"That's the nastiest thing," says teammate Xavier Henry, the highly touted freshman from Oklahoma City.

The tooth was knocked out in a victory against Kansas State on Jan. 13. In the offseason Aldrich had surgery to replace the tooth with a permanent implant, but a subsequent infection has delayed its completion until after this season, he says.

Meanwhile, Aldrich is all smiles about it.

"He's just a big old goofy kid," Kansas coach Bill Self says. "He's proud of it. Most people would be trying to hide it. He's out flaunting it."

It's a badge of honor for Aldrich, a 6-11 junior center who is arguably the most improved college player in the last two years.

He took repeated beat downs in practices his freshman season in 2007-08 when Kansas won the NCAA tournament championship. He was a little used reserve playing behind big men Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson. Aldrich played an average of 8.3 minutes a game and averaged 2.8 points.

"He wasn't very good when he got here," Self says. "He got beat up every day … and kept coming back for more."

Aldrich finally had a breakthrough in the team's national semifinal rout of North Carolina when he outplayed national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough. In 17 minutes, Aldrich scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds.

"It was an absolute turning point," Self says. "He showed flashes of what he potentially could become and it did wonders for his confidence. He went from being a guy thinking, 'I hope I can fit in and play a lot' to a guy saying, 'Hey, I might be pretty good.'"

Unleashed last season, Aldrich averaged 14.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.69 blocks.

He and point guard Sherron Collins, who averaged a team-high 18.9 points and five assists, took a team that had been restocked with inexperienced players to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. Behind the duo, Kansas won its fifth consecutive Big 12 Conference championship.

"Sherron and I had to learn so fast," Aldrich says. "That was probably the biggest thing. My freshman year, I wasn't relied on to do anything. Then it was a 180, and I was thrown in the mix and had to be the one to perform. It was a lot more than I could have ever imagined because it was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun."

Collins' star turn wasn't quite as surprising because in stretches during his freshman and sophomore seasons, he had been among the most effective players in the Big 12. Still, the challenges of last season — six of the top seven scorers from the championship team had left — were like no other he had experienced.

"I had to get the young fellas involved because we were going to need them," he says. "I loved it. I wanted to be that guy."

Aldrich probably would have been a high first-round pick had he entered the draft last summer; Collins faced the likelihood of slipping into the second round if he left school early. Both declined to test the draft waters and set their sights on this season. Aldrich already is projected by NBAdraft.net and DraftExpress.com to be a top-five pick if he enters the draft next year.

The players will have a more experienced and skilled supporting cast this time. The top nine players return for the Jayhawks, including vastly improved 6-3 sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor, who last summer led a balanced attack with a 10.8-point average for the FIBA gold-medal winning U19 team. With so much firepower, Kansas earned the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY/ESPN preseason coaches' poll.

Taylor, however, could miss some October practices because of a thumb injury he sustained last month in a fight between the school's basketball and football players.

Then there's Henry, who has the makings of a one-and-done, a player who leaves school after one season for the NBA. His parents have deep roots at Kansas. His father, Carl, and mother, Barbara, played at Kansas in the early to mid-1980s. An aunt, Vickie (Adkins) Summers played from 1983 to 1986.

There is a belief that Henry will barely stick around long enough to unpack his belongings. In interviews last summer, Henry's father fueled speculation that his son would leave after one year for the NBA.

"There's been a lot of one-and-done talk with (Xavier), and it's not coming from him," Self says.

Henry, a 6-5, 220-pound shooting guard, originally had signed with Memphis but was released from his national letter of intent last spring after coach John Calipari bolted for Kentucky.

"He doesn't have the body of an 18-year-old man," Self says. "He comes in with the body of a 22-year-old."

Before Henry committed to Kansas, the Jayhawks were expected to be NCAA title contenders largely because of the return of Aldrich and Collins. With Henry, Kansas is a clear favorite. Henry says winning an NCAA championship and getting to the NBA are goals that go hand-in-hand for him.

"Getting ready for the NBA is getting better every day," he says. "It's not putting anything on the backburner, like the national championship. That's the whole reason you come to college, is to win a national championship. If you're ready for the NBA, you can go to it. If not, you stay another year and that's not bad either."

Self says Henry's impact won't be immediate, at least not by the standards Collins and Aldrich set last season.

"It's going to be difficult for him to play to a level that Sherron and Cole did last year," Self says. "It's going to take him some time like it takes all freshmen.

"But by the conference season, I think he can be a guy we can lean on much like Sherron and Cole last year."

Henry is joined by his older brother, C.J., a 6-4 guard who transferred from Memphis, where he took a redshirt year because of a broken left foot that required two surgeries.

C.J. Henry, 23, hasn't played a game since 2005 as a senior at Putnam City High in Oklahoma City. A high school star in basketball (he had committed to Kansas) and baseball, he picked the latter when he became a first-round pick by the New York Yankees. He signed a $1.5 million contract and spent four seasons as a shortstop and centerfielder in the minor leagues.

There is a clause in his contract that requires the Yankees to pay for his college education; therefore, he is not on a basketball scholarship. He essentially is a bonus for an already deep Kansas team. He says he is thinking about doubling up in the future as a basketball and professional baseball player, a rare venture for a college athlete but one Self says he would support.

"His whole deal is he wants to come in and see what basketball can do for him," Self says. "He's kind of curious. He wants to see, if he's committed to basketball, where it can take him."

In addition to the Henrys, Kansas welcomes freshmen Elijah Johnson, a 6-2 point guard ranked 24th by Rivals.com, 6-8 forward Thomas Robinson, ranked 31st, and 7-0 Jeff Withey, a transfer from Arizona who will be eligible second semester.

They must fight for playing time with returning players such as sophomore twins Marcus and Markieff Morris. Marcus started in 22 games and averaged 7.4 points. He is 6-8 and can play either forward position. Markieff, at 6-9, is a post player to complement Aldrich.

Guard Brady Morningstar started in 34 games, averaging 6.5 points while playing an average of 30, but he probably won't log as many minutes this season. Getting into the starting lineup will be a chore with the arrival of Xavier Henry. But Morningstar's ability to shoot from long range — he shot 42% on three-pointers—makes him valuable.

Reserve Tyrel Reed (6.5 points) is another deep threat. He made 38.9% of his three-point attempts.

Self compares this team with his 2008 championship team and says the '08 team edges this one when it comes to the talent of the top five players.

"But one through 13 or 14, this is by far the deepest and most talented team, as far as depth of a roster, that I've ever been around."

***

KANSAS JAYHAWKS ROSTER

Enlarge By Steve Hebert for USA TODAY Cole Aldrich has come a long way since his freshman season. He's projected as a top-five pick if he enters the NBA draft in the spring. For now, however, Aldrich will concentrate on carrying the preseason No. 1 Jayhawks to another national title.