shoot the three and dunk with the best.

During Galindo’s year at KU, he projected as a little fish in a big pond so the 6-6 junior opted to reverse that role by enrolling at Florida International where he is starting on a weak 5-12 team. But at least he’s a big fish, averaging 12.4 points a game. Downs also saw the handwriting on the wall and left midway through his first season. Now at Gonzaga, the 6-8 junior is in the Zags’ rotation and averages about nine points a game.

Gee, if only :??? Ha.