The intestinal flu bug bit Darrell Arthur on Monday night.
“I was sitting down playing a game (and) I threw up. Everybody’s been having it – the one-day flu. I feel a lot better today after taking some medicine,” Arthur reported Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse.
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound freshman forward, who was hooked up to IVs and couldn’t practice Tuesday, figured it best to make up for lost time Wednesday – the team’s official day off.
So Arthur worked up a good sweat on his own, firing up jumpers from all over the court for an hour or so.
“I’m feeling a lot better, so I made sure to get in a lot of shooting today,” said Arthur. “It’s hit me one day like it hit a lot of guys. I think I’m over it now.”
Other KU players who have had and recovered from the flu this season include Sherron Collins, Russell Robinson, Brandon Rush and Brennan Bechard. Detroit assistant coach Garland Mance had the most publicized case of the intestinal flu. He threw up on the visitor’s bench during KU’s victory over the Titans on Dec. 28.
Arthur is KU’s fourth-leading scorer (12.1 ppg) heading into Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. game at South Carolina.
He has made 52.8 percent of his shots and 75 percent of his free throws while logging 20.9 minutes per contest.
Arthur has scored just 19 points off 6-of-26 shooting his last three games.
“I think everybody’s looking forward to going on the road and playing a tough game against a tough opponent on Sunday,” Arthur said. “We had a rough game the last time (on the road) against DePaul (64-57 loss on Dec. 2). Hopefully we can get a big win over South Carolina.”
¢
Collins update: Freshman Collins, who pulled his groin against Detroit on Dec. 28, said he was OK.
“I just have to get warm, and I’m all right,” Collins said. “It happened in the first half when I tried to stop the ball. I got hit and felt something. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it’s all right.”
¢
Ex-Jayhawks: Here’s an update on former KU players who are currently competing for other college teams:
¢ David Padgett averages 9.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game for a Louisville team that took a 10-4 record into Wednesday’s game against Notre Dame.
He’s the Cardinals’ fifth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder.
¢ J.R. Giddens averages 17.9 points and 6.3 rebounds for a New Mexico team that took an 11-4 record into Wednesday’s game against TCU.
He leads the team in scoring and is second in rebounding, but shooting only 30 percent from three-point range. He’s taken 71 more shots than anybody else on the team.
¢ Omar Wilkes averages 10.6 points and 2.0 rebounds for a California team that took a 9-5 record into Wednesday’s game against Stanford.
A starter in all 14 games, Wilkes is fourth on the Golden Bears in scoring. He’s made 52.9 percent of his shots including 42.5 percent of his threes.
¢ Alex Galindo averages 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds for 6-7 Florida International. He shares the team lead in points and leads in rebounds. He has made just 28.6 percent of his threes.
¢ Nick Bahe averages 2.8 points a game for 8-4 Creighton. The former KU walk-on has averaged 15 minutes a game while appearing in all 12 games, starting two. He’s made 37 percent of his threes.
¢ Micah Downs would have become eligible at Gonzaga on Dec. 16, but suffered a broken bone in his left foot during preseason practice. He’s yet to appear in a game this season. At last report, coach Mark Few was still debating whether to red-shirt him.
