Henrys may pass on KU

Touted basketball recruits Xavier and C.J. Henry will meet with their parents Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, Okla., to discuss whether they will honor their commitment to the University of Kansas or attempt to play at Kentucky.

Their decision could greatly impact the balance of power in college basketball next season. Most preseason predictions have Kansas as the No. 1 team and Kentucky No. 2.

Carl Henry, Xavier and C.J.’s father, told Kansas City radio station 610 Sports on Tuesday that his sons are having second thoughts about becoming Jayhawks following an article in Sunday’s edition of The Kansas City Star.

In the article, Carl Henry was quoted as saying his eldest son, C.J., was better than Kansas guard and national player of the year candidate Sherron Collins. He also said he didn’t expect either son to spend more than one season at Kansas, and that the reason the two didn’t enroll in summer school was because they didn’t like attending class.

Also, during his interview with the Star, Carl Henry reportedly hit “ignore” on his cell phone when a call came in from Kansas coach Bill Self.

Although he never claimed he was misquoted, Henry said he didn’t like the way he and his sons were portrayed in the article.

“The guy that wrote that story betrayed my whole family,” Carl Henry told 610 Sports. “He kind of made us look bad, like my kids are prima donnas and all I do is talk.”

The Star issued a statement through assistant managing editor for Sports, Holly Lawton.

“We understand this is a sensitive issue for the Henry family and the University of Kansas. However, the story was well reported and fair. At this point, no one is questioning its accuracy.”

The article has caused quite a buzz among Kansas fans, some of whom have criticized the Henry family on Internet message boards. Carl Henry said the scrutiny has caused his sons to reconsider their college options.

Xavier Henry, the No. 8-ranked recruit in the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com, originally signed with Memphis, where his brother C.J. redshirted last season. Xavier, though, got out of his letter of intent when former Tigers coach John Calipari left for Kentucky. Calipari attempted to recruit the Henry brothers to Lexington, but they chose Kansas instead. Carl Henry and his ex-wife, Barbara, both played basketball at Kansas. Kentucky currently has one scholarship available.

“If it wasn’t for his momma saying, ‘I wouldn’t move down to Kentucky,’ then Xavier would’ve been at Kentucky,” Carl Henry said. “So Xavier said, ‘I’m going to Kansas’ even though that is what he wanted to do, to go to Kentucky and play under Coach Calipari. I expressed that to Coach Self and told him.

“Now that all this stuff has been said, his mom doesn’t care where he goes. So guess what? The kid may have a change of mind. That’s what I told Coach Self. If the kid has a change of mind, so what? So be it.”