Xavier, we hardly knew ye.Xavier, we hardly knew ye.It pains me (somewhat) to say it – believe me. But, as of right now, I’m officially washing my hands of him and his situation. I no longer care. If Aldrich and Collins come back, we can compete for the national championship either way. Besides, who needs a one-and-doner? Seriously. Who needs him? But, lest you think it is an emotional position for me, it’s not. The facts simply say… He ain’t coming to Lawrence. And if you think he is, you are delusional – in my humble opinion, of course.

1) Xavier has had his entire life to consider being a Jayhawk. You and I might wonder how it is possible that he could have ever considered anything else. As you know, his father and mother played basketball at Kansas. Where else would their son go if he’s a superstar basketball player??? So, the question becomes “Why didn’t he choose KU in the first place?” I’ll tell you why… BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT TO PLAY HERE! If he did, he’s had many opportunities to simply choose KU.

2) Even when it looked like his Memphis dream had been crushed, he wouldn’t commit to Kansas. Instead, he delayed making a decision based on his brother C.J. Supposedly they want to play together. Oh, yeah… like CJ is ever going to spend 30 seconds on the AFH floor as a walk on! Sure, X put out platitudes that would imply he was reconsidering Kansas, but let me ask you something. What on earth is there to learn about KU that he hasn’t known for 18 years? I’ll give you the answer… NOTHING! Whatever it is that KU has, he doesn’t want. He wants something that KU cannot provide, because if KU could provide it, he would have been a Hawk-at-Heart a long time ago.

3) While I believe Carl may well want Xavier and C.J. to come to KU – or even Xavier without C.J., he clearly has no choice in the matter. If he did, he would have already made it happen months ago. His recent quote was… “it would be the dream to have them play at Kansas, but if they choose something different, they choose it, not me.” Well, they already chose it. It already wasn’t Carl’s choice. What has changed? The only thing that has changed is that Carl’s quotes now conflict since he also wants him to “follow Coach Cal”.

4) We might have thought there was a new variable (Calipari leaving), but there isn’t. Xavier is now saying that after the Jordan Brand Classic on April 18, he is planning on visiting Kentucky. Huh? Where did Kentucky come into this? Obviously, Calipari is in Lexington. And… let’s see… DeMarcus Cousins switched from Memphis to Kentucky. What about John Wall? Supposedly, Wall has indicated that Kentucky has a strong chance to get him too. Ok, what is the single missing piece to the Memphis dream? Well, it’s Xavier himself. All he has to do is say, “I’m coming to Kentucky” and the original dream is fulfilled – except that it is at the greatest basketball school in history instead of at some Johnny-come-lately Memphis. So, why else on earth would he be visiting Kentucky except to see if he can keep the dream together? The only question is whether C.J. can play with him at Kentucky. But, if that is critical, he isn’t coming to Kansas anyway. He would stay at Memphis since C.J. hasn’t got clearance to play with another school yet. My point is that the C.J. issue isn’t what is keeping him from coming to Kansas. It’s something else.

5) The Jordan Brand Classic couldn’t be worse timing. Rather than make a decision prior to it, he stated he would not make a decision until it was over. Ok, fine. The only problem for KU hopefuls is that guess who else is playing along side him. DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall. What are the odds that the three of them will have a great time and relive their combined dream together? All they have to do is simply change the logo from a Tiger to a Wildcat. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

What probably hurts KU the most in this is that even though Xavier was never coming to Kansas IMO, Lance Stephenson was. He was signed, sealed and delivered to KU until Calipari decided he was going to Kentucky. During the past two weeks, I’m sure Self has done everything possible to make Stephenson feel like he’s still just as wanted as before, but clearly he’s not buying it. If he were buying it, he would have committed two weeks ago like he planned. Nope, he recognizes that Kansas would rather have one of their “own” – not some trouble-making New Yorker. He was smart to immediately realize he’s the second choice. If he overcomes that and picks KU anyway – meaning it would be official that Henry would not pick KU, he will immediately impress me. However, he’s being treated like the one-legged 80 pound girl in high school gym class who gets picked last. The guy is a superstar. Any bruised egos can be washed way by eight million New Yorkers .78 seconds after he says the word “Saint….” Self has got to know he will not get Henry, so the latest yardstick to measure his brilliant recruiting ability will be whether or not Stephenson comes to Kansas anyway.

I doubt that Kansas will end up with either – and that’s ok. I’ve got a post prepared on one-and-dones already. I just don’t know what to do with it yet – what the emphasis should be – what the punch line is. But, I can tell you that it feels pretty good to not be thought of as a one-and-done school. I wouldn’t be surprised if the NBA eventually (and maybe sooner than you might think) opts for a two-year requirement instead of one. If that happens, Kansas will be in an even better position. Instead of Calipari’s “Fast Track to the NBA”, it will be Self’s “Steady Sophomore Express”.

Now, if I’m wrong about all this, I’m wrong. I just think the writing is all over the wall and it doesn’t require glasses to read it. X does not want to play at Kansas and given the opportunity he now has at Kentucky, he is not going to play at Kansas! Get it out of your mind so that you won’t be discouraged when you hear it on the news.