Lil’ Rush could be big problem for Bruins

SAN JOSE “”mdash; He was said to be the best of the three.

"Lil’ Rush," as he was known to everyone, was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school.

He is expected, like his brothers JaRon and Kareem Rush, to go the NBA.

Problem was, Brandon never thought he was the best.

“People had all these expectations of me; it was kind of tough,” Brandon said. “People said I was selfish, and I had no clue where it came from.”

On Saturday, Brandon will once again have to deal with the shadow of his older brother JaRon as Brandon’s Jayhawks face off against UCLA, JaRon’s former team, in the city where he once excelled.

Though JaRon, who is now a high school basketball coach in Overland Park, Kan., will not be in attendance, he will certainly be watching and having an influence over his brother.

“He will be rooting for me. We’re blood,” Brandon said. “I’m sure he will call me tonight to give me some tips about the game.”

During his time at UCLA, JaRon played some of his best games in the Bay Area. In his sophomore year, the Bruins upset then-No. 1 Stanford at Maples Pavilion, and JaRon had the game-winning basket.

A few years later, Brandon’s other brother, Kareem, led his Missouri Tigers to the Elite Eight in the very same arena where Brandon will be playing on Saturday.

So the spotlight will once again be on Brandon to follow in their footsteps.

“I’m used to it. That was five years ago,” Brandon said. “I don’t have anything to live up to.”

Since Brandon has arrived on the Lawrence, Kan., campus two years ago, he has approached things the same way ““ trying to create his own identity.

He has stayed away from the types of people that got JaRon suspended from UCLA, and Kareem from Missouri.

In fact, after earning the reputation of being a bad student in high school, Brandon has hit the books.

“I like study hall,” Rush said. “I go in there and get my stuff done. School has not been as hard as I expected, because the classes are pretty easy and the teachers are lenient.”

On the court, Rush has lived up to the high expectations bestowed on him.

He is the Jayhawks’ leading scorer on the season at 13.7 points per game, as well as the team’s second-leading rebounder with 5.6 rebounds per game.

In Thursday’s game versus Southern Illinois, Rush scored the game-winning basket with 25 seconds remaining and scored eight of his 12 points after halftime.

“Coach said he needed someone to step up, and I took it upon my shoulders to do it,” Rush said. “I knew I had to be more aggressive.”

All this season, Rush has taken flak for not being as aggressive as his coach Bill Self would like him to be, but Rush is not worried about that.

After all, as coach Self said, the Jayhawks have what they like to call “eight starters.”

“We have so many good players, I don’t feel any pressure myself,” Rush said. “I feel like I am a very unselfish player.”

On Saturday, Rush will have the assignment of guarding Bruin junior guard Arron Afflalo, who is considered to be the team’s best player.

After guarding the likes of Joakim Noah, Kevin Durant and Acie Law IV this season, being assigned the opposing team’s top player is something that Rush relishes.

“People underestimate our defense,” Rush said. “I love being able to deny the team’s top player. We are a great defensive team.”

It’s a characteristic Rush shares with Afflalo.

“We are both competitive players,” Afflalo said. “If I understand correctly, he likes to guard the opposition’s top player, and that’s something I take the most pride in.”

“I hate when people score on me.”

Whoever wins Saturday’s matchup, Rush and Afflalo can take comfort in the fact that they are both expected to be NBA Draft picks come June.

Rush, in fact, is projected to be a first-round pick.

“I will sit down my folks, brothers, and coach at the end of the season and decide,” Rush said. “I have gone through the process before, and I have my brothers to guide me.”

On Saturday, without his brothers by his side, Rush will have a chance to finally do something his brothers never did.

Make it to the Final Four.

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