KU's Cole Aldrich (45) grabs one of his nine rebounds against the Tigers.

Just four months ago, the simplest of basketball tasks gave Cole Aldrich the most nerve-racking experience of his young career.

Even recalling it, he bends his knees and starts shaking just to emulate how he felt in October at Late Night in the Phog, stepping to the charity stripe for the first time in front of a full Allen Fieldhouse crowd.

“Oh, man, I was nervous … I was real nervous,” the Kansas University freshman forward said. “I remember shooting a free throw and thinking, ‘Please hit the rim … please!'”

Aldrich’s six points and nine rebounds in just 12 minutes in Monday’s 90-71 romp over Missouri are simply the fruits of just how far the 6-foot-11 big man with the thick northern-tundra accent has come.

“It amazes me,” KU coach Bill Self said after the game. “Everybody talks about Darnell (Jackson) being most improved, and he is based on last year, but our players would tell you Cole from Late Night to now, it’s unbelievable the progress he’s made.

“I think that (assistant coach Danny Manning’s) done a great job with him, but I also think those other three big guys have done a great job with him.”

Aldrich agrees that going against his veteran teammates has been a big help, most notably senior Sasha Kaun.

“I really enjoy watching myself improve,” said Aldrich, now averaging 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds while playing just 8.7 minutes a game. “It’s fun to really go through practice and think, ‘Wow, four months ago, I couldn’t score against Sasha, I couldn’t do anything.’ Now, I get a few moves on him every once in a while.”

Kaun, who said he has made a point of providing an example for Aldrich in practice this year, gladly will take getting schooled a few times here and there. Especially in preparation for situations like Monday, when both were needed after sophomore Darrell Arthur picked up three fouls in just two first-half minutes.

The duo combined for 13 points and eight rebounds, playing a total of 16 minutes before halftime. Aldrich on his final line also attached a pair of blocked shots, giving him 24 on the season.

His performances have stayed steady despite inconsistent minutes for most of the year. For example, Aldrich went from playing one minute Saturday against Colorado to 12 on Monday. Earlier in the year, he went from one minute against Arizona on Nov. 25 to 15 against Florida Atlantic three days later. He then went from two against Georgia Tech on Dec. 18 to 13 against Miami (Ohio) after another three-day lay-off.

Aldrich is averaging one swat per 8.3 minutes. His total number of rejections ranks third behind Arthur and Kaun, but no one makes them more emphatically.

“The Missouri guys are kind of small, so it was easy for him to wall up on them when they were driving to the hole,” Arthur said of Aldrich’s presence Monday. “Taking their shots away from them, making it hard for them to shoot over, I thought he did good with that.

“He’s been playing real well in practice, too, so he’s improving a lot, and we look forward to him playing more.”