Perry Ellis- Decision to KU

[1979Shocker]

Perry Ellis made his high school debut as Wichita Heights upset preseason number 1 Wichita East at Charles Koch Area. He ended up with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

Heights' late rally buries East

[jocoshock]

I remember watching the McD's All-Star game with Dreiling against Ewing.

McDaniel wasn't a blue-chip recruit. Maybe in today's environment he would be. Randy Burns had exactly one D1 offer. Jason Perez still wouldn't be a blue-chipper.

Sometimes fans get too hung up on ratings.

http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/McDonalds_All_Americans/394620

Which two McDonald's All American were voted MVP's in the 1981 McDonald's All-American game, beating out Michael Jordan?

Answer: Adrian Branch & Aubrey Sherrod

[wushock]

I hate to bust your bubble, but Ewing didn't play in this game against Dreiling as he was sitting on the sidelines in street clothes

[jocoshock]

We've long surmised that it's just going to take that one top 50 recruit to sign with us to open the floodgates for more. Be they friends or competition from AAU, or just guys who begin to see WSU as a possibility. The hardest one is going to be the first.

And if we've ever had anyone who could do it, we've got him now.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2001/01/17/mailbag/

3) The growth of the NCAA tournament and the inability of lesser programs to recruit name players. In the 1980-1981 season, Wichita State (an NCAA regional finalist) had the following players on its roster:

Aubrey Sherrod (fr.) -- McDonald's All-American
Cliff Levingston (jr.) -- Eight-plus years in NBA
Antoine Carr (jr.) -- McDonald's A-A; 16 years in NBA
Greg Dreiling (fr.) -- McDonald's A-A; eight-plus years in NBA
Xavier McDaniel (jr., sixth man) -- Eight-plus years in NBA

Three McDonald's All-Americans and four long-term NBA players on one Missouri Valley Conference team? About the only place that happens these days is at Duke, UNC or Michigan State. The rich are getting richer because of the high profile of the NCAA, television exposure and the perceived quick path to the NBA.

I buy this, too, to a large extent. Television plays a much bigger role now than it did 20 years ago, and since we always see the same teams on TV night after night, of course you'll see those top-tier schools hoarding more and more talent. Certainly Wichita State could have won a title in 1981, and now it can't. At the same time, however, it's worth pointing out that Cinderella NCAA champions aren't anywhere near the same thing as first-round Cinderellas. N.C. State '83, Villanova '85, Louisville '86 and Kansas '88 (and, for that matter, Arizona '97) all played in top conferences and had tough schedules.

Odds against us landing that blue chip have increased steadily since the 80s. Not impossible, but certainly a bigger challenge

[SirShoxAlot]

The other freshman for Heights next year mentioned by notquiteBwing is Gavin Thurman.

Gavin Thurman goes to Southeast.

[1979Shocker]

Ellis scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Heights win Tuesday over North 66-49.

[RussDaBus]

Ellis scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Heights win Tuesday over North 66-49.

http://www.kansas.com/sports/story/626352.html

[shocks02]

I hope Perry liked his first of many games in Koch on Saturday 8)

[SubGod22]

I believe he was officially offered by KU this afternoon.

[WuDrWu]

The kid is so good it's scary.

[rrshock]

Bruce and Bob the other day on Sports Daily made a comment about just letting this kid be a freshman in high school. He doesn't need all the extra stuff going on with it right now. His first year in school will be hard enough.

The kid is good, but Bruce and Bob were right. He's got 3 1/2 years of HS left and we're already discussing where he is gonna go. Who says that he's even gonna be the best player from the City League in another 3 years?

[WuDrWu]

I am.

If he is on the court, he is the best player in the city and will be for the next four years barring a reincarnation of Antoine Carr or Ricky Ross or the next beyond realistic superstar.

[pinstripers]

I figured somebody would jump on that comment.

[rrshock]

I figured somebody would jump on that comment.

I was actually surprised someone hadn't before then. I just hope that the same thing doesn't happen to this kid that happened to Korleone Young. He got way overhyped, and look at what happened.

[pogo]

OK so ku offered so does a school not offer just to give the kid some space or do you offer just so "they were in on him early and thats what kind of set them apart from the rest". This is one of those damned if you do and damned if you don't. I suspect every school that plays basketball will eventually wind up offering.