Have pity for whomever broke the news to Omar Wilkes about landlocked Kansas.

The Kansas University freshman guard likely didn’t take it too well.

“I lived at the beach,” Wilkes said of his years growing up in sunny Los Angeles. “That’s the first thing I asked when I got here: ‘Is there any beach around?'”

Uhh … sorry, Omar.

“They said the closest was the Texas coast,” Wilkes said with a laugh.

Beach or no beach, Wilkes insists he made the right decision to leave for Lawrence. And after seeing his dazzling performance at the Late Night in the Phog midnight scrimmage, where he scored nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, no doubt Kansas fans are glad he made that choice.

But as Wilkes struts his skills on the court, his off-court lifestyle is sure to undergo a serious culture shock. He likely won’t miss the horrendous L.A. traffic, but such a change is no doubt severe on any 19-year old.

And, of course, the weather certainly will be enough to make Wilkes want to curl up and weep every so often. He hasn’t even come close to seeing how cold it can be.

“When it gets below 65, it’s freezing for me,” Wilkes said. “I haven’t even seen snow yet. I’m kind of clueless.”

Regardless of the hectic changes in his life, Wilkes’s versatility and talent on the basketball court will be an immediate fit.

Wilkes is one of just four freshman signees on the roster.

“I think they are going to have to help in order for us to be good,” Self said of the quartet. “With our depth situation, David Padgett and J.R. Giddens will have to have big years for us. And, I think the table is set and there are definitely minutes to be fought for by Omar Wilkes and Jeremy Case.”

Wilkes, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, is the son of former UCLA great and NBA standout Jamaal Wilkes. The elder Wilkes played 12 seasons in the NBA, eight of them with the Lakers and another with the Clippers, so it’s obvious where the younger Wilkes spent most of his spare time.

“Growing up having Earvin (Magic) Johnson and Norm Nixon and Abdul-Jabbar around the house — that was an influence in itself,” Wilkes said of his father’s former teammates. “You grow up with one thing, and you don’t really know too much else.”

It rubbed off. As a senior, Wilkes averaged 18 points per game his senior year at Loyola High, and 22 points per contest as a junior. He was recruited by several Pac-10 schools, including his father’s alma mater, but chose to head east and become a Jayhawk.

He does have a piece of L.A. with him every time he plays. Under his KU jersey, Wilkes wears his dad’s Lakers practice jersey for good luck.