It seemed like the booing was just seconds away.

Sasha Kaun was either mishandling a rebound, fouling or missing a free throw. He rarely did anything productive early this season.

Still, the fans never quite turned against Kaun and relegated him to the same group of unpopular KU big men such as David Padgett and Eric Chenowith.

They didn’t have to. Kaun improved. After moving from the starting lineup to the bench in December, Kaun has developed into a consistent and viable reserve, averaging 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.

He’s even starting to shoot better. Kaun’s field goal percentage, 63, and free throw percentage, 57, are better than they’ve ever been.

“I think I’m a little more aggressive in practice and that’s something I can carry over into games,” Kaun said. “There’s been a lot of mental things I’ve been trying to work on.”

Kaun envisioned this type of improvement before the season started. He wanted to have a memorable senior year and erase the past memories of his inconsistencies during his first three years.

As a sophomore Kaun teased the Jayhawk faithful by dropping 25 points against Idaho State early in the season. He never lived up to that night but did average eight points and five rebounds per game. Last year, as a junior, those averages dropped.

Part of the reason for the inconsistency could be traced to his summer workout regimen.

The summer before his junior year, Kaun went back to his hometown of Tomsk, Russia, to visit his family and take care of paperwork. He had to apply for a new visa, a Russian passport and an international passport.

“There were all these crazy things,” Kaun said. “It was such a short period of time. I was rushed.”

Because he was busy with family and passports, Kaun didn’t have much time for basketball. Tomsk, Russia, wasn’t exactly a hoops Mecca, either. Kaun only had one place where he could work on his game, a nearby university that wasn’t open for public use.

“It was hard to access,” Kaun said. “You had to know people. It was complicated.”

At best, Kaun got to spend two or three days per week using the gym and working on his game. He said the lack of work and a preseason knee injury kept him from developing consistency last year. Kansas coach Bill Self also noticed the lack of improvement.

“For two summers in a row,” Self said, “he was totally inactive for various reasons: injures or being home. I think that set back his development, especially his lower body strength.”

So, Kaun went to work last summer.

His days consisted of weights, foot work, post moves and shooting drills. He did all his workouts in Lawrence then traveled to Kansas City for a computer programming internship.

This season was supposed to be different because of his strenuous summer schedule. Early on, it wasn’t. Kaun only got two rebounds in 25 minutes against Arizona. He said he was trying too hard to make a big difference as a senior. By the sixth game of the season, Kaun got benched in favor of Darnell Jackson.

“I think it released a little bit of the pressure,” Kaun said about coming off the bench. “You just kind of sit down and analyze the game a couple minutes before you come in there.”

Kaun’s play started to change immediately once he became a reserve. He grabbed seven rebounds the first game in his new role. Ten days later, he led the team in scoring with 15 points against DePaul.

His play has been consistent since then. Finally, Kansas can count on solid defense, improved rebounding and a good shooting percentage from Kaun. The Jayhawks could especially use him in the next month, when the games really matter.

“He’s been playing good as of late,” Self said. “He was very good against Texas. I thought he rebounded very well. In the NCAA Tournament, you want as many bodies as you can, especially big, because foul problems can certainly create some situations for you.”

A good end to this season could mean big money for Kaun. He’s projected as a possible late second round draft pick in the NBA and would almost certainly be invited to a training camp if he doesn’t get drafted. Kaun said he’d like to give the NBA a try but would also be open to playing in Europe.

Those decisions can wait, though. Kaun is finally playing with more consistency and wants to enjoy the rest of his last season of college basketball. He has five more games, only two at home, before his final Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments start.

“Everybody is going to talk about how the seniors did this year,” he said, “and it’s kind of important to finish up on a good note and do as well as we possibly can and hopefully win a championship.”

— Edited by Daniel Reyes