Philadelphia ? Temperatures are expected to dip into the teens with heavy snow likely this weekend in the “City of Brotherly Love,” site of today’s Kansas University-Villanova nonconference men’s basketball game and Sunday’s NFC championship game between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.
It’s not expected to be much nastier than that in Siberia — Sasha Kaun’s much-maligned homeland — which is regarded as one of the most frigid outposts in the world.
“The climate is changing all around the world. It’s why everybody is freaking out,” said Kaun, Kansas University’s freshman center from Tomsk, Russia. “In California, it’s snowing all the time. It’s not as cold as it used to be back home. The climate is really changing.”
It’s changing almost as much as Kaun’s status on KU’s basketball team.
The 6-foot-11, 235-pounder, who had a 20-point game and averaged 7.3 points and 5.8 boards on KU’s four-game exhibition tour of Canada in September, slumped to no points in five of his first seven regular-season games.
After showing positive signs with two points and two rebounds in 10 minutes against Georgia Tech, he didn’t play versus Texas A&M because of complications following a root-canal procedure.
He followed that with a breakout game at Kentucky — seven key points with three boards in 12 minutes.
He lapsed to no points in two minutes at Iowa State before again contributing big-time with eight points and two boards in 11 minutes at Colorado.
“I’d say around the Georgia Tech game, the Kentucky game,” Kaun said, asked when things started to go smoother for him on the court his rookie season. “At that point the coaches had been trying to tell me what to do, and I guess it started to come more natural.”
| When: 11 a.m. today.Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia.TV: ESPN (Sunflower Broadband Channel 33).Line: KU by 4. |
Kaun, whose bank shot halted a game-opening 6-0 run by Nebraska in KU’s one-point win Wednesday over the Huskers, said the adjustment to major-college ball had been tough.
However, he finally feels comfortable entering today’s 11 a.m. CDT tip against Villanova at the Wachovia Center.
“The pace of the game is faster. Stronger guys are around you,” said Kaun, who takes a 2.2 scoring and 2.3 rebounding average into today’s game after putting up averages of 15.3 points and 12.6 boards a year ago at Florida Air Academy.
“Defense is a lot different from high school, guarding screens and post defense. There’s a lot to learn,” said Kaun, who has made 11 of 22 shots for 50 percent. “Of course there’s a lot less contact in high school.
“They’d call fouls on me in high school, but it’s a lot harder here. You try to put a body on somebody when you play defense and rebound. I was not used to playing like that.”
Kaun — he has 28 fouls in the 12 games he’s played — has learned all about the physicality of college ball.
Fellow frosh Darnell Jackson clipped him with an elbow to the jaw at a practice before KU’s season opener and Kaun’s two front teeth were cut in half. He’s had several root canals trying to fix the problem.
“We were doing dummy offense and I was coming off and he stuck his hand and hit me with the front end of the elbow. It was completely accidental,” Kaun said. “I’m still suffering a little. Not suffering, but it hurts sometimes.”
Kaun is a soft-spoken person who tries his best to speak in fluent English sentences. It can’t be easy coming from a foreign land to play high school ball, go through the recruiting process, then land at a major power like KU and be expected to contribute right away.
“Sasha is coming. He’s getting better and better,” KU coach Bill Self said. “Against Kentucky and Colorado he played to his size, at least offensively. We’ve talked to him lately about attacking the ball and rebounding. He’s letting balls bounce instead of getting them rim high, but he’s getting better.”
He’s had sensational plays of late, including grabbing an alley-oop pass for a dunk and hitting an ensuing free throw to give KU a 12-4 lead at Colorado.
His bank shot and ensuing free throw after an equally hard foul gave KU a 40-33 second-half lead at Kentucky.
“I think he’s starting to like contact more,” Self said. “As a guy with his size and body, he has to like contact when he posts. He has to spin off guys to score, as opposed to just to shoot over them. It’s taken him a little bit of time, and he’s still not where he needs to be.
“Certainly, I think he’s doing a much better job in that area.
His teammates agree.
“He is coming along real well. He’s not afraid of anything,” frosh C.J. Giles said.
“Sasha is a great listener and very coachable kid,” senior Wayne Simien said. “He’s worked hard and tried to get better every day.”
Kaun won’t say his future goals include starting at KU.
“I just want to do what I can to help the team win,” he said. “That’s all.”
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