Archive for Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Phoenix prep signs with KU
As expected, combo guard Woolridge joins Jayhawks
Arizona Magic guard Royce Woolridge makes a move to the bucket past All Iowa Attack forward Harrison Barnes during the second half Friday, May 1, 2009 at Haskell Indian Nations University's Coffin Sports Complex.
November 11, 2009, 1:49 p.m. Updated November 12, 2009, 12:00 a.m.
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Woolridge makes it official, signs with KU basketball
Royce Woolridge, a 6-foot-3 senior combo guard from Sunnyslope High in Phoenix, Ariz., signed an official basketball letter of intent with Kansas University Wednesday in a late-morning ceremony at his high school. Enlarge video
Woolridge officially a Jayhawk
Royce Woolridge signed an official basketball letter of intent with Kansas University Wednesday in a late-morning ceremony at his high school. Enlarge video
Some college basketball recruiting battles are full of high drama — dragging out month after month for more than a year — with coaches never exactly knowing where their programs stand until Signing Day.
Others?
Well, they are not as stressful.
Take, for instance, the case of Royce Woolridge, a 6-foot-3 senior combo guard from Phoenix’s Sunnyslope High, who orally committed to KU on May 1, 2008 — 23 days after the prep sophomore and his mom, Victoria, initiated contact with Kansas University coach Bill Self.
“This one was easier than most. It was right after we won the national championship, literally. He liked how we played, and they got word to us. We went and watched him play, offered a scholarship, and, boom, it was done,” Self said Wednesday afternoon, three hours after Woolridge signed a national letter of intent with KU in a ceremony at Sunnyslope High.
“Royce committed over the phone basically after coach (Kurtis) Townsend had seen him a few times. I saw him on tape and liked what I saw on tape.”
Self since has watched a batch of high school and AAU games of Woolridge’s.
“Royce has been loyal and certainly done everything we’ve asked him to do from a loyalty standpoint. We are very appreciative. He was first to jump on board (in recruiting class of 2010), and we always have a fond appreciation of that,” Self said.
Woolridge — who averaged 28.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for last year’s 24-5 Arizona state champs — said he was sold during his sophomore season, thanks in large part to “cousins, uncles and aunts” who live in Prairie Village and filled him in on KU hoops.
“My family that lives in Kansas are Kansas fanatics. They’d talk of KU, and I tried to look into it more,” Royce said in a phone interview after a news conference attended by 60 family members, coaches and friends.
“The history behind it — it’s where basketball started, and the atmosphere is crazy, and the fans love the game. It’s where I feel I’ll fit in best.”
Woolridge, who received recruiting interest from Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, Georgetown and other schools, has never regretted his quick decision to become a Jayhawk.
“That’s the kind of kid he is. He’s an old soul. He’s not indecisive. It amazes me,” said his mom, Victoria Sallis-Woolridge, who works in real estate and soon will be applying for her license in Kansas. She has decided to move to a “suburb of Lawrence” to be close to her son and be able to follow his academic and athletic career.
“He made a great choice. He never ever wavered. He wanted to get it (recruiting) done, and if he committed as a sophomore it would be over,” Victoria explained. “We don’t like the recruiting part of it. We don’t believe in taking free vacations. We believe in loyalty and what we want.
“I appreciate how Kansas realizes loyalty should be noticed. Lew Perkins (KU athletic director) made a big deal about that. He acknowledged Royce’s loyalty (when they visited for Late Night in the Phog) and said that’s what he values at KU — loyalty.”
Self is just as impressed with Woolridge’s on-court skills.
“He is a combo guard that has pretty good size. He may have a chance to grow some more. He’s a very good shooter, is good off the bounce. I see him as a guy who will be a real good player in the program,” Self said.
Woolridge — his dad, Orlando, played in the NBA — is currently Rivals.com’s No. 117-ranked player.
“You watch when the rankings come out at the end of the year. He’ll be one of those guys I would say definitely has a chance to be a top-50 player,” Self said, indicating he does not consider rankings when recruiting.
Victoria says the Woolridge family also doesn’t fret over numbers.
“I don’t put any feeling toward rankings. When we get to KU, it’s on,’’ Victoria said. “Royce knows how to use it as ammunition to get better. I think the KU fans will be very surprised. I don’t think they have any inkling of what Royce will bring. He’s been underestimated a bit. I think Royce will wow Kansas.”
He was standing tall among his peers Wednesday.
“I feel so good I'm finally part of the Jayhawk family officially," Woolridge said. "It's a huge moment, a huge day. It’s crazy. It makes me feel great. There’s no school like Kansas.”
•
Who else?
Self said he’d like to sign at least three players in the Class of 2010.
“We are only recruiting a handful of guys. Hopefully of that handful we can get a couple more. I don’t know if we’ll get two more early,” Self said.
Harrison Barnes, a 6-8 forward from Ames (Iowa) High, will announce for KU, North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, UCLA or Iowa State in a 3 p.m. news conference Friday. The announcement will be aired at 3:10 p.m. on ESPNU.
Three other players who visited KU this semester may wait until the spring, according to Rivals.com.
They are: Brandon Knight, 6-3 point guard from Pine Crest High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Josh Selby, a 6-2 point guard from Lake Clifton High in Baltimore; and Doron Lamb, 6-4 shooting guard from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.
•
Bumps, bruises
Freshman guard C.J. Henry, who has missed two weeks of practice with a swollen right knee, returned to practice Wednesday. He’s been listed day-to-day. It probably will be a longshot for Henry to play in Friday’s 7 p.m. regular-season opener against Hofstra.
More like this
- KU recruit tumbles in rankings 5 comments / August 24, 2009
- Recruit 'circus' coming April 30, 2009
- Woolridge’s coach doesn’t buy recruit’s ranking 9 comments / August 28, 2009
- Kansas recruit excels in Vegas 3 comments / July 27, 2009
- 2010 prospect Woolridge commits to KU 5 comments / May 1, 2008
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11 November 2009
at 1:54 p.m.
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chicagoeddie (Anonymous) says…
welcome to the kansas family Royce! You will be a great addition to this great program, Rock Chalk!
11 November 2009
at 4:04 p.m.
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cold (Anonymous) says…
is he top 20? at least a burger boy? if not, no thanks.
11 November 2009
at 6:57 p.m.
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red_devil (Anonymous) says…
Cold, you're an idiot.
11 November 2009
at 7:34 p.m.
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randysavage (Anonymous) says…
cold (Anonymous) says…
is he top 20? at least a burger boy? if not, no thanks.
_____________________
He's 94 on ESPNU Top 100, and he will be great for us. And if this is the first you've heard of him then 'no thanks' to you as a KU basketball fan
11 November 2009
at 8:02 p.m.
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JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
Funny, since athletic scholarships are for kids to get a chance to go to college why isn't there anything about what he plans to study? Actually now I think about it we never hear what they are going to study. Thinking that the chance to get a college degree is so important we would at least get to hear what it is they want to major in.
11 November 2009
at 8:19 p.m.
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Pilgrim2 (Anonymous) says…
JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
Funny, since athletic scholarships are for kids to get a chance to go to college why isn't there anything about what he plans to study? Actually now I think about it we never hear what they are going to study. Thinking that the chance to get a college degree is so important we would at least get to hear what it is they want to major in.
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It figured the resident gym class flunkie would chime in. But hey, Rip, since it's only November of his senior year in high school, maybe he hasn't settled on a major yet. Hell, I've known university sophomores in that same boat. What did you have in mind for a timetable?
12 November 2009
at 12:17 a.m.
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mdrndgtl (Anonymous) says…
Wait, he's going to college too?
12 November 2009
at 10:09 a.m.
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mae (Anonymous) says…
“I’m gonna major in business,” Woolridge said. “I want to have my own clothing line. That would be real cool. I want to look toward opening my own shop.”
12 November 2009
at 10:35 a.m.
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ralphralph (Anonymous) says…
but can he counter the right cross of a KU gridder?
12 November 2009
at 8:47 p.m.
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jkilgore (Anonymous) says…
cold = idiot = mu fan = woolridge will beat your … but you already know that.
13 November 2009
at 3:32 p.m.
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Seamus (Anonymous) says…
Pilgrim, your ad hominems aside, most college-bound high school seniors have at least some clue what they might desire to study.
I suspect that this kid probably has little value for the education that anyone else would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to receive.
13 November 2009
at 8:43 p.m.
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Pilgrim2 (Anonymous) says…
Seamus (Anonymous) says…
Pilgrim, your ad hominems aside, most college-bound high school seniors have at least some clue what they might desire to study.
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And some don't, especially in early November of their senior year in high school. As I said, I've known university sophomores who were still settling on a major, and others who switch majors in the middle of their matriculations.
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I suspect that this kid probably has little value for the education that anyone else would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to receive.
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And I suspect your curbstone psychological profile on a young man you know nothing about is worth exactly what we paid for it.
13 November 2009
at 9:28 p.m.
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Seamus (Anonymous) says…
Pilgrim— and that's another reason why we have kids taking 5 years to graduate from college. If they don't know what they want to do, perhaps they ought to work in the real world before going into college.
And, I guess you haven't spent much time around athletes have you? I fondly recall hearing from these overindulged kids how “unfair” it was that they weren't being paid for their services on the field or court.
Go back to your sports hero worship.
13 November 2009
at 10:05 p.m.
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JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
Hey Pilgram, the short bus is waiting for you! Just look what all the other fanatics said, there is no illusion that what his goals are at KU. There is no credibility in even trying make a case for wasting scholarship dollars on athletes when there are kids who could be solving the real problems in this country if they could afford a college degree. When you are in the patty fields gathering rice maybe you'll look back and think if it made any sense.
13 November 2009
at 10:19 p.m.
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Seamus (Anonymous) says…
Jack, let's just let Pilgrim waste his time venerating and defending a system that any rational person could see has been broken for years. And while I would actually like to be proven wrong about this, I'm willing to bet that our “scholar athlete” isn't going to do anything productive with his degree. Unless, of course, you consider having another line of heavily-marketed, slave-made “gangsta wear” productive.
13 November 2009
at 10:40 p.m.
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Pilgrim2 (Anonymous) says…
JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
There is no credibility in even trying make a case for wasting scholarship dollars on athletes when there are kids who could be solving the real problems in this country if they could afford a college degree.
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If the money for athletic scholarships and academic scholarships were coming from the same pool of money, you might have a point. Since they are completely separate, you don't.
Now you can go back to your jock hate/envy obsession.
14 November 2009
at 6:11 a.m.
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JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
still don't get it, do you?
15 November 2009
at 6:34 a.m.
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Pilgrim2 (Anonymous) says…
Of course I do. It's YOU who doesn't get it. Or just won't get it due to your hate/envy/resentment.
Pathetic.
15 November 2009
at 7:04 a.m.
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JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
what a pitty
15 November 2009
at 7:35 a.m.
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jaywalker (Anonymous) says…
Give it up, Pilgrim. Rip and Seamus are merely haters. Talking with them is pointless on this. Heck, you'll never see Rip on these boards except to rail against the “no-good athletes”. Sad little lives, don't let 'em bring ya down.
15 November 2009
at 8:16 a.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
But, jaywalker, think what an opportunity they provide you to pump yourself up.
15 November 2009
at 8:58 a.m.
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JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
jaywalker we can be assured if hard times come to this country there will be enough people that will follow any movement fanatically and unquestioning. Quick, throw a roman salute and cry out rock chalk, rock chalk, rock chalk!
15 November 2009
at 5:19 p.m.
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Pilgrim2 (Anonymous) says…
JackRipper (Anonymous) says…
what a pitty
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Yes, you are. Take your pick, pathetic or pitiful. You are either/or.