Local kid makes good. That’s one of the most basic stories in journalism, one that’s almost always a joy to write.
At least five “locals” did that Tuesday night and I was lucky enough to be channel-surfing when there was a major happening involving one former Jayhawk. That would be Raef LaFrentz of basketball’s Denver Nuggets, who’s taken far more than his share of lumps since leaving KU in 1998.
Former KU stars Paul Pierce, Jacque Vaughn, Greg Ostertag and Danny Manning also contributed to victories by their NBA teams Tuesday, as they have done a lot of late. But Raef’s play was especially pivotal as his Denverites edged Houston 105-100 on television. Wish more KU fans had seen it.
The 6-11 LaFrentz wound up with 18 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two assists. It was his three-pointer with 28 seconds left that sank a dagger into the Houston heart. His shot broke a 100-all tie and Nick Van Excel added free throws to lock it up.
Raef had been in Boulder the night before to cheer his Jayhawks past pesky Colorado. His key Tuesday bucket came from the same corner of the court where Kirk Hinrich fired that critical trifecta to give Kansas a 74-71 lead it never lost in its 85-75 gut-wrencher. Way to teach, Kirk.
Denver took heat when it drafted LaFrentz ahead of North Carolina’s Vince Carter. Then the Kansas rookie was forced to play center among forests of muscular, bulky redwoods instead of a forward spot for which he’s better-suited. He wrecked a knee early on, had a long and painful period of rehab and still had to go back into the pivot without a great supporting cast.
There were conflicts and Denver coach Dan Issel unfairly ripped Raef recently. To show how much they respect LaFrentz, all the Nuggets skipped the next practice. The air got cleared and the team is doing well.
One factor that has helped LaFrentz is the acquisition of 7-0, 260-pound Kevin Willis, a 16-year veteran out of Michigan State, to provide an aircraft carrier in the paint. That lets Raef and Antonio McDyess roam more, shoot facing the basket and, joy of joys, take advantage of their three-point capabilities. LaFrentz was 2-for-2 beyond the 23-foot arc Tuesday.
While the Nuggets were edging Houston, 6-7 Paul Pierce from KU was scoring 23 points to spark the Boston Celtics past the Atlanta Hawks 83-82. Paul also had six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a blocked shot. He’s so good that even coach Rick Pitino couldn’t screw him up. What a future.
That same night, Vaughn helped the Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors 100-78 with 14 points, two assists and three rebounds in 23 minutes of play. Like Raef, he, too, was 2-2 from three-point range. Ostertag played 31 of the 48 minutes, getting 11 points, five boards and seven blocked shots. That’s an impact, folks. Manning was in for nine minutes and got two points and three boards. Salt Lake fans call them the Jazzhawks.
l We’re told the Backstreet Boys will interpret “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Sunday’s Super Bowl. That could be disgusting. I hope not, but it could deteriorate into a tone-bending, hog-calling mess.
The good news is that the incomparable Ray Charles will give us another “America the Beautiful.” That’ll again stir me to goose bumps and tears. I’ve never heard Ray in a bad rendition, kinda the way the late Frank Sinatra never offered a “One for My Baby” that wasn’t marvelous.
As for the “SS Banner,” I’ve never heard it butchered worse than Patti LaBelle did it before some tennis tournament, I think the Open at Forest Hills. She sounded like she was undergoing a hysterectomy without the benefit of anesthetic. Man, it was gross! Hope the Backstreet Boys don’t try to top that, but don’t bet against it.
Lately the best “Banner” effort came last July 4 during the New York fireworks display on television. Never got the woman’s name, but it was clear, no foolishness, and powerful. Please, let’s have something like that rather than a batch of guys snorting like they have marbles up their noses. Maybe they’ll get sick and trumpet genius Wynton Marsalis can be brought in to make it what it deserves to be. It’s a tough number to perform, but what’s wrong with basics by a respectful performer?
l Kansas basketeer Nick Collison was going for the ball when he clobbered Colorado’s Jose Winston Monday night. Roy Williams is right. No apology needed even though CU coach Ricardo Patton, under heavy pressure to win more, went into his Tasmanian Devil routine. There were more than enough replays to show Nick didn’t intend to send Winston tumbling to an alleged concussion.
Roy got hot when Patton flew into orbit and I can understand why. The guy was out of line trying to make Collison look like a villain. The coaches weren’t arranging golf dates in that heated exchange.
Nick had no time to think about how to stop Winston from an easy hoop, but old Phog Allen often said the best way to escape whistles was to hit up rather than down on the ball. You swing down and the refs see it. You pop up and it often gets lost. Don’t see many guys doing that.
To the credit of the Colorado players, they handled the situation better down the stretch than their coach.
