Kansas guard Kelly Oubre Jr., left, and forward Cliff Alexander celebrate a three by teammate Wayne Selden Jr. during the second half on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Kelly Oubre Jr., left, and forward Cliff Alexander celebrate a three by teammate Wayne Selden Jr. during the second half on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Thursday will mark the first NBA Draft since 2009 that I have not been in attendance.

Most years, draft day sticks out to me like a lighthouse on a rocky shore both because there is so much planning that goes into covering it and also because it’s always been one of my favorite events in sports.

This year, however, it crept up faster than I can ever remember.

My not being there in the Big Apple — one of my favorite cities in the world — has nothing to do with me not wanting to be there. I would cover the draft — or anything else in NYC for that matter — at just about any time. But with the KU men’s hoops team heading to South Korea and us sending both a reporter (preps writer Bobby Nightengale) and a photographer (Mike Yoder) all the way to the Far East, I started hearing about that costing more than a few hundred bucks and figured this was as good of a year as any to sit it out.

The reason goes far beyond the financial element.

See, part of the fun of covering the draft has been covering the people and personalities associated with it. I’ll never forget 2010 and how gracious Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry were to let me follow them around for just about the entire day before their big moments.

Former Kansas University center Cole Aldrich speaks with reporters during the 2010 NBA Draft media availability in New York. Aldrich figures to receive an opportunity for major minutes in Oklahoma City, a team that lacked a consistent post presence last season.

Same thing in 2013 with Ben McLemore, who I even asked at one point if he was tired of getting peppered by questions. Not only did he say no but he invited me to ride on the bus back to draft headquarters in case I needed any more questions answered. I did. And most of it made it into my story. Later, when I told KU coach Bill Self that McLemore had said he wasn’t tired of me, Self quickly quipped, “Well, he lied.”

Ben McLemore and Michigan's Trey Burke pose for a photo at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. Several members of the 2013 NBA Draft class toured the grounds Wednesday and interacted with family members of several victims of the terrorist attacks from Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Matt Tait.

A year earlier, Markieff Morris was equally friendly with an old, familiar face, perhaps because twin brother Marcus was in Charlotte up until draft day running through one last workout and it was better knowing somebody there than nobody.

Twin brothers Markieff , left, and Marcus Morris, who played together at Kansas, stand near the stage after they were picked No. 13 and No. 14, respectively, during the NBA basketball draft Thursday, June 23, 2011, in Newark, N.J. Markieff was picked by the Phoenix Suns while Marcus was picked by the Houston Rockets.

In each case, as well as the others, the thing that made covering these guys in one of the biggest moments of their lives so enjoyable was the fact that I knew them and they knew me. It wasn’t like we were friends or even owed anything to one another, but there is a certain appreciation — both ways, I think — that comes with familiarity.

Surrounded by dozens of other reporters asking everything from silly questions about their first purchases to uncomfortable questions about personal things ranging from family life to eligibility issues, there just appeared to be something pleasant to these guys about a guy who knew their story, knew their game, knew Lawrence and knew KU.

That guy was me and it allowed me to get some good access and better information.

A year ago, Andrew Wiggins was the No. 1 pick in the draft after spending less than 12 months in Lawrence. Wiggins was plenty friendly and helpful while I was there to cover his big day but there was no real connection. And how could there be? I think I only interviewed the guy 10 times or so and only rarely was it in a one-on-one setting.

Kansas' Andrew Wiggins jumps rope with a student during a kids basketball clinic in New York, Wednesday, June 25, 2014. Wiggins and other 2014 draft prospects are in town for the NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York on June 26, 2014.

For all the talk about what the one-and-done movement is doing to college basketball, this is the way it most impacts me. I know that doesn’t mean much to anybody else and I’m certainly not trying to portray some sob story. But it is a bummer to go out to such a big event in such a cool place and have it become just another day on the job when just a few years ago it was so much more than that.

That, I suspect, is what it would’ve been like had I made the trek this year to cover Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander’s draft dance.

First off, Alexander won’t even be in New York and there’s no telling where he’ll be drafted. And Oubre, like Wiggins before him, was not in Lawrence long enough to really get to know.

The Oubre I interviewed starting last summer and running all the way through the NCAA Tournament in Omaha last March, was a very likable dude. And I’m sure it would’ve been easy to follow him around and tell his story the way I told the stories of those other guys in the past.

But the deeper connection probably would not be there. And that’s a shame.

I’ll go back to the draft in the future, perhaps even as soon as next year. And I’m sure there’ll be plenty of fun stories to tell and moments to share. But I can’t help but wonder if the days of walking out onto 5th Avenue with Aldrich and Henry to get a quick picture for the front of the next day’s sports section are done for good.