Henrys are likely to pick Kansas

Wall to narrowHis List Monday

By Jerry Tipton / jtipton@herald-leader.com

Highly regarded wing prospect Xavier Henry will not visit Kentucky this weekend, his father said Wednesday morning.

A college decision could come at any time. The smart money is on Kansas, the alma mater of his parents and where his mother, Barbara, wants the player to attend.

"If I was a betting man, I'd bet 100 percent my kids will go to Kansas," Carl Henry said.

When it was noted that 100 percent was a significant number, the elder Henry laughed and said, "That's almost, well, actually, that's putting them right at KU without them saying it."

Then, Carl Henry added, perhaps to inject a wee bit of suspense into the situation, "It could be a shocker."

The official announcement is expected Thursday, the newspaper in Oklahoma City, The Oklahoman, reported Wednesday. The newspaper quoted sources as saying Kansas is the choice.

The Henrys live in Oklahoma City. Xavier and older brother C.J. Henry are looking to attend the same school, another desire of their mother's. C.J. sat out last season as a walk-on at Memphis. Xavier had signed with Memphis, then re-opened the recruiting process when Coach John Calipari left the school for Kentucky.

Carl Henry said he was neutral in his sons' decision. His wife likes Kansas, in part, because she and her family would have an easier trip to Lawrence, Kan., than to Lexington, he said.

"To me, they don't want to buck the system," Carl Henry said of his sons. "There is no way they want to see their mother unhappy."

Wall's list to get smaller

Point guard John Wall, the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation, plans to narrow his list of schools to three or four by Monday, the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer reported.

Wall still lists his choices as North Carolina State, Duke, Baylor, Kansas, Miami, Kentucky and Memphis. North Carolina also looms as a possibility should its point guard, Ty Lawson, enter this year's NBA draft.

"There is no leader," he told the newspaper. "No leader at all."

In an interview with News & Observer sportswriter Tim Stevens, Wall said he was not sure if he had gained the academic scores needed to be eligible as a college freshman.

"I have great confidence that I'm going to get the score I need if I don't have it already," he said.

Wall again rejected the idea of trying to enter this year's NBA draft.

"The amount of money you hear (for high picks in the NBA draft) is pretty impressive," he said. "But I really think I need one, two, three years of college to prepare me to play in the NBA. I don't think I'm ready to play in the NBA right now, and I want the college experience."