The Loss Of Collins, Aldrich, and Henry Not a Huge Blow For Kansas

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The Kansas Jayhawks were equipped with one of the most talented and experienced groups in college basketball.

They had Cole Aldrich in the paint to block and rebound the ball. He was also used a lot in the pick-and-roll game, where he would slash to the basket for an alley-oop slam.

Xavier Henry was the aggressive slasher. He mostly set up for the three-balls on the wing but that didn't stop him from taking it to the basket on occasions. 

Then you had super bad Sherron Collins. He only stood 5-foot-11 but his heart made up for the lack of size. 

He took over games, stepped up and made big plays for the Jayhawks. Without him, the Jayhawks lack a true leader on their offense.

Those three made the Jayhawks better. They complimented the role players and kept the winning tradition alive.

Now that all three of the main contributors are gone, some people are underestimating the Jayhawks chances of being major players next season.

They lost three of their best players from last season’s team. But that doesn't mean they're going to lag in the win column. It just means things will be different for the Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks returned their entire roster except for Aldrich, Collins and Henry, from last year's squad that made it to the second-round of the tournament.

The Jayhawks were also fortunate enough to recruit the No. 1 overall player, according to Rivals.com, Josh Selby.

Royce Woolridge initially gave his commitment to the Jayhawks in 09' but is now enrolling this year to play.

The Jayhawks are equipped with a lot of talented redshirt players. Last season, you didn't see much of Elijah Johnson, Thomas Robinson, C.J Henry, Jeff Withey or Travis Reliford. 

All of those players came out of high school listed in Yahoo Rivals, Scouts, and ESPN top 100 respectively. But weren't able to play last season because of the talent level, or just wanted to advance their game.

The Jayhawks still have Tyshawn Taylor and Tyrel Reed to show off in their backcourt. Not to mention, the Morris twins have emerged into legit frontcourt threats.

With Aldrich in the post, look for Withey to step up and provide that defensive presence. He came out of high school known for his defense and practicing against the Morris twins everyday will definitely help your skills. 

Josh Selby has to take over and be a leader. He is only a freshman but has shown the ability to take over games when needed. He is no Sherron Collins, but he can fill his shoes.

Travis Reliford and Elijah Johnson will fill out the wing void and everything will be fine in Lawrence.

The x-factor for this team is chemistry.

They are all virtually new to each other. Usually, the Jayhawks would turn to Sherron Collins to keep the game intact, but he's gone.

The Jayhawks will need to come together and play team basketball. They've been known to play as a team forever now and things shouldn't change.

Without Collins, Aldrich and Henry, Kansas will be fine. This is just a new start for the Jayhawks.