Kansas University basketball coach Roy Williams says emphatically that all members of the 2001-02 NCAA Final Four team will earn degrees.

That includes forward Drew Gooden, who is leaving school for the NBA draft with a year of eligibility and school remaining.

“I’ve talked to Drew a couple of times since he made his announcement,” said Wayne Walden, KU’s director of degree and career counseling. “He wants to get on it right away. I’m encouraged by that.”

Gooden is pursuing a diploma in communications. He did not drop out of school after announcing for the NBA last month.

“We tried to save a lot of his electives until the end so we’d have some flexibility,” Walden said. “Some of it we can do with correspondence courses. Depending on where Drew will be playing, he might take a class at a university or junior college there. He may take an online course.”

However, Gooden will have to return to campus for a couple of classes, Walden said, adding Gooden could finish in two or three years.

As far as Sunday’s KU Graduation Day, senior Todd Kappelmann will take part in graduation ceremonies after completing work in accounting and business administration. He will enroll in graduate school this fall.

Chris Zerbe and Lewis Harrison are on course to graduate in December after completing work in communications. Brett Ballard should earn his degree in secondary education next May.

Jeff Boschee, who plans to play pro basketball, has a semester of classes and a semester internship remaining before he lands his degree in sports management.

Jeff Carey, a fifth-year senior, graduated last May. He will complete a master’s in business administration next spring.

Ballard, Zerbe, Harrison and Kappelmann all attended junior colleges prior to enrolling at Kansas.

“This was an awfully good group, especially when you are talking about transfer students coming in,” Walden said of the senior class. “For Lewis and Chris to get done in 21/2 years is really something. With Brett in the school of education you have no elective hours and lose a lot in the transfer. All have been great to work with. They have great attitudes about their education.”

Former Jayhawk Nick Bradford, who completed his eligibility in 2000, graduated in December in African-American studies. His roommate, Terry Nooner, who graduated in 2000, has completed a master’s in sports administration.

“Terry has decided he would like to teach,” Walden said. “He is looking into some programs where if you have a college degree they’ll help you get certified as you teach.”

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Graduation rates: KU received positive publicity at the Final Four when it was announced the Jayhawks had a 64 percent graduation rate (four-year class average from 1991-94). It was by far the highest rate of all Final Four teams.

The positive pub will continue to roll in if KU makes the Final Four next spring. KU’s graduation rate from 1992-95, the next four-year period to be calculated nationally, was 70 percent.

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No summer school: Incoming players Moulaye Niang and Jeff Graves will not be enrolling in any KU summer school classes. Graves will be taking two courses to complete work at Iowa Western Community College. Niang will not finish high school in California until mid-June and wants to return to his homeland of Senegal for a visit.

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Doctor-to-be Pugh: T.J. Pugh has completed his first year of medical school at the University of Colorado. Pugh played at KU from 1995 to ’99.

“T.J. worked so hard and did so well we are all proud of him,” Walden said. “It is really something to be able to get in medical school when you are playing a Division One sport. He is awfully gifted.”

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Boscheeball: KU’s seniors recently completed their Barnstorming Tour in Valley City, N.D., Boschee’s hometown, in front of about 2,400 fans. During an intermission, a Boschee jersey was auctioned for $1,050 and Boschee was read a proclamation designating it Jeff Boschee Day.

Boschee had 26 points in the first half as KU built a 70-46 lead over some former North Dakota high school standouts. KU won, 136-100. All profits from the game were split between KU’s seniors and Valley City schools.

“It was fun playing against some of the guys I watched growing up  it was fun to play against some of my friends, also. I couldn’t ask for much more,” said Boschee, a 1998 Valley City High grad. “The standing ovation (he received) and everything, them naming a day after me  it’s pretty special.”

Boschee will attend an NBA draft camp for pro prospects in early June in Chicago. He hopes to be drafted in the second round or hook on with a team as a free agent. Kansas City Knights coach Kevin Pritchard says the ABA team will draft Boschee in the league’s next draft.

“I’m going to see what happens with basketball,” Boschee said. “I have a couple of options right now. I’m going to try to make the NBA and if that doesn’t happen I’ll be satisfied with hanging up the shoes and going into coaching.”

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Williams headed to UNC: Williams can’t attend KU graduation on Sunday because he’ll be in Chapel Hill, N.C., watching daughter, Kimberly, take part in graduation ceremonies at the University of North Carolina. Kimberly is a Lawrence High graduate.

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More on Gooden: KU senior Gooden has yet to announce his choice of an agent. His grandfather, Andy, said Gooden was going to wait until he returned home to Richmond, Calif., to finalize agent details.

“The way the NBA is set up now, sometimes all you need is a good tax lawyer,” Andy Gooden said. “The first-round draft picks all have set contracts, and by not getting an agent you don’t have to pay that person a percentage. That was my original feeling, that it’d be better to go that way.”

Gooden is expected to be taken between pick Nos. 3 and 7. Duke’s Jay Williams is expected to go No. 1 with China big man Yao Ming going second. Duke’s Mike Dunleavy, Memphis’ Dajuan Wagner and juco power forward Qyntel Woods could, but might not, go ahead of Gooden.

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UCLA dissent: A disgruntled UCLA fan has opened a Web site entitled loselavin.com. Fans can purchase T-shirts saying “Lose Lavin” on the front and “Save Bruin Basketball” on the back. The site lists Roy Williams as the preferred choice to replace embattled Bruins coach Steve Lavin. Missouri’s Quin Snyder is the fan’s second followed by Pepperdine’s Paul Westphal, USC’s Henry Bibby and Gonzaga’s Mark Few.