Kansas senior Mario Little will red-shirt this season, KU coach Bill Self said Thursday.
Meanwhile, no final decision has been made on the red-shirt status of sophomore Travis Releford.
"We'll get through practice today and maybe into tomorrow to see exactly what Travis is going to do," Self said. "Mario's going to red-shirt. Even though ... not 100 percent, that's what he wants to do, and that will guarantee graduation for him. I think that's good for him. Although he has been one of our better performers in practice, we're going to red-shirt him unless something unforeseen happens.
"Travis will have a decision to make in the next 24 hours or so. I'm not going to pressure him. He's going to let me know tomorrow. Then, we'll go from there."
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Ignorant_Yokel (anonymous) says…
MArio liTtlE
KEITHMILES05 (anonymous) says…
As of now it is unlikely Barnes will be a Hawk.
persevering_gal (anonymous) says…
Not quite sure I understand this.
mae (anonymous) says…
I support Mario's decision 100%.
This is probably a pretty good classload for him in his 4th year. Despite the naysayers out there, graduating is priority #1 for most of the team.
Red shirting will keep him in shape, practicing his game, while letting him off the stress of gametime.
and I'll be happy to see him as part of another strong team next year!
mdrndgtl (anonymous) says…
Most of the team loves graduating!
TopJayhawk (anonymous) says…
I don't know anymore than anyone else.
I suspect the reason for the shirt is because C.J. Henry is going to get a ton of minutes this yr.
I also think Mario can use another yr of getting stronger. He was so set-back last yr due to injuries. Hopefully next yr he will get a ton of minutes.
rgh (anonymous) says…
With Mario red shirting this year, it re-loads for next year when we could potential lose a lot of players to the NBA. This was the right move for him and for KU.
It'll keep an extremely valuable player for next year who will make an immediate impact with the team. I'm glad he's willing to do so and hopefully Releford will do the same. We're loaded at guard at right now and his minutes would be limited. Next year, he would come in and get a lot of minutes and return an experienced player.
lee_go_hawks (anonymous) says…
With X likely one and done, this is good news for the Hawks. Little will likely start next year at the three and get a LOT more minutes than he would this year. Releford should red shirt as well, but I know that's a tough decision, and a tough pill to swallow for kids who want to play.
Satirical (anonymous) says…
While I hope X is a 1 and doner (because that likely means his level of play warrants such and also likely means KU wins the National Championship), I have many doubts this will occur.
First, have you see him try to fight through a pick? Horrendous.
Second, he doesn't shuffle his feet on defense, making him a really slow defender and allowing even a mediocre guard to blow by him. (Although he does a great job being active with his hands)
Third, he throws up too many lousy shots. Likely this is because he feels shooting is the only way he can be involved and contribute to the team. (Which wouldn’t be true if he were a better defender and passer).
Don’t' get me wrong X is still a great player who excels in MANY aspects and has amazing potential, but X isn't just a little behind in these areas, he is totally deficient in these areas. However, I agree my assessment is somewhat premature since I have only seen X during 1 scrimmage and 2 preseason games.
Best of luck X and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
jhawks1510 (anonymous) says…
Mario has just set himself up to be the leader on next year's team when we go for our fifth NCAA title. heh heh...