The #7 ranked player in the ESPNU 100, Josh Selby, was impressed with the game day atmosphere inside Allen Fieldhouse. The atmosphere at Kansas was exactly what Selby and his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, were hoping to see during their official visit.
“Great atmosphere,” said Witherspoon. “It’s the best atmosphere we’ve been to so far,” added Witherspoon.
Once arriving in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon, Selby and Witherspoon had a great opportunity to experience Kansas before heading back to Baltimore on Monday morning. The game experience, however, is something that certainly impressed them.
Since the college basketball season started, Selby and Witherspoonhave spent a lot of time watching the teams remaining on his list. Watching the coaches of each team, and their style of play, is something that Selby has done a lot of over recent months. With the opportunity to sit right behind the Kansas bench on Saturday, both Selby and Witherspoon had a great opportunity to see coach Self and the Jayhawks up close.
“With sitting right behind the KU bench, we had a great chance to hear coach Self during the games and in time outs,” said Witherspoon. “(Bill) Self does a great job with the players. You can tell he wants them to be successful,” added Witherspoon.
Having been to KU for ‘Late Night in the Phog’ in mid October, Selby and Witherspoon had already seen the new basketball facilities at Kansas. Those facilities impressed them again this weekend, but the atmosphere is what they were excited to see.
“Kansas has great facilities,” said Witherspoon. “We had a chance to see them last time we were here, but this trip was to see the atmosphere during a game and what it’s like to play on that stage,” added Witherspoon.
The return visit to Kansas has long been anticipated by Kansas fans and they certainly let Selby know their excitement.
“The fans were crazy.” Selby said of the Kansas fans. “Not a bad crazy though. There was a lot of hype leading up to the visit, so Josh was really looking forward to it,” added Witherspoon.
It wasn’t until after the game that Selby and Witherspoon got to spend time with the coaches and players.
“We got to spend some time with Coach (Bill Self), and Josh got to go hang out with Sherron Collins, Tyshawn Taylor and some of the other players on Saturday night,” said Witherspoon.
With the team departing for College Station, Texas on Sunday afternoon, Selby and Witherspoon had limited time with the Kansas coaches and players; however, the time they did have was well spent.
“We met up with the coaches for breakfast on Sunday morning,” said Witherspoon. “Then we went over and watched practice. Coach Self gives the best of both worlds. He can put his arms around you one minute and then get on your butt the next,” added Witherspoon.
Once the team left for Texas Selby and Witherspoon made their way back to the hotel to just relax and reflect on the visit. However, relaxing isn’t something that Josh can do for a long period of time. It didn’t take long after returning to the hotel that Selby made his way back to campus to get some shots up.
Although Selby returned home without ending his recruitment, the Jayhawks do find themselves in a good position with the 6’3″, 180 pound point guard. According to Witherspoon, they will make trips to Connecticut on February 28th and Kentucky on March 7th. After those visits Selby and Witherspoon will sit down to discuss where the best fit is for Selby.
As of right now, according to Witherspoon, four schools remain in consideration. Connecticut, Arizona, Kentucky and Kansas. Time restraints have made it tough for Syracuse and Indiana to remain in consideration at this time.
