There is one painting in Matt Kleinmann’s room he didn’t create. Though he won national awards for his oil images in high school, this particular one did not come from his own hand.
Framed on his wall is the painting titled “Jaydreamin’.” The picture depicts a boy, sitting on a basketball in the yard of Allen Fieldhouse, staring at the Kansas shrine. Around the border of Kleinmann’s painting are autographs from 10 Kansas coaches and players, all received when Kleinmann attended a Jayhawk basketball camp as a child.
Even as he considered scholarship offers to University of the Pacific and Valparaiso University, Kleinmann’s room always seemed to bring him back to Kansas.
“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Kleinmann said. “I’ve always been a big fan of Kansas. Living in Kansas you either love them or you love another team, and I’ve always loved Kansas.”
The 6-foot-10 Kleinmann, who grew up in Overland Park and attended Blue Valley West High School, is a Kansas walk-on this season, turning down offers from Yale, South Florida and The College of William & Mary to make his Jayhawk dream a reality. He also rejected an invitation to walk on to North Carolina’s basketball team after receiving phone calls from UNC assistant coach and former Kansas player Jerod Haase.
In the end, Kleinmann said he thought Kansas was a better fit.
“I felt at ease with all the guys — even more so than on some of the visits I went to,” Kleinmann said. “It was just a really good connection with a lot of the guys and a lot of the coaches.”
Kleinmann will have to fight for playing time among a talented Kansas front court. National Player of the Year candidate Wayne Simien returns, along with juniors Moulaye Niang and Christian Moody. The Jayhawks will also bring in highly touted freshmen forwards Sasha Kaun, C.J. Giles and Darnell Jackson, who will all battle for playing time.
Guards Russell Robinson and Alex Galindo round out the Kansas recruiting class.
Coach Bill Self said that Kleinmann, despite being the only walk-on of the freshman group, had more than held his own in early practices.
“The freshmen are doing great, Matt Kleinmann included,” Self said. “They are all six ahead of where I thought they’d be.”
Kleinmann will not only have to fight for playing time, but also to win over fans and overturn a numerical curse. The freshman forward requested the number 54, but when the order came in, jersey number 44 was delivered instead. Public criticism of Eric Chenowith and David Padgett, who both donned the number 44, have caused Jayhawk fans to be apprehensive about players who wear the number.
“For me, it’s not a big deal,” Kleinmann said. “A number doesn’t mean anything, it’s how you play.”
The forward said he had already been approached by fans about the supposed hex.
“People say, ‘You have the same number as Padgett and Chenowith,'” said Kleinmann. “They were good players often times.”
“It’s just a number to me, and right now, I’m just happy to have a number,” Kleinmann said.
And happy to be a part of Kansas basketball, where Kleinmann has the opportunity to live out his Jaydreams.
