photo by: Nick Krug

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo.Kansas newcomers front row sitting: Travis Releford, Tyshawn Taylor, Tyrone Appleton and Quintrell Thomas. Back row from left are Markieff Morris, Mario Little and Marcus Morris.

Despite being nine years apart, Kansas basketball’s 2008 recruiting class and 2017 recruiting class might wind up having a lot more in common than anyone could have predicted.

We won’t know, of course, what KU’s 2017 class looks like for several weeks, perhaps even months, but it did get off to a solid start this week when the Jayhawks landed a commitment from versatile Dallas guard Marcus Garrett, the 44th ranked player in the country according to Rivals.com.

While it remains to be seen exactly how big — or how stellar — KU’s 2017 class will be, this much we know today: It is likely going to consist of somewhere between 4 and 6 players and nearly all of them will make up key parts of the 2017-18 rotation.

Sound familiar? It should. KU coach Bill Self has rebuilt his rotation on more than one occasion during his days at Kansas. And each time he’s done it with a great deal of success.

Few were as impressive as the 2008 class, which was finalized less than a month after Self led the Jayhawks to a national title with a roster dominated by upperclassmen.

Only Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich returned as key contributors on that title team.

Five players from that 2008 national championship squad were lost to the NBA draft. And four others — Russell Robinson, Jeremy Case, Rodrick Stewart and Brad Witherspoon — left town after graduation. That’s nine players gone from a roster of 17, two of them walk-ons.

Needless to say, Self’s work on the recruiting trail as he simultaneously attempted to guide Kansas to the title was more than a little important.

photo by: Nick Krug

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo.Kansas newcomers front row sitting: Travis Releford, Tyshawn Taylor, Tyrone Appleton and Quintrell Thomas. Back row from left are Markieff Morris, Mario Little and Marcus Morris.

The same could be said about the current state of Kansas basketball. We don’t know yet if the 2016-17 team will bring home a title, but it certainly looks like a legit contender. What’s more, Self stands to lose a good chunk of this year’s roster at season’s end, whether the Jayhawks win it all or not.

KU’s official roster includes 15 players. Of those, we know that seniors Frank Mason, Landen Lucas and Tyler Self won’t be back.

Beyond that, we know there’s a better-than-good chance that freshman Josh Jackson, junior Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and possibly even Carlton Bragg and Devonte’ Graham won’t return.

(For what it’s worth, I’d bet money Graham will be back for his senior season, but you never know.)

For this exercise, let’s say Graham’s back and the rest leave; that’s six players departing from a roster of 15, or 40 percent.

In 2008, KU lost 53 percent of its roster. The big difference, though, was that just six of the nine players — 67 percent — who bolted after the national title were regular parts of the rotation, while five of the six — 83 percent — who could leave after the upcoming season figure to be key rotation guys.

There exists the possibility, of course, that Bragg, Graham and Svi all could return for the 2017-18 season. Heck, even Jackson, technically could return, though that’s much less likely. If any or all of those players were to come back, the importance of the 2017 class obviously would be lessened and Self once again would roll out a talented and experienced crew to start the 2017-18 season.

Either way, Self is staring at, in the very least, a restocking of the roster, even if he does not have a full rebuild on his hands.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see that the coach set to enter his 14th season in charge of the Kansas program is well ahead of the game compared to the way things played out in 2008.

KU basketball commitment Malik Newman signed with the Jayhawks on Friday, July 1 and will transfer to Kansas from Mississippi State.

Even though they’re not traditional members of the 2017 class, Mississippi State transfer Malik Newman and Liberty transfer Evan Maxwell already are on campus and practicing with the team. Both will sit out this season and be eligible again in 2017.

Add to that the early commitment from Garrett and you’re looking at a three-player headstart for Self and the Jayhawks.

KU’s 2008 class, which consisted of guards Tyshawn Taylor, Tyrone Appleton and Travis Releford and forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris, Quintrell Thomas and Mario Little, landed its first official commitment in June of 2007 (Releford, a local prospect, committed June 20) but did not fill up until Taylor’s commitment on April 29, 2008.

So even though Garrett’s commitment came a few weeks after Releford’s on the calendar, one of the most important pieces in that 2008 class came at the very end, and the presence of Newman and Maxwell, along with Garrett, puts KU ahead of the recruiting pace from 2008.

Add to that the fact that Self and the Jayhawks still are in pursuit of some of the top talent in the country, including No. 1 overall prospect DeAndre Ayton and Top 10 prospects Kevin Knox, Billy Preston and Troy Brown, among others, and it’s safe to say that the prospects for the 2017-18 season look a lot less scary than the outlook for that 2008-09 season once did.

So how’d the Jayhawks fare in 2008-09? KU rolled to a 14-2, first-place finish in the Big 12 Conference and topped out at 27-8 overall, falling to eventual national runner-up Michigan State in the Sweet 16.

photo by: Nick Krug

Blue Team center Evan Maxwell gets a bucket over against Red Team guard LaGerald Vick during the Bill Self basketball camp alumni scrimmage, Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at the Horejsi Athletic Center.