Jeff Hawkins figures he’s lucky he was able to play in — much less start — Tuesday night’s exhibition game against Pittsburg State at Allen Fieldhouse.
Late Monday afternoon, Kansas University’s sophomore point guard blindly ran into man mountain Jeff Graves at practice. Hawkins went down like a boxer who had been hit by a Mike Tyson haymaker.
“I was surprised I got up from that,” said Hawkins, a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder from Kansas City, Kan., who banged the back of his head on the fieldhouse floor hard after bouncing off the 6-foot-9, 255-pound Graves.
“Jeff’s a big guy. It was like a football hit. It was like I was a running back and he was a big lineman.”
The back of Hawkins’ head hurt — a lot — after the hit.
“It felt like a wall hit my head. It felt like I was banging my head against the wall like a psycho,” Hawkins joked.
Hawkins, who hit three of seven shots for eight points while playing 18 minutes in KU’s 103-73 win over the Gorillas, thinks he might have been saved a serious concussion Monday because of his hairstyle, of all things.
“The braids saved me. They cushioned my fall,” Hawkins said. “But I still had a headache.”
As far as making his first career start Tuesday, Hawkins said he was excited, but not too nervous.
“I thought I would be (nervous),” he said, “but I came out pretty poised.”
Coach Bill Self said the former K.C. Sumner standout — his eight points would have been a career high had the game counted in the standings — was elated upon hearing he had gotten the starting nod.
“I think he (Hawkins) knew,” Self said of published reports the player would start. “He was all smiles, though.”
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Average grade: Self was asked to give the Jayhawks a grade after two exhibition games.
“I’m a pretty lenient instructor,” he said. “I’d give a C or C-plus. To go three weeks and be where we are … maybe a B-minus. By no means is it an A.”
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Wilkes hits three: Freshman Omar Wilkes made the most of his three minutes, hitting the three-pointer that put KU over the century mark in points.
“You can’t play 12 guys. We are not going to,” Self said of the fact Wilkes and Moulaye Niang played sparingly. “Omar is doing fine. He is trying hard. It’s a strength issue with him. It’ll come. He’s doing fine.”
J.R. Giddens had seven points in 12 minutes.
Jeremy Case scored six points in 13 minutes.
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Signing-day bonanza: Three high school basketball players today will sign letters of intent with KU on the first day of the early signing period.
They are: Alexander “Sasha” Kaun, 6-11 from Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Fla.; Russell Robinson, 6-1 from New York City’s Rice High School; and Darnell Jackson, 6-9 from Midwest City (Okla.) High School.
Kaun is ranked No. 23 in the country, Robinson No. 31 and Jackson No. 52 by rivals.com.
These players figure to rise in the rankings as the season progresses.
“If you put numbers aside and just take a look at what coach (Bill) Self and (Norm) Roberts did in a six-month period, it is incredible,” rivals.com analyst Shay Wildeboor said of KU’s head coach and associate head coach, who took the KU job in late April.
“To pull a kid out of New York in Russell Robinson, who was a lock to attend Connecticut, and to get Kaun away from Duke and Michigan State is impressive, considering KU’s coaches had a late start in recruiting.
“And to sign Darnell Jackson, who dreamed of being a Jayhawk and has great upside … it is a top-five class in the nation.”
Jackson and Kaun were expected to sign at their high schools today. Robinson will sign his letter at home, then take part in a celebration with two other members of his New York Gauchos AAU team Saturday.
They are: Ronald Ramon, 6-foot, from New York, originally out of the Dominican Republic, who will sign with Pitt, and Sundiata Gaines, 6-1 from Jamaica, N.Y., who will ink with Georgia.
“Everybody is happy for me,” Robinson said Tuesday. “I just want to have a good senior season and leave on a good note. Practice started about a week ago. I think we’re going to have a really good team this year. We should have one of the best teams in the city.”
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Stats, facts: KU went undefeated in the exhibition season for the 10th straight year. KU has won 16 straight exhibition games and 20 straight at home. … Wayne Simien’s career high in a regular-season game is 23 versus Emporia State Dec. 14, 2002. He had 25 Tuesday. … PSU received $25,000 for playing.
Now that’s more like it
Hear Bill: KU-Pittsburg State postgame comments
Photo Gallery: KU-Pittsburg State
6Sports video: ‘Hawks show sparks in second exhibition