Seldom has a recruit taken a less traditional path to Kansas than 6-foot-7 small forward Merv Lindsay.
In April, Lindsay was a lightly recruited senior without a scholarship offer. Now the Moreno Valley, Calif. native is days away from beginning summer classes at one of the nation's most prestigious basketball schools.
Lindsay signed a grant-in-aid offer with Kansas on Wednesday, ending a whirlwind two months that began with him considering going to prep school next year and later included a short-lived commitment to Texas Tech. Once he backed out of that, other schools began to show renewed interest and Lindsay chose the Jayhawks over Marquette.
"Everything just happened so fast," Lindsay told the Kansas City Star on Wednesday. "My freshman year, everybody said they wanted to go to Kansas. But at a certain point, you've got to be more realistic with yourself. If you asked me three years ago would I be at Kansas, I'm like, no. But now that it's happening, I guess it's meant to be."
What helped Lindsay attract attention from schools that initially ignored him was the decision to participate in the spring AAU circuit, something even uncommitted seniors rarely if ever do.
According to the Star, Lindsay played in tournaments in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas in April. In that time, he showcased the long-range shooting prowess that had been his trademark as a senior at Canyon Springs High when he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds for a team that won a share of its league title.
Lindsay is the ideal symbol of Kansas' unusual 2011 recruiting class. The Jayhawks missed on high-profile top targets LeBryan Nash, Austin Rivers and DeAndre Daniels, so they're gambling that several below-the-radar late additions can make a difference, from Lindsay, to LMU transfer Kevin Young, to power forwards Jamari Traylor and Braeden Anderson.
In the past two years, Kansas has experienced limited success with one-and-dones, losing both Xavier Henry and Josh Selby after one season apiece -- an underwhelming one in Selby's case. It's too soon to say whether the less heralded players will prove more successful for Kansas, but Lindsay believes it may be a blessing in disguise.
"Unranked guys sometimes work the hardest because they've got something to prove," Lindsay told the Lawrence Journal-World. "The difference between me and maybe some top-ranked recruits ... I don't feel like Kansas should be happy to have me. I'm happy to be there. Like I told Tyshawn (Taylor) and Thomas (Robinson), I will do everything I can to help them, to help us, win a national championship."
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