Jeff D'Alessio
SportingNews.com
And with the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select ... Cole
Aldrich from the University of Kansas. That would be some kind of treat for the Jayhawks' Bloomington, Minn.-born 6-11 center, who passed on the pros after his sophomore season to polish a game that already has GMs abuzz. One of college basketball's best big men on the likely preseason No. 1 team took time out from offseason workouts -- and golfing, his favorite pastime -- to answer questions from Sporting News readers.
Q: What made you pick Kansas so early in the recruiting process? Which other schools did you seriously consider? --Pat Lillis, Prairie Village, Kan.
Cole Aldrich: My top three were Minnesota, Kansas and North Carolina. I took a visit early freshman year to watch a game -- Coach (Bill) Self's first official game at Kansas -- and I really just fell in love with the place. The basketball team has always been really good. The town of Lawrence is just like my hometown of Bloomington. The people are so fun to be around because they have the same passion the guys on the court have. So I committed on my birthday, Halloween of my junior year.