The injury bug has taken a bite out of Kansas during the 2000-2001 men’s basketball season.
“It’s been frustrating,” KU coach Roy Williams said Tuesday. “Some years you get lucky and don’t have injuries. Some years you do. It’s part of the game. Every college team goes through aches and pains. We are no exception.”
The good news is the Jayhawks’ walking wounded all practiced on Tuesday and figure to play in Thursday’s 6:05 p.m. battle at Wake Forest. The bad news is not everybody figures to be 100 percent.
Junior Jeff Boschee has made a rapid recovery from a left ankle sprain and practiced on Tuesday. Senior Kenny Gregory (stress fracture, right foot) also practiced, but on a limited basis.
Meanwhile, freshman Mario Kinsey and senior Luke Axtell are not 100 percent while recovering from left anterior compartment syndrome surgery and a left ankle sprain respectively.
“Kenny is such a pansy,” Williams joked. “He didn’t do anything yesterday and is to do just half court today. I told him we’d get me, coach (Joe) Holladay and Todd Williams, who works here, to play 3-on-3 against Kenny, Jeff and Luke.
“I’m joking. Kenny has a legitimate injury and a lot of pain. His stress fracture and his back are a little more than aches and pains. I have doubts at how effective Kenny and Jeff will be Thursday, whether 90 percent, 80 percent, 70 percent.”
Gregory said Tuesday his back, which has bothered him off and on for four years, has felt fine of late.
However, his right foot has been bothering him for about a month now.
“I noticed it in practice one day,” Gregory said. “It was sore. I made a turn and felt it then. Me being a hardhead, I tried to play through it. I thought it was a bruised bone or something. I started to wear a pad every day. Once the pad didn’t help, I knew there was something wrong. A week ago it really started bothering me.”
He had an MRI which showed a stress fracture in a joint, which is not nearly as bad as if the fracture was in a bone.
“I’ve asked if there’s anything to do to speed the healing process,” Gregory said. “The only thing is time. It’ll be 100 percent in three weeks or so. My playing time and practice time may be cut a little. We’ll have to wait and see if I have to be held back.
“The way I see it when I am in the game, I am going to play hard.”
Williams said he isn’t planning on cutting back at practice, just because of a rash of injuries.
“The only way we can get better is work as hard as we possibly can every day,” Williams said. “If we cut practice and shorten it and make it easier, you are penalizing everybody for one that’s hurt.
“One year we started five the first game and the same five every game the entire season (Scot Pollard, Jacque Vaughn, Jerod Haase, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz in 1995-96). We practiced harder then than now. We were lucky. They were really tough, tough kids.
“Ryan Robertson will never win a Mr. Universe contest. (Yet) in four years he never missed a game or practice. It was not too tough for him.”
Wake Forest on Thursday will be missing 6-foot-9 senior Rafael Vidaurreta, who had knee surgery in September. Junior guard Ervin Murray is slowly bouncing back from a case of mono. He has been averaging 15 minutes a game.
