Miles excited about holiday break

Visions of family, friends and food no doubt danced through Aaron Miles’ head on Sunday as he boarded a flight home to Portland, Ore., where he’ll spend the Christmas holiday.

“Everything is good, being able to eat at my mama’s house and eat at my other mothers’ houses — parents of my friends who I call my other mothers,” Miles said.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Kansas University sophomore, who had nine assists against two turnovers in Saturday’s 87-70 rout of UCLA at Allen Fieldhouse, assures KU fans he won’t show up fat and happy for practice Thursday night in Oakland, Calif. — site of Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Pete Newell Challenge contest against Cal-Berkeley.

He will find ways to shed the calories.

“We’ll all work out and everything when we go home,” Miles said. “We won’t be just standing around and eating the whole time.”

Miles and Michael Lee — Miles’ buddy, teammate and fellow Portland native — will spend some time in the gym, and likely at another sports venue — the bowling alley.

Miles confessed after Saturday’s victory over UCLA that a line in KU’s 2002-03 basketball media guide is not a lie. His favorite sport besides basketball is bowling.

“I know how to bowl, I swear,” Miles said. “I mean, it’s like my favorite hobby. I’ve been bowling since I was young. My dad was in a bowling league. Other than basketball I’d rather go bowl, is what I’m saying.”

Miles said he’s a good bowler.

“My average probably is 180, 190 or something. My high is probably is like 260,” Miles said. “I was on a roll. I’ve got a curve, a nice little hook on it. It’s a big thing. It’s something my little brother likes doing. It’s a family thing: You go bowling.”

Miles grinned when asked if he had pro-bowler potential.

“If I focused on it I think I could,” he said. “It’s something I could, but I just bowl every now and then.”

What about Lee, who, like Miles, played football and basketball in high school?

“He has a nice curve, too. He’s all right, but he didn’t bowl as much as I did when he was young,” Miles said.

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Spreading good cheer: KU coach Roy Williams likes to reward his players with lots of free time over Christmas.

“We try to give the guys three, four, sometimes five days for Christmas,” he said. “Our guys have no fall break. They get no Thanksgiving break, no spring break most of the time.

“I think it’s important for guys to step back, relax, understand how fortunate we are. It’s also good to get away from me and get to mom, dad and family and relax.

“When they come back I want them focused and ready for a big push. We will have 18 days of practice or games without classes. It’s a good scenario for a college kid — no preparing for classes, projects. You practice basketball or play games. It’s extremely important families be together at Christmas time. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Christmas and Easter both is when I want my family together.”

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No chemistry?: KU’s Keith Langford noticed the Bruin players “arguing with each other” in Saturday’s game.

At one point, Dijon Thompson yelled at T.J. Cummings after a turnover.

“We were trying to solve problems out there, that’s all it was. It was a loud place. We love and take care of each other. In the first half we were just in a fog,” Cummings told the Los Angeles Times.

Thompson told Cummings to “post up,” and moments later he hit Cummings for an inside bucket.