Friday, April 18, 2008
When senior center Sasha Kaun walks through the Campanile and down the hill in three weeks, the final chapter of one of Kansas’ best student-athletes will come to a close.
In the classroom, Kaun has been a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection majoring in Computer Science. On the court, Kaun evolved into a key reserve for the Jayhawks National Championship run this year. Though he lost his spot in the starting lineup this season, there were two particular performances this past season that put Kaun on the radar of many NBA scouts.
In the first performance, Admiral James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kaun, said it best,
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It was in the second half of Kansas’ 84-66 victory against DePaul that the wrath of Kaun was unleashed. On the video board at Allen Fieldhouse, the memorable Star Trek clip was played in celebration of the 6-foot-11, 250-pound center from Tomsk, Russia.
“Khaaan! Khaaann! Khaaan!”
It was in the second half of Kansas’ 84-66 victory against DePaul that the wrath of Kaun was unleashed. On the video board at Allen Fieldhouse, the memorable Star Trek clip was played in celebration of the 6-foot-11, 250-pound center from Tomsk, Russia. Kaun, who had been limited to five minutes of play in the first half due to two quick fouls, redeemed himself by scoring 15 points, with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in 15 minutes of play.
“He got off to a miserable start, but it took some courage to be honest with you,” said coach Bill Self of Kaun’s turnaround in the post-game press conference. “He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.”
The same video clip did not play on the video boards of Ford Field in Detroit, but the wrath of Kaun was unleashed once again with an NCAA Regional All-Tournament performance against Davidson. With 13 points and 6 rebounds, Kaun gave the Jayhawks the edge over the Wildcats and ended Kansas’ five-year drought from the Final Four.
Reflecting on these two performances, Kaun may have made a career for himself. This past week, Kaun was invited to tryout for the Russian Olympic basketball squad. If Kaun makes the cut, he will be the first Jayhawk men’s basketball player to play in the Olympics since Danny Manning in 1988 and the first ever to play for a country other than America.
With the NBA Draft on the horizon this summer, Kaun’s name has been tossed into the mix of potential late second round draft picks. Should Kaun get drafted, he could have a long career in “the league.” Comparing size and athletic ability, Kaun is reminiscent of former-Kansas center Scott Pollard. Pollard has been playing in the NBA for 11 years now and had a 2008 salary of $770,610. Not too shabby.
With Kaun’s success in the classroom coupled with his performance on the court this season, Kaun is the definition of a student-athlete. His hard work over the past four years is what every coach, teammate and fan could ever ask for in an individual. With this in mind, there would be nothing better than seeing Kaun in the Olympics this summer and in the NBA for seasons to come.
—Edited by Russell Davies
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