<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Brandon Rush, who was awarded Kansas University?s most-valuable-player award by teammates and coaches Tuesday night, says he?ll be back next year to try to win it again. Rush, KU?s 6-foot-6 freshman men?s basketball guard from Kansas City, Mo., told reporters after a 11⁄2-hour awards show at the Kansas Union that he definitely would be back for his sophomore campaign. It?s the second time he has said he?ll be back, the first coming after KU?s season-ending loss to Bradley. ?I?ve not accomplished what I want to accomplish, that is win a national championship before I go anywhere,? Rush said. ?I?m looking forward to coming back, having a great season and trying to lead us to the championship.? Rush, who also won the team?s top rebounder award, said KU coach Bill Self recently provided him information from NBA teams. Self recently indicated he?d continue to check on draft information for Rush, with players having until April 29 to declare, but no longer needs to continue the process with Rush indicating he?s staying. ?I would have had to hear I would be a guaranteed first-round pick,? said Rush, who said, ?I heard I?m not guaranteed first round, could be first round, second round. There?s no need to go into that (in public). ?There are things I need to work on in the offseason. I?ll work on my left hand a lot. I feel good about it.? Rush, who said he was bombarded by questions from students on campus ? ?are you staying, are you staying?? he said ? was asked why he didn?t want to enter the draft, work out for teams with the option of dropping out a week before the draft provided he had not signed with an agent. ?I think I can just wait for next year to find out where I?m at,? Rush said. Self said Rush?s declaration to return was ?good news to me. It is a great deal. I really appreciate it because we?ve not pressured him into saying anything. We?ve been very open and honest in finding information. The information we found out is accurate to what he said (possible late first round or second round pick), but not totally complete because more information is available closer to the draft.? Self said he thought Rush was making the right call in returning. ?For him ? he is just starting (to blossom). He is on an upswing,? Self said. ?In everybody?s mind, there?s still a lot of room for improvement in his game.? Though Self hadn?t discussed the issue with Rush lately, he wasn?t completely surprised at Rush?s declaration to media members Tuesday. ?He said all along nothing had changed, I?ll do what I?m supposed to do, work out, and if information dictates there?s something to test, he would,? Self said.</div> Source
