Kansas University’s “Captain Kirk” is taking the country by storm.

Kirk Hinrich’s popularity has grown in Trekkie-like proportions the past month, with supporters seemingly everywhere praising the Jayhawks’ 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior guard.

KU's Kirk Hinrich, left, drives past Colorado's Chevis Brimmer last month in Boulder, Colo.

“There’s a lot of talk about this Hinrich who I’ve watched all season,” said former KU and NBA great Jo Jo White, a Hinrich fan club member who works in the Boston Celtics’ front office. “He’s a great shooter with a great work ethic. People are talking about (Drew) Gooden. We feel he’ll go high in the draft. We’re keeping our fingers crossed we are able to get a guy like this Hinrich kid. He is just outstanding, who brings a lot of savvy to the club.”

White he didn’t say when the Celtics hoped to land a player like Hinrich, this draft or next has joined legions of many lauding the Sioux City, Iowan, who is a first-team all-Big 12 candidate after being ignored in all lists of top players during the preseason.

“He is the most underrated player in the country,” ESPN’s Dick Vitale said two hours before Missouri coach Quin Snyder proclaimed Hinrich perhaps the best player in the entire conference.

Hinrich’s also been lauded by ex-NBA great Danny Ainge, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, just about every coach in the Big 12 plus ESPN’s Andy Katz who said an NBA official indicated Hinrich would be the second guard taken if he elected to enter the 2002 NBA Draft.

What’s Hinrich, who KU coach Roy Williams calls “as consistent a defender on the perimeter as we’ve ever had,” think of all this pub?

Kansas guard Kirk Hinrich listens to coach Roy Williams during a game earlier this season.

“Almost embarrassing,” he said. “I mean there for a while … Dick Vitale … it’s just like ridiculous. Everybody’s telling me something different Dick Vitale was saying about me. It’s just funny. He comes to town and all of a sudden everything is crazy. It’s amazing how much power the guy has.”

Vitale watched Hinrich hit eight of 11 shots four of five threes good for 23 points with six assists in KU’s 105-73 victory over Missouri on Jan. 28 at Allen Fieldhouse. Hinrich also held Kareem Rush to 13 points off 6-of-19 shooting.

Since then, the “Kirk Craze” has spread. National columnists have expressed outrage Hinrich isn’t on the final list for the Naismith Award. Others have touted him for first-team All-America mention.

Hinrich he’s hitting an unheard-of 55.2 percent of his shots while averaging 15.1 points with 5.7 assists admits the attention “is kind of rewarding. All the work you put in, it makes you feel good. You just listen to it, try to not let it get to you.”

He’s not developed a big head. After all, just last August nobody was on the Hinrich bandwagon despite a sophomore season in which he averaged 11.5 points and 6.9 assists.

“A friend of mine and I habitually go through recruiting letters and magazines. We were appalled at the beginning of the year Kirk was not ranked in the top 100 anywhere,” Denver Nuggets player development representative Mark Randall said. “My friend wrote in to these magazines and said, ‘What were you smoking?’ It’s funny to see the responses come back. The nation is taking notice, now.”

Now, not seven months ago.

“You probably did have to look pretty far to find it,” Hinrich said of his name. “I kind of said to myself, ‘I’m going to try to prove some people wrong.’ Hopefully I’m proving some people wrong.”

Sweltering back in Iowa

While his buddy, fellow Iowan and KU teammate Nick Collison, was winning a gold medal for USA Basketball last summer, Hinrich, who received no invitation to try out for the World Championship for Young Men team “he got shafted,” said Randall, a member of the committee that picked he team worked on his body and his jumper in Sioux City.

Hinrich lifted weights, “three times a week twice a day. The other two days he’d lift once,” said Jim Hinrich, Kirk’s dad and high school coach at Sioux City West.

“On top of that he’d shoot every day. Coach (Williams) wanted him to work on penetration and pull-up medium range jumpers. Most days he made 200 threes. Some days he’d have a rebounder, some days he didn’t.”

Hinrich amazed during preseason pickup games, but opened the season by hitting 15 of his first 49 threes.

“By the end of the season,” Williams said after KU’s 10th game, “nobody is going to talk about how he shot it the first 10 games. They will talk about the season he’s had.”

Williams was right. Hinrich has since hit 27 of his last 42 threes and scored in double figures in his last 13 contests.

“I knew my percentage was not good,” Hinrich said of his early-season play, “but I didn’t think there was anything that needed to be corrected. I just needed to shoot the ball with more confidence.”

On fire from field

Hinrich has been so effective of late it’s been suggested his shot should be filmed and shown in instructional videos.

“Probably his mother,” Jim, a 25-year-coaching veteran, laughed, asked where Hinrich learned his form. “When he was really young … I always taught kids by testing their form against a wall. We had him do it a lot. He started learning the right way. In high school he had a tendency to shoot the ball a little flat. We tried to stress getting the ball in the air.”

Hinrich still tests his form “against the wall.” It involves putting his right forearm against the surface to make sure it is straight and not bent. Maybe he’ll explain it in a future video.

“My dad taught me the basics,” Hinrich said. “After school my mom would take me out to (West High’s) practice. I’d be running around the gym and stuff like that.”

Modesty is best policy

Hinrich’s dad taught him more than shooting form and how to win West High won the state title Kirk’s senior year. He taught him modesty.

Pops Hinrich allowed the city paper to name his son “Athlete of the Week” once and only once. The other times, the coach suggested somebody else be chosen.

“It’s great for the kid, but can cause jealousy,” Jim Hinrich said. “A kid’s play is the telling sign, not somebody from the paper. He is concerned how his teammates view him, not the press.”

Thus well-grounded Kirk Hinrich now does not let rave reviews get to his head.

“I am not the kind of guy who will stop working because one guy said something,” Hinrich said. “I won’t say, ‘I made it now.’ I mean, c’mon. I’m going to try to stay level headed. If one guy says it you want five guys to say it, something like that.”

Does future include pros?

If one guy says Hinrich is worthy of playing in the NBA, he wouldn’t be against five more saying it.

“I told it to myself I’d really love to have to make that decision. That means I had a really good year,” Hinrich said of last summer’s goals. “I feel if I didn’t have to make that decision, I wouldn’t have done it (had good year).

“I’m just having so much fun right now. I’m concentrating on this, concentrating on doing my best right now and (will) think about that later basically is all there is to it.”

A decision on whether or not to enter the 2002 Draft will be made after the season.

“I think sometimes it’s hard to weed out the hype and what really is (true),” Jim Hinrich said. “Kids’ stock can change so much.

“It’s my understanding coach Williams will talk to him. He (Williams) knows. He has been involved in all that stuff. We’ve trusted him a lot the last three years and at least value his opinion if that time comes. Kirk really is just thinking about the season.”

Hinrich gives one hint he may be back for his senior year.

“I will try to get even stronger,” he said. “I took a huge step last year to this year in physical conditioning, being a lot stronger. I will stay here all summer this year. I’ll probably be even better (conditioned). I don’t think I’ll look a lot different. I’ve got the body type that can get a lot stronger and not look any different.”

Not all work and no play

Don’t think it will be all work and no play for Hinrich this offseason. He’s taken up golf and wants to dabble in racquetball.

“I saw the U.S. Open racquetball on ESPN. I might play a little this summer for conditioning,” Hinrich said.

Of golf, the former baseball standout Hinrich was a shortstop, pitcher, catcher and an all-conference player his sophomore year in high school before quitting the sport so he could travel with AAU basketball in summers said, “I used to hate it, but I hit a few good shots and started thinking it’s all right. I kind of got in a competition with my dad.

“I don’t wear the attire,” Hinrich added quickly. “I walk in the clubhouse it’s like, ‘What’s he doing here? Is he here to water the lawn or what?’ I probably couldn’t get into the nice clubs, just the low-key ones back home.”

“He’s gotten to the infancy stage of golf,” the elder Hinrich said.

The adult stage of basketball.

“He’s hard nosed, tough-as-nails, hard working, loves to play the game. Kids like that will be successful in whatever they want to do,” the Nuggets’ Randall concluded.