Omar Wilkes said he didn’t really need any daily reminders that he wasn’t in California anymore, but the freshman from Los Angeles received one in the worst way Wednesday.

Wilkes caught his first glimpse of snow — as well as the ice that can hide underneath it — on his way to campus.

“I was running a little late to my math class, so I tried to get a little strut running,” a grinning Wilkes said. “I didn’t know about black ice because I’ve never seen snow, so, wheeew, my legs went out from under me, and I hit the floor hard.”

Luckily for Wilkes, when he hit the Allen Fieldhouse floor Wednesday night against Fort Hays State, he was the one who gave a little lesson — scoring a career-high nine points in his most significant playing time in a Jayhawk uniform — during Kansas’ 80-40 victory over the Tigers.

“I’m not going to lie, I was very nervous,” Wilkes said. “But once you get out there, it’s just basketball, and I’ve been playing that my entire life.”

The prep standout from Loyola High certainly showed the silky skills that enticed former KU coach Roy Williams into recruiting him.

After missing his first three-pointer, Wilkes knocked down two straight step-through shots and a trey to score all seven of his first-half points in a span of less than two minutes.

“I think I’m getting more comfortable with everything,” said Wilkes, who added two free throws in the second half to go along with three rebounds. “Maybe not even basketball, just being in Kansas and so far away from home. Just settling in and putting everything together.”

Wilkes said moving from California to Kansas, coming in highly touted and being the son of former Los Angeles Laker great Jamaal Wilkes added pressure to perform.

KU motivated by early drillsGet the stats: KU-FHSU box scoreHear Bill: KU-FHSU postgame commentsPhoto gallery: KU-FHSU

“Obviously, it’s frustrating to go from being the star of your high school team to not getting significant minutes,” said Wilkes, who averaged 18 points per game as a senior at Loyola. “But I like to think of myself as being somewhat mature, so I figured I try to handle it pretty well.”

That is exactly what Kansas coach Bill Self said Wilkes had done during daily practices, and that’s the reason he wanted to reward Wilkes Wednesday.

“I thought Omar played well. You know, he’s been the odd man since we started,” said Self, who gave several reserves substantial playing time against Fort Hays State.

“You can’t play 16 guys,” Self said, of why Wilkes’ minutes had been limited. “I think Omar deserves an opportunity as much as anybody else, but he hasn’t really gotten that.”

Before Wednesday, Wilkes had averaged just a minute per game while playing in three of KU’s first four games.

His only field-goal attempt came in the final seconds of the Jayhawks’ loss Saturday against Stanford.

While Wilkes drilled a three-pointer just before the buzzer against the Cardinal, he said the moment was “bittersweet.”

“It was nice to hit that shot, but also a tough situation because we lost,” said Wilkes, who briefly talked to his family while in Anaheim, Calif. “I was sorry to leave California, but I’m glad that we came back here and played as a team and everything is coming together.”

Self, too, said Wilkes was adjusting to his new role.

“I certainly see Omar being a guy off the bench that will play in the next few games,” he said. “And then we’ll we see what he can do.”

Self said Wilkes wasn’t transferring, despite rumors Wilkes was leaving the team.

“Not to my knowledge, unless you’ve heard something I haven’t heard,” Self said. “I can certainly believe there’s always frustration when guys don’t play as freshmen. I’ve never talked about it, you’d have to ask Omar on that.”

Wilkes, while admitting he is a bit homesick, also said a change of scenery was not in the future.

“Not right now … not ever,” Wilkes said. “I’m not even worried about anything, just playing right now. Trying to work my minutes up, trying to play hard.”