By Mac Engel
tengel@star-telegram.com
College basketball is not "in a state of shambles" as Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said this week, but its popularity in this great state is growing just about as rapidly as this nation's economy.
There are 21 Division I men's basketball teams in this state, and not a one of them is ranked in the latest Top 25.
Pathetic.
Tonight, these here parts have the chance to see what a real team looks like when No. 5 Kansas visits TCU at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for a glorified layup drill.
On Kansas' team is the youngest member of arguably the finest basketball family this city has ever produced. Kansas junior forward Justin Wesley is the youngest brother of former Kansas forward Keith Langford and former California/TCU center Kevin Langford.
All three graduated from North Crowley High School.
FYI -- Keith these days is playing professionally in Milan, Italy, and Kevin is playing in Greece.
Wesley might not be as talented as Keith or Kevin, but he has achieved something few players ever do: He transferred from Lamar to national power Kansas, where he has earned a scholarship and recently played Wilt Chamberlain in a movie.
"It is a fairy tale," Wesley said last week. "You don't go from a lower mid-major school to a high major like Kansas. This doesn't really happen every day."
Wesley had grown up attending some Kansas games to watch Keith play in Lawrence, where basketball runs the town and players are celebrities.
But Wesley was not recruited by Kansas and accepted a scholarship to play at Lamar in Beaumont.
It didn't take long before Wesley was asking his old high school coach, Tom Brakel, to call in a favor to Kansas coach Bill Self to see if there was a spot.
Self said Wesley could walk on.
Last season, Self made Wesley a scholarship player.
After appearing in 36 of 38 games last season, Wesley has played in only eight games this season.
When he transferred to Kansas, he knew he might not play a lot.
When he arrived, he was behind Markieff and Marcus Morris, both of whom are now in the NBA.
Last season, Wesley was behind eventual lottery pick Thomas Robinson.
"There were times I would come out of practicing against those guys with a bloody nose," Wesley said. "I learned so much from those guys.... Of course I want to play more than I am playing right now. But Coach is going to play who he trusts at the moment."
Tonight might be his chance for a season-high in minutes.
Kansas is coming off its first Big 12 loss, and tonight will play arguably the "least-good" team in the conference.
The last time Kansas came to Fort Worth, in 2003, Wesley was in the stands to watch Keith play.
"It is so surreal," he said. "I remember being at that game."
Wesley said he had to find 22 tickets for family and friends for tonight's game.
Even if Justin Wesley is not in the starting five or much in the rotation, he is having a lot of fun being a basketball player at a basketball school.
In the summer, Self was approached by some producers in Lawrence who wanted to make a movie about Wilt Chamberlain's time at KU and the impact he made in regards to race relations in the area. The director needed a Wilt.
Self asked Wesley, who now will be Wilt Chamberlain in the movie
Jayhawkers.
Wesley grew his hair out and had to wear a mustache for the 3 1/2 months of shooting.
The role included several speaking lines, and in one scene Wesley had to cry.
The director offered Wesley some drops to tear up, but Wesley is apparently more of a method actor.
"My father passed away when I was 4, and sometimes when the right song comes up maybe I'll tear up," Wesley said. "[Shooting] that scene was really quiet. It was so awkward."
The movie is likely to be released in Lawrence in the spring, and the producers are planning to submit it to the Sundance Film Festival for 2014.
Wesley is on track to graduate and has one more year to play at Kansas before he hopes to follow his brothers and play professionally.
"But," he said, "if [Steven] Spielberg calls, I'm all for it."
Mac Engel, 817-390-7697Twitter: @MacEngelProf
Looking for comments?
