Intern Stephen Montemayor is a senior at the University of Kansas where he is the sports editor of the University Daily Kansan. He has never entertained thoughts of writing in Europe for a year.

This whole Kansas/Henrys courtship had it all.

Not one but two bouts of waiting for announcements, the media, blogs and message boards ruffling feathers and a coach nearly hauling ass down the interstate to meet with the family.

We all waited last night to see whether a Kansas City Star article and its reception was indeed a deal-breaker that would send the touted Henry brothers to Kentucky.

And in the wee hours of the morning, after this writer had already grown tired, dizzy and weary crunching numbers and making sense of Carl Henry’s manic media tour of the last few days, word came that Xavier and C.J. Henry would stick with Kansas after all.

Why didn’t you text me too, Xavier? I wouldn’t have ignored it! The deal was sealed when “I’m goin’ to Kansas and that’s final” appeared on a few local media members’ phones with confirmed reports appearing online shortly after 2 a.m. EST.

Among the highlights from the KC Star article that had the family incensed:

* A month after opting for Kansas, the family looked into Xavier playing in Europe for a year.
* Carl suggesting that C.J., who hasn’t played organized basketball in four years, is better than anyone on Kansas’ roster.
* Carl hitting the F-U button on Bill Self. “You know what?” he told the Star’s J. Brady McCollough. “I better call that guy back.”

The article stoked speculation that the Henrys had recanted their choice to be Jayhawks for at least a year, led to a Tuesday family meeting to discuss their future and, according to Rivals, plans made by Self to speak with the family in Oklahoma City.

Rumors had circulated about the Henrys’ intentions when the pair elected to train at home rather than on campus with the team this summer. Making no mistake that a one-and-done season would be ideal, Xavier doesn’t want to go to class if he doesn’t have to.

When the article surfaced, Carl didn’t shy away from interview requests.

In an interview Monday with TheShiver.com: “All of that is false,” Carl said about the article in the Star.

But this exchange followed on Tuesday in an interview with 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City:

Q: “You’re not saying that any of (McCollough’s) facts were inaccurate, you just kinda thought you were just portrayed in a negative light in the story?
Carl: “Yes.”

Xavier had wanted to go to Kentucky, only his mother didn’t want to make the move down to Lexington and so Kansas was the choice. Apparently Sunday’s article and its less-than-savory reaction from the locals made Mom back off and tell her son she didn’t care where he goes.

Further signs pointing to Kentucky came from the admission by Carl that his son remained in touch with Calipari signees John Wall and Daniel Orton, who continued trying to persuade him to join them.

The late-night announcement should cement Kansas’ near-unanimous status as pre-preseason No. 1. Kentucky won’t be far behind in most rankings.

With the addition of Xavier and C.J. to a team that already welcomes back Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, Kansas appears loaded for 2009-10.

But should the Jayhawks win it all and Xavier bolts to the pros, then they’ll be the first team to do so in the one-and-done Era. In the four drafts since the NBA began requiring players to spend a year pretending to be students, 26 freshmen have been drafted. None of them have helped a team win a championship – although two (Greg Oden and Derrick Rose) made it to the title game.

Of the 22 teams with one-and-done stars: 4 Final Fours, 2 Elite Eights, 1 Sweet Sixteen, 5 Second Round losses, 5 First Round losses, 2 NITs (one championship!) and three teams that didn’t make the postseason at all, an impressive feat in itself.