Kansas senior guard Luke Axtell, who suffered a severe left ankle sprain at practice seven days ago, is listed as doubtful through Thanksgiving, coach Roy Williams said Monday.
That means the 6-foot-10 Axtell, who missed KU’s victories over UCLA and St. John’s last week at Madison Square Garden, definitely will miss upcoming home games against North Dakota (Friday) and Boise State (Monday).
KU will play Washburn two days after Thanksgiving Nov. 25 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Axtell is up and about and even shot baskets with his teammates late in Monday’s practice at Allen Fieldhouse.
He was wearing sweats and didn’t make any moves or try any layups as his ankle remains tender.
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One familiar name may be missing when Williams releases his men’s basketball signings today as the week-long November signing period comes to a close: Jeff Hawkins.
Hawkins, a Kansas City Sumner point guard, will walk on KU’s program next year.
So he won’t be on any national signee lists.
A red-shirt for one season, Hawkins will be on scholarship his final four years at KU.
Who did the Jayhawks corral in recruiting first semester?
Keith Langford, a 6-4 guard from Crowley, Texas; Aaron Miles, a 6-1 guard from Portland, Ore.; Michael Lee, a 6-2 guard from Portland, Ore.; and Wayne Simien, a 6-8 forward from Leavenworth.
Williams can keep looking for another player during the winter and spring. The Jayhawks have one scholarship available for spring signing period. There’s a new NCAA rule that allows teams to sign a maximum of five players over one year and eight over two.
It’s believed 75 or more of the top 100 players have signed early.
“I don’t think it’s been that much of a change the last five or six years,” Williams said. “Depending on whose top 100 you go by anywhere between 75 and 80 percent of prospects will commit in the early signing period.
“No. 1, I think they get tired of the recruiting process. Some kids will grab it (offer) awfully quickly. We’ve had a vast number the past five or six years. Whether people get tired of recruiting, tired of the pressure they sort of know where they want to go to school. They grab the offer before somebody else takes the scholarship away.”
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Weird sight last Friday night after KU beat St. John’s in the Coaches Vs. Cancer final in New York: A 40-something man, wearing a Knicks jersey and apparently from New York, grabbed a Kansas reporter politely and said, “Write this Kansas won that game because of No. 1. That kid has a lot of heart and I thought he was the difference.”‘
No. I is Mario Kinsey, a 6-2 freshman backup point guard who definitely has made some fans since joining the basketball team at Late Night With Roy Williams.
“Mario is Mario,” KU soph forward Drew Gooden said. “I think he’s acting a lot like I did last year, trying to fit in. He is a good guy and I think will be important to our team.”
