J.R. Giddens figures he and buddy Darnell Jackson are lucky to be alive today.

Both escaped a Memorial Day weekend automobile accident with body bruises and scrapes — but apparently no serious injuries.

“I feel fortunate. I thank God. I think we’re blessed for sure,” Giddens, Kansas University’s sophomore basketball guard, said Monday night in a phone interview from Oklahoma City.

That’s where the Ford Explorer KU basketball signee Jackson was driving to a 7-11 store Sunday night was clipped hard by a woman driving a Toyota Corolla.

The Explorer flipped over.

Giddens injured his left shoulder and Jackson his right shoulder, but neither suffered any broken bones and are expected to be back on the court in a few days once their aches subside.

“My back and neck are so stiff. I’ve got a full-body headache,” said Giddens, a 6-foot-5, 195-pounder from Oklahoma City and best friend of the 6-9, 240-pound Jackson, who lives in Midwest City, Okla.

“I feel like I just got out of coach Self’s Boot Camp. My arm is in a sling, but the doctor said I could take it off as soon as it stops hurting,” added Giddens, who like Jackson was taken to a hospital for tests after the accident.

Giddens said he spoke with Jackson on Monday and said Jackson reported he was bumped, bruised and a bit shaken, but also structurally sound.

The two had reason to be scared. The Explorer, owned by Jackson’s aunt, was a loss.

“Totaled completely. All the windows were blown out except the front windshield. The car is crushed from the passenger side to the middle console,” said Giddens, who was not wearing a seatbelt. Jackson was wearing a seatbelt.

“We were turning into a 7-11, and (the Corolla driver) floored the car. I don’t know for what reason, but she floored the car,” Giddens said. “I think Darnell actually saved me. We were turning. I saw this car coming and knew this car would hit us. I jumped over on Darnell. If I’d not done that, I might have some major damage. I thanked him for taking care of me.”

Giddens was concerned about his buddy’s safety as the car came to rest on its side.

“When all the dust cleared, we were on top of each other up against the window,” Giddens said. “I was like, ‘Darnell, you are quiet. Are you all right?’ He said, ‘I’m cool.’ I was relieved because I knew I was OK. I wanted to make sure he was OK.”

The driver of the Corolla reportedly was not injured. Onlookers rolled the Explorer back on its tires.

“We hopped out onto our feet,” Giddens said. “We were happy to get out of the car.”

Giddens said he could remove his arm from a sling in two days.

“I’m an athlete, a basketball player. This will not set me back any,” said Giddens, who said he did not reinjure his surgically repaired knee in the crash. “My left side is hurting, and I can’t do pushups right now, but I will be fine.”

Jackson probably won’t be able to play in an all-star game between prep players from Oklahoma and Texas on Saturday in Oklahoma.

“Who knows? He might play. He might be allowed to start practicing by Friday,” Giddens said.

On another positive note, Giddens’ mother, Dianna, who had been suffering from a serious, undisclosed illness, recently was released from the hospital.

“I feel blessed in that regard also,” J.R. said. “It’s great to have her home and feeling better.”

¢

Wilkes’ choices: Former KU guard Omar Wilkes, who decided to transfer after his rookie season, tells stanford.theinsiders.com he has a list of Stanford, Cal-Berkeley, Washington, USC and UCLA.

Wilkes has applied for admission to Stanford, which has undergone a recent coaching change.

Former Nevada coach Trent Johnson last week replaced Mike Montgomery, who has bolted for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

Wilkes plans to visit Cal and Stanford in coming weeks.

¢

Nevada suggestion: Joe Santoro of the Reno Gazette had an interesting suggestion in a column about a possible replacement for Johnson at Nevada:

“Here’s another one to mull over during your morning coffee. Pete Padgett as Pack head coach. He’s a Wolf Pack legend. He would sell tickets. And he’d bring a pretty talented 6-foot-11 kid with him.”

Santoro was alluding to former Jayhawk David Padgett, who has visited UCLA and Louisville in his search for a new school. Pete Padgett, one of the top rebounders in NCAA history, is David’s father.

A leading candidate for the position is fourth-year Nevada assistant Mark Fox. If the name sounds familiar, it should. Fox spent the 1993-94 season observing and studying Roy Williams’ Kansas basketball team. He went on to assist Tom Asbury at Kansas State for six seasons.