Fresh-faced basketball talent floods into the Big 12. Rookies like Avery Bradley, Xavier Henry, Wally Judge and Tiny Gallon are the real deal, and we found out from the coaches on Thursday that guys like Kansas&rsquo; Thomas Robinson and Oklahoma&rsquo;s Tommy Mason-Griffin have been tearing it up in early workouts and deserve our attention.</p><p>Even less heralded Kansas City-area products Mike Dixon of Missouri, Nebraska&rsquo;s Brandon Ubel and Colorado&rsquo;s Alec Burks have flashed advanced skills for freshmen.</p><p>But as we learned more about the newcomers, it was becoming apparent they could take a lesson from the elders.</p><p>Some of the veterans chatting up prospects at the Sprint Center could be making more coin than their well-compensated coaches today had they chosen the road more traveled.</p><p>At least six Big 12 stars who considered an early exit after last season are continuing their college careers. That&rsquo;s an amazing total at a time when players often jump to the NBA at the first come hither glance.</p><p>Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins of Kansas, Iowa State&rsquo;s Craig Brackins, Damion James of Texas, Oklahoma State&rsquo;s James Anderson and Oklahoma&rsquo;s Willie Warren at one point after last season cupped their hand to an ear. None heard exactly what they wanted to hear, and their current situations gave them all an excellent option.</p><p>These were business decisions, and Brackins&rsquo; was typical.</p><p>&ldquo;I could have gone,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I didn&rsquo;t think it would have helped me for the long term.&rdquo;</p><p>What? Long-term planning by a youngster who stood to become an instant millionaire?</p><p>&ldquo;What happened was the reports were all over the map,&rdquo; said Iowa State coach Greg McDermott, who shepherded Brackins through the process. &ldquo;We got feedback that Craig could go anywhere from late lottery, to late first round to second round.&rdquo;</p><p>That sent up warning signals. So did some feedback that suggested Brackins needed to improve his defense.</p><p>McDermott, Brackins and his mother, Jane Mukes, went into decision mode, and there was a numbers advantage here. </p><p>Team Brackins didn&rsquo;t include an entourage of former coaches, street agents and others with hands out.</p><p>I can&rsquo;t help but remember the line from former Kansas State standout Michael Beasley, in Kansas City for last week&rsquo;s NBA exhibition game. </p><p>Asked about some of the difference between life on campus and in the NBA, Beasley said, &ldquo;The first thing I noticed was how big my family got.&rdquo;</p><p>Let&rsquo;s not kid anybody. McDermott and Iowa State and Bill Self and Kansas &mdash; and the rest of the conference &mdash; profit from these decisions. But a coach like McDermott helps sell his program by revealing his counseling message.</p><p>&ldquo;We told him that it was important that when you go to the NBA you have to be ready for the NBA,&rdquo; McDermott said. &ldquo;You can have a 10-year career, which means you&rsquo;ve signed a second contract. You don&rsquo;t want to be the guy who signs one contract and never be heard from again.&rdquo;</p><p>Where any of the Big 12 veterans would have been drafted is anyone&rsquo;s guess. We tend to believe best-case scenarios, but sadly, many players do the same thing.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know where I could have been drafted,&rdquo; Oklahoma State&rsquo;s Anderson said. &ldquo;But the more I heard the better (returning) sounded. I&rsquo;d like to see what that next round is like.&rdquo;</p><p>Not the draft, but the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys fell in the second round last season, but with Anderson, prospects for a deeper run are stronger.</p><p>Same at Kansas with Aldrich and Collins, at Texas with James and especially at Iowa State, which hasn&rsquo;t been to the postseason in McDermott&rsquo;s three years. This season presents the best opportunity because Iowa State&rsquo;s best player showed a skill so often missing from gifted young athletes &mdash; maturity. </p><p>The youngsters should take note.