Hoops Housekeeping: Kansas adds a front court player, Roe gets hurt again

Kansas added some much needed front court depth over the weekend.

Kevin Young, a 6'8" forward that averaged 10.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg as a sophomore at Loyola Marymount, has officially joined the Jayhawks after sitting out last season to focus completely on academics. He received an associate's degree from San Bernadino Community College while also working as a volunteer assistant at Barstow Community College.

"I thought we definitely needed a playmaker and we were able, at a late date, to fall into Kevin and we couldn't be happier," Bill Self said in a statement. "He's 6'8", thin and can play multiple positions. He reminds me a lot of Julian Wright – very bouncy, very athletic. He will most definitely be an impact player for us next season."


With the Morrii both opting to enter the NBA draft and Mario Little graduating, Young will help bolster a front line that will be thin and inexperienced. Thomas Robinson is an NBA prospect and will anchor the Kansas front court, but beyond him, the Jayhawks would have been left with a rotation that included seldom-used junior Jeff Withey and freshmen Braedon Anderson and Jamari Taylor.


Delvon Roe gets hurt again: The 6'10" Michigan State forward suffered a severe let ankle sprain playing pickup last week and will apparently be out of action for six weeks. Roe is no stranger to injuries. His knee problems have turned him from what was at one point a top five recruit in the country to a role playing forward. This is yet another setback for a Michigan State program that was crushed by injuries last summer. The lack of opportunity to play together during the offseason was one of the reasons that the Spartans struggled last season.


The Steele family deserve a string of good luck: First, it was Ron, Jr. The former Alabama point guard ended up leaving the Crimson Tide program midway through the 2008-2009 season after a string of knee injuries all-but derailed a promising career as a point guard. Now its his brother's turn. Andrew has given up playing basketball after a concussion he suffered in the SEC Tournament -- his fourth -- was still giving him problems this month. Oh, and his parents spent five weeks living in a hotel after the tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa damaged their house.


Eastern Michigan adds two big men: Former Syracuse big man DaShonte Riley has followed former Syracuse assistant Rob Murphy to Eastern Michigan, where Murphy is now the head coach. Riley saw limited minutes has a freshman and had his sophomore season ended early when he broke his foot. Riley is also a native of Michigan and a product of Detroit Country Day School. It was no secret that he wanted to transfer closer to home.

Riley isn't the only big man that Murphy has brought in. Former Arkansas forward Glenn Bryant has also opted to transfer to EMU. Bryant averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.4 rpg as a sophomore with the Razorbacks, but he decided to leave the program after they hired Mike Anderson as their new head coach.


Brian Oliver to transfer: Brian Gregory has taken another hit at Georgia Tech as Brian Oliver, a starting forward that averaged 10.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg this past season, has opted to transfer out of the program. Oliver is reportedly looking at some Big East schools. This will be a name to follow, as Oliver as the ability to produce some very big games. He went for 32 points against Syracuse and 28 against Virginia Tech this season, both of whom are interested in landing the transfer.


Dan Jennings goes from the Big East to the Big West: We all remember when the feud boiled over. In a 56-46 win over South Florida, Dan Jennings up and left the West Virginia bench, which, as you might imagine, left Bob Huggins slightly miffed. Huggins referred to Jennings as a nonentity, and that was the end of the relationship between the two. Jennings is now headed out west, where he will join Long Beach State. The 49ers will lose seven seniors after the 2011-2012 season, which Jennings will have to sit out, making his addition all the more valuable.