In the year 2014, Cliff Alexander was one of the most highly touted prep players in the nation. He had size, strength and athleticism, and according to
Rivals.com, he was a five-star recruit and the fourth-best player in the country his senior year of high school.
Now, Alexander is playing with a chip on his shoulder after going undrafted, but the question for casual fans is: What changed in just one year’s time?
For starters, Alexander injured his foot before his year at Kansas ever began. Despite being a projected top-five pick in the 2015 draft, the freshman was forced to miss summer workouts, which put him behind schedule as far as the Jayhawks were concerned. Following the youngster’s recovery, head coach Bill Self had already moved on and committed to Plan B and beyond. Even worse was that Self challenged Alexander’s motor during a January game, showing he’d seemingly lost faith in the idea that talent could trump an unexpectedly rough transition to the collegiate level.
To put the icing on the cake that was Alexander’s terrible year, the freshman’s season was cut short due to questions surrounding his eligibility. Kansas, fearing NCAA backlash, suspended Alexander indefinitely following a report from
Yahoo! Sports involving his mother and possible impermissible benefits. Alexander never played another game for the Jayhawks, and his roller coaster of a draft stock completely plummeted (especially after injuring his right knee during a pre-draft workout) before going undrafted in June.
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