Kansas University’s men’s basketball team will be driving today not flying to Lincoln, Neb., for Sunday’s game against the Cornhuskers.
That’s fine with junior guard Jeff Boschee, who likes his feet firmly planted on the ground.
The plane crash that killed two Oklahoma State players and eight others earlier this season strengthened Boschee’s aversion to air travel.
“I hate flying. I’ve hated it even since I started flying,” said Boschee, a 6-foot-1 junior from Valley City, N.D. “Our first flight after the Oklahoma State incident was extremely nerve wracking for me. I felt every single bump.”
The Jayhawks (20-5, 9-4) will try to snap a three-game road losing streak at NU (13-13, 6-7). Tip is 2:30 p.m. at Devaney Center.
Boschee never seriously considered the Huskers during the recruiting process.
“Danny Nee (former NU coach) called me one time. He said something about me being from South Dakota. That pretty much knocked them off the list,” Boschee said.
Recently, Boschee learned that somebody is impersonating him in Internet chat rooms. Boschee will press charges if the person is caught.
“A got an e-mail from somebody who said his code name is like ‘Behvis’ and ‘Jeff13Boschee,'” Boschee said. “I guess he’s doing it in the Yahoo chatrooms.
“It’s frustrating and really ticks me off,” Boschee added. “I don’t see why somebody would take time pretending to be me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
KU sophomore Drew Gooden removed the cast from his right wrist at last Sunday’s Special Olympics clinic at Allen Fieldhouse.
It was a day before doctors were to remove the cast for him.
“Drew took his cast off himself. It’s how frustrated he was,” Boschee said of Gooden, who will miss his fifth straight game on Sunday. He’ll be re-examined Monday and possibly be given the OK to practice.
“We were at Iowa State. Drew brought a knife and was sawing the fiberglass off,” Boschee added, laughing. “Coach (Roy Williams) told him the final decision on him playing is his. So it’s kind of dumb to do that.”
Williams watched with interest in person as North Carolina defeated Florida State, 95-67, on Thursday at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Williams’ daughter, Kimberly, is a member of the UNC dance team at Williams’ alma mater.
Ex-Jayhawk assistants Matt Doherty and Steve Robinson are head coaches at UNC and FSU respectively.
“She danced before the game and during all of the 700 TV time outs,” Williams said. “You’ve got to have a great arsenal or repertoire for all those time outs.
“I had a good time. I was very apprehensive at the start just because of what happened last summer (when he declined the UNC job). I was somewhat uncomfortable during the game. I’d stand up if North Carolina did something good. If Julius Peppers dunked or whatever, I’d start clapping. Then my head goes to the other end and I’d see Steve Robinson sitting on the other bench and I’d want to sit down. That part was very difficult.”
KU senior Luke Axtell, who has missed the past two games because of a bad back, practiced on Friday. He’s listed day-to-day and probably will be listed that way the rest of the season.
“It’s happening fast the end of it (season) is coming. There has to be a point you are able to do some things physically. If not, time is running out,” Williams said.
Doctors recently gave Axtell a shot to alleviate the back pain and hopefully soothe his bulging disk.
“You can see it’s painful for him to run down the court,” Boschee said of his teammate. “He said the shot made his back numb. At practice one day he was in the practice plan and me and Kirk (Hinrich) went the whole time because he couldn’t go. Having Rex Walters and Nick Bradford (ex-Jayhawks) helping out at practice gives us more subs and we get a little more rest.”
Fans at Wednesday’s KU-Colorado game yelled “shoot,” when Bryant Nash received the ball on the perimeter. Colorado elected to play off the 6-6 freshman, who was 0-for-1 shooting.
“I shot my first one and missed it. After that I was feeling too much pressure and wasn’t tempted to shoot it,” Nash said. “My man was playing off me, but I wasn’t in rhythm, so I was giving it up to another player.”
Williams is pleased Nash ignored the fans’ pleas. Nash is not yet at the point KU’s coach wants him to launch long-range jumpers.
“I’ve always had a rule. If you are not being played (guarded), go screen for somebody, particularly on the ball for a guy who can shoot it,” Williams said. “Bryant got a little out of whack because they weren’t playing him. He didn’t set any screens, either. If he would have screened after he moved the ball, I’d have been pleased.
“I do think Bryant will be a good shooter and a very good player for us. He has the opportunity if he works at it and puts in the time to be a player extremely important to us.”
Williams is one of 20 finalists for the Naismith College Coach of theYear award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday. Iowa State’s Larry Eustachy and Oklahoma’s Kelvin Sampson of Oklahoma are also finalists for the award, to be presented on April 7 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Ga.
Others: Carolina’s Doherty; Rod Barnes, Mississippi; Jim Boeheim, Syracuse; Mike Brey, Notre Dame; Billy Donovan, Florida; Lefty Driesell, Georgia State; Craig Esherick, Georgetown; Pete Gillen, Virginia; Mark Gottfried, Alabama; Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech; Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Mike Krzyzewski, Duke; Phil Martelli, St. Joseph’s; Mike Montgomery, Stanford; Lute Olson, Arizona; Bill Self, Illinois and Al Skinner Boston College.
