Kansas Basketball Recruiting: Meet the Jayhawks' 2013 Class

As many Kansas fans await the decision of Andrew Wiggins, head coach Bill Self can sleep easy knowing the Jayhawks have compiled arguably the deepest recruiting class during his 11-year tenure.

The five-member class all signed a letter of intent during the early signing period in November, with a couple even pledging their services long before then.

As Kansas loses 79 percent of its scoring from last season, a demoralizing Sweet 16 loss still stings and many wonder who will lead the Jayhawks to their 10th straight Big 12 title and hopefully another Final Four trip.

This class, an incomplete one as Self seeks to add up to three more pieces, is headlined by a McDonald's All-American, another Wichita product and a budding superstar from Cameroon.

Wayne Selden

Position: Shooting Guard

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 225 pounds

School: Tilton School (Tilton, N.H.)

Rivals Rating: 5-star (No. 12 overall, No. 2 SG)

ESPN Rating: 5-star (No. 12 overall, No. 4 SF)

Signed Letter of Intent: November 16, 2012

Strengths: Selden gained notoriety for his relentless offensive game as a physical slasher but has developed his perimeter repertoire into more than a complimentary side note. He is built to be an elite college scorer and should draw comparisons to a hybrid model of Ben McLemore and Brandon Rush, Yes, he's that good.

Weaknesses: His explosiveness inside the paint versus open space is not as dynamic and oftentimes gets in trouble against elite shot-blockers. Selden is also susceptible to double-teams and unconventional looks along the perimeter, but he should immensely benefit from Self's pass-heavy system.

Projected Role in 2013-14: Kansas fans are expecting Selden to immediately replace McLemore's offense, but remember, the departed freshman spent a year practicing with a veteran-heavy team before landing in the starting lineup for four seasons. Selden will likely start at a combo guard-forward spot and receive 30-plus minutes per game.

Joel Embiid

Position: Center

Height: 7'0"

Weight: 220 pounds

School: Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.)

Rivals Rating: 5-star (No. 25 overall, No. 3 C)

ESPN Rating: 4-star (No. 28 overall, No. 2 C)

Signed Letter of Intent: November 15, 2012

Strengths: Joel Embiid, a little-known lanky seven-footer from Cameroon, continues to shoot up recruiting rankings as scouts gush over his frame, ball-handling and improved disciplined aggressiveness as a menacing shot-blocker. He doesn't attempt anything too flashy around the rim offensively and is developing his basketball IQ daily.

Weaknesses: Embiid is not a reliable force offensively and will look to develop that facet of his game similarly to Jeff Withey. It may take time to adjust to the speed of the college game, which will test his inexperienced awareness of defensive switches and oftentimes over-aggressive nature on ball fakes and backdoor cuts.

Projected Role in 2013-14: His role next season remains immensely unpredictable. Embiid could split minutes with redshirt freshman Landen Lucas, be a 10-15 minute bench player or step in immediately as the Jayhawks' only elite big man over 6'8".

Brannen Greene

Position: Small Forward

Height: 6'7"

Weight: 200 pounds

School: Tift County (Tift, Ga.)

Rivals Rating: 4-star (No. 29 overall, No. 6 SF)

ESPN Rating: 4-star (No. 43 overall, No. 9 SG)

Signed Letter of Intent: November 15, 2012

Strengths: Like Selden, Brannen Greene can play just about anywhere on the court. His beautiful shooting touch and natural passing skills should relieve pressure for the Kansas point guards and big men. He also recognizes mismatches, is selectively advantageous with one-on-one matchups and is not afraid to use his 6'7" frame to back down forwards.

Weaknesses: Greene is a good penetrator, but not great. Occasionally, he is hesitant to attack the lane could get burned by mobile Big 12 power forwards. As an adequate defender, Greene would've greatly benefited from a year under Travis Releford, learning to better capitalize on his quick hands and good awareness.

Projected Role in 2013-14: Because of his versatility, Greene can play in any lineup and will benefit from matchup headaches of opposing coaches. He should battle Andrew White III and potentially Jamari Traylor for the starting five, but he'll be expected to contribute reliable perimeter shooting in 20-25 minutes regardless of the starting tag.

Conner Frankamp

Position: Point Guard

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 160 pounds

School: Wichita North (Wichita, Kan.)

Rivals Rating: 4-star (No. 34 overall, No. 7 PG)

ESPN Rating: 4-star (No. 47 overall, No. 10 PG)

Signed Letter of Intent: November 14, 2012

Strengths: Conner Frankamp can shoot the rock, plain and simple. He is the best shooting point guard in the class and constantly abuses off-balance defenders. Initially scouted as an undersized shooting guard, Frankamp proved his ball-handling, and his ability to shred the pressure defense is elite. Furthermore, an adequate aggressiveness earns him numerous free-throw opportunities, where he hit 90 percent of his attempts at Wichita North.

Weaknesses: He could have temporary difficulty adjusting to the speed of the college game and must compensate for a relative lack of size. Frankamp could struggle against bigger opposing guards with quick hands outside the three-point line.

Projected Role in 2013-14: While this appears to be Naadir Tharpe's team for the next two seasons, Frankamp will battle incoming freshman Frank Mason for the backup role. There remains a chance he could redshirt, albeit remote, but Self might need another shooter to relieve pressure from Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor, Joel Embiid and Landen Lucas inside. It is not unrealistic to expect an efficient 15 minutes and eight points per game from Frankamp.

Frank Mason

Position: PG

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 160 pounds

School: Massanutten Military Academy (Woodstock, Va.)

Rivals Rating: 4-star (No. 76 overall, No. 17 PG)

ESPN Rating: 3-star (Unranked)

Signed Letter of Intent: November 16, 2012

Strengths: Frank Mason does not appear to be afraid of anyone. The suddenly coveted recruit is deceptively strong and while he is not a dynamic scorer, he is a smart scorer. Mason effortlessly splits double-teams, recognizes frontcourt mismatches and has dramatically improved his decision-making as a passer.

Weaknesses: While a very good defender that compensates for size with relentless feet, Mason oftentimes over-commits and gets into trouble when sniffing out a steal. His shooting touch continues to improve, but he has difficulty hitting over bigger defenders.

Projected Role in 2013-14: Another potential candidate for a redshirt, although unlikely, Mason might be relegated to spot bench duty as a freshman next season before gliding into the offense in the coming years.