Kansas University freshmen Tyrel Reed, left, and Cole Aldrich pose inside Allen Fieldhouse for this 2007 photo.

Roommates at Kansas University this summer, freshmen basketball players Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed also bunked in the same quarters July 1-7 at Dallas’ Radisson Hotel.

“I wouldn’t say we’re getting sick of each other,” said Aldrich, a 6-foot-11 center from Bloomington, Minn.

He and 6-foot-3 Burlington native Reed helped the Global Games All-America team to a runner-up finish at the six-day tournament in SMU’s Moody Coliseum.

“That’s what is great about Kansas’ program. There are no cliques on this team. Everybody gets along. It’s a big family unit,” added the 250-pound Aldrich.

KU’s bosom buddies, who started all four games, exhibited some Jayhawk pride in two victories, two losses and three practice sessions.

They couldn’t help but needle Global Games teammates B.J. Holmes and Nathan Walkup of Texas A&M.

“I told them, ‘It’ll be four years straight of us winning the Big 12 and the tournament,” Aldrich said.

“They hit us back with, ‘We won last year,”’ Reed said of the Aggies topping KU in Lawrence.

The Global Games squad – which also included Big 12 players in Texas Tech’s John Roberson, Mike Singletary and D’Walyn Roberts, as well as SMU’s Robert Nyakundi and Alex Malone, Houston’s Brockeith Payne and Mississippi State’s Elgin Bailey – bonded in a short period of time.

The AA team beat Senegal, 97-70, in an exhibition, then stopped CJT Junior College All-Stars, 110-82, before falling to Argentina, 94-89. In the finals, Global Games AA dropped an 86-72 decision to USA Basketball’s undefeated Under 19 Select Team.

“We were upset we lost, but fortunate enough to play in the championship game. Our goal was to play in that game, and we made it that far,” said Reed, who averaged 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in four games.

“We’d have been disappointed if we didn’t make it to that game. Since we got that far, we didn’t want to lay an egg,” noted Aldrich, who contributed 5.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks.

“They are a really skilled team. You could throw every one of them on any college program in the country and they would be starting. From DeAndre Jordan (A&M), to Beasley (Michael, Kansas State) to Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga). Every one is one of the main contributors rebounding or scoring on their team.”

Kansas University freshmen Tyrel Reed, left, and Cole Aldrich pose inside Allen Fieldhouse for this 2007 photo.

Aldrich had 11 rebounds and four points in the title contest, while Reed contributed five points, two assists and two rebounds.

Each was more than willing to assess the other’s play.

“Tyrel really ran the offense well. It’ll really help him this year,” Aldrich said of Reed, whose top outing was a 14-point, three-steal, three-rebound effort versus Argentina.

“If Sherron (Collins) is in foul trouble, they can throw Tyrel in there and say, ‘Tyrel, run the offense for us.’ It’s a real good thing he got this experience behind him.”

Of Aldrich, who had 12 points versus the junior college team, Reed noted: “Cole got in foul trouble the first couple of games, which was unfortunate for him. We knew some calls were not going the way they should.

“Defensively, he was always a presence in the lane with good timing. He had a lot of blocked shots, whether they were accounted for (on stat sheet) or not. Offensively, sometimes it’s tough to get in the flow. He did in some games. Being his (KU) teammate, I’d try to get him the ball. Some guys haven’t played with big guys and don’t know how to get them the ball yet.”

Aldrich was in foul trouble in two of the four games. He said the international officiating was tough to comprehend. He resisted the temptation to explode like the fireworks the players watched after a Texas Rangers game on the Fourth of July.

“It was a good experience playing a different style of basketball. Some guys might call it basketball,” Aldrich cracked.

“Here, you can body people up. Here, if you meet your guy at the three-point line and try to make him work, it’ll be to your advantage. I gave a guy from Argentina a pretty good hit. The ref came by and he went, ‘Ooh’ and flailed his arms. He acted like he got shot. For us here, it’s not noble to do that. You get hit, you keep going. It’s a whole different style of play.”

Aldrich made it clear he’s not afraid to bang.

“I had a few fouls,” he said. “Against Argentina, I got a rebound, turned to outlet. One kid was standing there. I hit him hard in the face. He hit the ground hard. They called me for a foul. I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It wasn’t a cheap shot. I got the board, looked to Tyrel to outlet, and he happened to be there and I hit him in the face. A lot of international players like to show their acting skills.”

The wiser for playing in the Games, the two are finishing summer school, in which they are on track to pass seven hours worth of classes. Both will head to their hometowns from July 26 to Aug. 13 before start of the 2007-08 school year.

Aldrich, who had body fat of 15 percent last year, said he hopes to “get it down to 10, 11 percent” by the start of school. Reed, meanwhile, has put on four pounds and weighs 184.

“I feel bigger, stronger. We’ll all be ready for the season,” Reed said.

They’re ready to fill any roles.

“If coach needs me to cheer my butt off on the bench, I’ll do it,” Aldrich said. “At Kansas, every year is the year. Every year the goal is the national title. But this year we’ve got really good guys, extraordinary guys, athletes, and they are all great people, too.”