Draft talk

Chad Ford, ESPN’s NBA Draft analyst, lists KU sophomore Darrell Arthur as the No. 16 prospect in the 2008 Draft, junior Brandon Rush 20th, junior Mario Chalmers 36th, senior Sasha Kaun 65th and senior Darnell Jackson 79th. There are 60 total picks in the draft, 30 in Round One.

“There’s a great chance all of them will stay in the draft,” KU coach Bill Self said, referring to Rush, who has an agent and is in for good, as well as Arthur and Chalmers, who have not hired agents and can withdraw by June 16 to retain college eligibility.

“We’re preparing like we’re not going to have those guys,” Self added, noting there likely would be no updates on the players for a month or so, considering the NBA Orlando camp isn’t until May 27-29. Individual workouts for NBA teams will be held the first two weeks of June.

“Very slim,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said in an online chat, asked to assess the chances of Chalmers and Arthur returning to KU. “Arthur has size, skill, athleticism and potential. Chalmers is one of the best two individual defenders in the draft. I think they will both stay in.”

Draftexpress.com lists Arthur 22nd (Orlando) and Rush 24th (Seattle) in the first round and Chalmers the No. 4 pick of Round Two (Minnesota).

‘Bobo’ bolting LSU

J’Mison “Bobo” Morgan, a 6-11, 255-pound senior from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High, tells the Dallas Morning News he officially has asked to be released from his LSU letter of intent. He wants to attend UCLA.

“It was a real hard decision for me,” said Morgan, who considered KU before inking with LSU. “My comfort level was at LSU, but I felt like UCLA was a better fit for me as far as exposure.”

Dixon hot prospect

Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West point guard Michael Dixon, who is Rivals.com’s 87th-rated player in the Class of 2009, tells the recruiting service he has a list of 10 schools.

The 6-foot, 165-pound Dixon has received scholarship offers from Arkansas, Cal-Berkeley, Kansas State, Louisville, Marquette, Missouri, Oklahoma and Purdue. He’s also considering Kansas and Tennessee.

Dixon led Kansas City Pump N Run to the title of last weekend’s Jayhawk Invitational AAU Tournament.

“If it (KU) is a place I would get to play, great,” Dixon told Rivals. “But if not, that’s great, too, because I’m getting my education paid for.”