March 09, 2008

A big man with a bigger story: Ten years after losing his father in a Russian parking garage and only seven years after first picking up a basketball, Jayhawk forward Sasha Kaun will leave the University of Kansas with a degree in computer science and a chance to be drafted by the NBA.

posted by wfrazerjr to basketball at 07:35 PM - 8 comments

Is the fact it was a parking garage even relevant really?

posted by Drood at 12:26 AM on March 10, 2008

It seems relevant only to support the authorities' explanation of gas poisoning.

posted by BoKnows at 08:35 AM on March 10, 2008

It is if you read the article.

posted by jmd82 at 08:53 AM on March 10, 2008

I'm sure it's relevant, but I have to say, when I read the FPP I thought, "Lost him? In a parking garage? He ain't a set of car keys, is he?" And yes, I did giggle. I'm a bad person. It's a great story, fraze. Thanks for posting it.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:01 AM on March 10, 2008

I have to say, this is a great story. But then again, when it comes to KU sports, homerism tends to creep in to anything I write. Most of the Kansas Basketball team are custiomers of mine, and all in all, they seem to be polite, well-mannered kids. Sasha seems to be kind of shy and soft spoken. He spends an inordinate amount of time in the Burge Union studying. I get the feeling that school just doesn't come naturally, but he works extremely hard at it, and is succeeding. I've always thought that Sasha would make a great Cold War-era villian in a movie. He just looks old school Russian.

posted by hawkguy at 09:12 AM on March 10, 2008

I've watched him play his entire career at KU and didn't know anything about this. Thanks for the post wfrazerjr. And hawkguy, I studied Russian at KU and I can't imagine attending all of my classes in Russian, taking notes and tests in Russian etc. That's what it is for Sasha to do everything in English. It's only natural that he has to work a little harder.

posted by Tinman at 11:52 AM on March 10, 2008

This was terrific; thanks for sharing it. I'll make sure to follow his career.

posted by evixir at 06:09 PM on March 11, 2008

As a life long KU fan, it has been great to watch Kaun develop over these past few years. He has become a physical and dependable post player. The fact that he has overcome so much only gives me a greater appreciation for how he has improved and what a genuinely good guy he seems to be. Thanks for this Fraze.

posted by brainofdtrain at 02:11 AM on March 13, 2008

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