Freshmen battle-tested

Newcomers have exhibition experience

Kansas University’s freshmen men’s basketball players won’t be frozen in fear at tonight’s “Late Night in the Phog” at Allen Fieldhouse.

Stage fright doesn’t figure to be a factor for KU’s highly touted newcomers, who feel like grizzled veterans after participating in one pre-Canada tour scrimmage at a packed Horejsi Center in August and four exhibition games against Canadian college teams in September before equally loud crowds in the Great White North.

“I was nervous at the scrimmage, not since then,” said KU freshman combo guard Russell Robinson, who averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 assists while logging 21 minutes per game during KU’s four-game Canada tour. “Since then, all I’ve been thinking about is trying to get better. I think all of us just want to do what we can to help the team win.”

KU freshmen scholarship players Robinson, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Alex Galindo and C.J. Giles, plus walk-on Matt Kleinmann, entered as the No. 2 class in the country behind Kentucky. They lived up to early expectations during four blowout wins in Canada.

“We’re the Fab Five … in a few years,” freshman power forward Jackson said, hoping KU’s frosh can copy Michigan’s Fab Five and win a national title or two.

“We’ve got great chemistry,” Galindo said. “I think it’s going to be a great class.”

The rookies exploded for 77 of KU’s 101 points in a 102-46 rout of Langara College in Vancouver.

“I think they can be impact guys,” KU coach Bill Self said. “All have a big upside and potential to become excellent players at Kansas.

“They all were highly recruited,” he said, “but none of them had the senior year that warranted McDonald’s All-America attention and stuff. They came in here hungry, none came in with false pretenses of being The Man, but to help the team get better.

“None were demanding number of minutes when we recruited them or starting positions. They just want to make the team better. These are guys who can carry the torch when these seniors are gone.”

Here’s a look at KU’s newcomers, who will act, dance, dunk and scrimmage at tonight’s Late Night.

Alex Galindo, 6-7, 205, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (ranked No. 45 nationally insiders.com; 65 rivals.com)

Galindo, who arrived in the U.S. two years ago and played two seasons for St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., chose KU over Pitt, Rutgers and Georgetown.

He signed with UTEP last November, asking out of his letter of intent when coach Billy Gillispie bolted for Texas A&M.

“Alex is an excellent shooter with range and also has a great feel for the game,” Self said of Galindo, who averaged 18 points per game last season. “He’s big enough to play with a small lineup, but he’s certainly a true perimeter player. I don’t know if Kansas has had a tall shooter like Alex, maybe a Luke Axtell type shooter. Not quite that tall but has that range,” Self said.

Galindo showed flashes of brilliance in Canada, exploding for 16 points and 10 boards in a 101-46 victory over Langara and 15 points off 6-of-8 shooting in a 98-76 victory over Simon Fraser.

For the trip, he hit 16 of 34 shots, including six of 18 threes, averaging 10.3 points and 5.0 boards a game.

“I see myself playing a lot of positions and shooting threes,” Galindo said of his role, “but I’ll play wherever coach wants me to play.”

C.J. Giles, 6-10, 220, Seattle, Wash (insiders.com ranking 59; rivals.com 62)

Giles, who averaged 17.0 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks last year for Rainier Beach High, chose KU over Washington and Cincinnati. He signed with the University of Miami in November, but opted out of his letter of intent after coach Perry Clark was fired.

“I went with Kansas because it was the best fit for me. I love the tradition,” said Giles, whose dad Chester played for KU coach Ted Owens and mom Gail Goodwin for coach Marian Washington in the 1970s.

Giles impressed with his athleticism in Canada, averaging 6.8 points and 4.0 boards, while being credited with three blocks but in actuality having at least two times as many.

“He goes hard, changes a lot of shots inside,” KU senior Wayne Simien gushed.

Self has noticed the player’s work ethic.

“He has been a sponge,” Self said. “C.J. does a couple things better than anybody in the program. He keeps the ball high offensively. When he catches it, he keeps it high. He’s best at blocking and altering shots. He is too thin, but I think can hold his own. He needs to get some weight on him.”

Darnell Jackson, 6-8, 240, Midwest City, Okla. (rivals.com ranking 54; insiders.com 62)

Jackson, who averaged 12 points and 12 boards at Midwest City High, chose KU over Oklahoma, Illinois and Purdue.

He played even better than advertised in Canada, averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 boards a game. He exploded for 19 points and five rebounds versus Langara.

Former football player Jackson showed his instincts in attacking the ball and swiping two midcourt steals and racing for dunks versus Langara, one an acrobatic spin dunk.

“I’m here to rebound,” Jackson said. “I love to crash the boards, run the floor and do what it takes to win the game. When I get a chance I’ll try to steal the basketball. It’s something big guys can do, too,” Jackson said.

Self likes the idea of Jackson ruling the paint.

“Darnell has a great body, is strong, a banger, and he has an unbelievable upside,” Self said. “He can run, he can jump. He’s very coachable and he’s very eager to learn. I think Darnell is the type of player — with the way that we play — could be an inside force for us over the next several years.

“He is a guy who will buy into his role. Has advantage over some other guys who may struggle with that.”

Sasha Kaun, 6-11, 250, Tomsk, Russia (insiders.com ranking 28; rivals.com 34)

Kaun, who averaged 15.3 points, 12.6 rebounds at Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Fla., chose KU over Duke and Michigan State.

“I was very impressed with the quality of their academics as well as their basketball program, and I really like the coaching staff. I know I can learn a lot from coach Self,” Kaun said.

Self thinks the powerful big man can rule the paint. He scored 20 points against Langara and for the trip tallied an average of 7.3 points and 5.8 boards per contest.

“He keeps the ball high, scores over both shoulders,” Self said. “The game is a little too fast for him right now, but he’s going to be great,” Self said of Kaun, who hit 10 of 20 shots in Canada.

“Sasha just started playing basketball his 10th grade year. He comes from a very disciplined background at Florida Air Academy, where he really understands what it’s like to get up and go to work everyday. I believe in time, Sasha can be a player that can go down as one of the best big men in recent Kansas history.”

Russell Robinson, 6-1, 185, New York City (rivals.com ranking 27; insiders.com 32)

Robinson, who averaged 22 points and 8.0 rebounds his senior year at Rice High, chose KU over Georgia Tech, Connecticut, St. John’s and Kentucky.

“The best thing about Russell … he works hard. All he wants to do is win,” said senior point guard Aaron Miles. “I’m going to try to help Russell whenever I can.”

Robinson hit 14 of 33 shots and four of 13 threes in Canada. Against British Col-umbia, he impressed with 12 points and three assists in 18 minutes.

“Russell is way beyond his years,” Self said. “He is so much farther along than I thought he’d be at this stage. We recruited him as a combo (guard). He is a combo, but certainly more comfortable playing with the ball in his hands than we thought he would be this early.

“The thing about Russell, the veterans love playing with him and that’s always a great thing.”

Miles is high on his future replacement at the point.

“I love playing with him. He’s a great competitor. All he wants to do is win,” Miles said.

“Russell will be fun to watch,” noted senior Michael Lee. “He really understands the game. The key with Russell is he plays so hard.”

Robinson hopes he’s the first of many Easterners to join the program in the Self era.

“This is the first time Kansas has gotten a New York recruit in a long time. I’m excited. My goal is to come there to win a championship.”

Matt Kleinmann, 6-10, 230, Overland Park

Kleinmann, who averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 boards at Blue Valley West last year off 65 percent shooting, declined a scholarship offer from NCAA Tournament entry Pacific to walk on at KU.

The first team all East Kansas League selection, who will red-shirt this season, also received interest from William and Mary, Yale, South Florida, Valparaiso, UNC Wilmington, Purdue and Texas Tech.

Kleinmann carries a perfect grade-point average of 4.0 and has been accepted to KU’s School of Architecture.

“Most everybody would be thrilled just being a part of the basketball team at a program like KU, which is first-class where they do everything right and go the extra mile. I’m thrilled with the academics at KU, too,” Kleinmann said.

“I’m coming in knowing there are no promises, no guarantees. That’s what appeals to me. There’s a challenge involved. It’s something I can work toward, rather than at Pacific where I might be the next big guy or the starter. If I do anything at KU, it’s because I work for it.”