6 Kansas

POS.	PLAYER	HT.	CLASS	KEY STATS
PG	Russell Robinson [RETURNING STARTER]	6'1"	Sr.	7.2 ppg	4.4 rpg
SG	Mario Chalmers [RETURNING STARTER]	6'1"	Jr.	12.2 ppg	3.3 apg
SF	Brandon Rush [RETURNING STARTER]	6'6"	Jr.	13.8 ppg	5.6 rpg
PF	Darrell Arthur	6'9"	Soph.	9.8 ppg	4.7 rpg
	Sasha Kaun [RETURNING STARTER]	6'11"	Sr.	5.9 ppg	3.8 rpg
KEY RESERVE
	Sherron Collins	5'11"	Soph.	9.3 ppg	2.9 apg

At the Amar� Stoudemire Skills Academy in Phoenix last summer, Kansas senior Sasha Kaun glanced at the court and did a double take. Was that his 6' 9" sophomore teammate Darrell Arthur , who was supposed to be training with the U.S. under-19 team in Dallas at the time? No--it was the camp's host. "Darrell and Amar� both have similar body types," says Kaun. "They can play the post real well, and Darrell is really aggressive. He tries to dunk everything, just like Amar�."

Arthur is a long way from becoming an All-NBA force like Stoudemire; the Jayhawks would be happy if he just developed into an All-America. His left leg now fully healed from a stress fracture that was diagnosed in July, Arthur will be the only new starter for the two-time defending Big 12 champs. Coach Bill Self hopes that with the increase in playing time comes maturity and consistency: Arthur 's three highest scoring games as a freshman (including 19�points in an upset of No.�1 Florida ) all came in November, and that initial success went to his head. "Every time I got the ball I was just shooting it," he says. "I'm going to look for my teammates more now."

That would be a good idea, since Kansas remains one of the most talented teams in the country. Leading scorer Brandon Rush , who tore his right ACL in a pickup game last May, is still recovering from surgery, but when the junior is healthy, the Jayhawks will have the nation's deepest backcourt, with senior Russell Robinson , junior Mario Chalmers and sophomore Sherron Collins . They also have plenty of size up front, with Arthur , the 6' 11" Kaun, 6' 8" senior Darnell Jackson and 6' 11" freshman Cole Aldrich , a McDonald's All-American.

Kansas lost do-everything sophomore forward Julian Wright , who was taken 13th by the New Orleans Hornets. But Arthur is a capable replacement. "Darrell's more of a natural scorer than Julian was, but he can do a lot of other things too," says Self . "I've talked to him about how he can impact the game on every possession without shooting. Playing defense, rebounding, running, shot blocking--he does a little of everything. He's been terrific [in practice] and has a chance to be a serious producer for us."

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

STARTING LINEUP

NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Nov. 9 Louisiana-Monroe (W 107-78)

Nov. 11 Missouri- Kansas City (W 85-62)

Nov. 15 Washburn

Nov. 21 Northern Arizona