Luke Axtell is back.
Axtell, a 6-foot-9 guard from Kansas University who left the Jayhawks after 20 games last season, hit three of five three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points as the Big 12 All-Stars stopped the Basket Club of Vienna, 95-57, on Thursday in Vienna, Austria.
It was the Big 12’s first of six games on its European tour.
“It felt great to be out there,” Axtell said after hitting seven of 10 shots overall. “A game like this in a setting like this really bolsters your confidence. Coach Patton (Ricardo, Colorado) has really given us a lot of freedom.”
Axtell hit six of eight shots the first half as the U.S. led 52-36 at the break.
Iowa State’s Jamaal Tinsley connected with Baylor’s Terry Black on a pair of half-court alley-oops that brought the crowd to its feet as the Americans put on a show for the Austrian crowd. Texas A&M’s Bernard King found Black on an off-the-backboard pass late.
The team will meet Traiskirchen B.C. at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Chris Owens of Texas had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Texas Tech’s Cliff Owens hit 5 of 7 shots the second half, good for 11 points. Colorado’s D.J. Harrison and ISU’s Tinsley had nine points; Missouri’s Brian Grawer five and Kansas State’s Quentin Buchanan four points.
Collison on U.S. team: As reported by the Journal-World Monday, Nick Collison is a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team.
Collison, 6-9 of Iowa Falls, Iowa, and 11 other collegiate players will practice against the USA Senior National Team also known as the “Dream Team” August 28-Sept. 1 in Maui, Hawaii.
The Select Team will then take on the Dream Team in an NBC-televised game on September 2 at the University of Hawaii’s Sheriff Center. The game time has not been released.
The Select Team will be coached by St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis, who will be assisted by Cincinnati’s Bob Huggins.
“It’s a great honor to be named to this team,” Collison said. “I will have a lot of fun, and at the same time learn from some of the best players in the world.
“It will be incredible to be playing against the players on the Dream Team, and I think it will help me prepare even more for the upcoming season. A week of playing against this caliber of competition can only benefit me. It’s also good experience anytime you play for a new coach and with new players, you have the chance to learn new things and experience different systems.”
He’ll be joined by: Shane Battier Duke; Cory Bradford Illinois; Joe Forte North Carolina; Casey Jacobsen, Stanford; Ken Johnson, Ohio State; Terence Morris, Maryland; Troy Murphy, Notre Dame; Jason Richardson, Michigan State; Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa State; Jason Williams, Duke and Michael Wright, Arizona.
Lee’s in-homes set: David Lee, a 6-9 forward from St. Louis, told recruiting analyst Jeremy Tiers of All Star Report he’ll have an in-home visit with Kansas coaches on Sept. 7. Florida will visit Sept. 9, followed by Duke (10), Illinois (11), North Carolina (14) and Missouri (25).
He said Florida is still on his list despite the recent commitment of power forward James White to the Gators.
