The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

After two years starting in the pivot for the Jayhawks, Sasha Kaun proved most valuable coming off the bench for KU's national championship team in 2007-08.

Kaun first played organized basketball upon arriving in Florida from Russia to attend high school in the 10th grade, leaving behind family and friends. His mother, Olga Kaun, visited her son twice during his career, during his freshman and junior seasons at Kansas.

Known for his defensive presence, Kaun never truly discovered his scoring touch, averaging just 6.1 points in 16.5 minutes per game while starting 65 of 135 contests during his college career. He chipped in with 526 rebounds (3.9 per game) and blocked 150 shots.

At Florida Air Academy, Kaun was named Academic Cadet of the Year as a senior and was ranked as the fifth-best center in the nation by Rivals.com. He led his team to a 29-0 record and a state championship in 2003, as he posted 15.3 points and 12.6 boards per game as a senior. He also averaged 13.0 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game as a junior and once scored 29 points to go with 20 rebounds in a single game.

At Kansas in 2004-05, Kaun earned the Clyde Lovellette Most Improved Player Award as voted on by his teammates. He played in 27 games with starts vs. Iowa State and Oklahoma, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while logging 270 minutes of action. He also blocked 17 shots, but was charged with 22 turnovers.

The Academic All-Big Twelve Conference selection started 29 of 33 games in 2005-06. He averaged 8.2 points and was second on the team with a 5.3 rebound average. He ranked 20th in the league in rebounding, as his average of 1.09 blocked shots per game were 10th in the Big Twelve. He led KU in rebounding 11 times and registered 19 games with five or more rebounds. He also led Kansas in scoring four times and made 56.2 percent of his field goals, which was just behind Julian Wright's team-leading 56.4 mark.

As a junior, Kaun started 28 of 35 contests, again earning Academic All-Big Twelve honors. He ranked third on the team with 48 blocked shots and shot 53.0 percent from the field, as he averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He ranked seventh in the league in blocked shots per game at 1.37 and tied for third in league contests at 1.44 with teammate Julian Wright.

With the team utilizing a three-guard formation in 2007-08, the three-time Academic All-Big Twelve choice started just six times in 40 contests. He was selected to the league's all-reserve team by the media, as he shot 61.9 percent from the field (109-of-176) and averaged 7.1 points per game. He brought down 154 rebounds (3.8 per game) and blocked a career-high 49 shots (1.2 per game).

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a thick frame with good lower-body strength, adequate wingspan and a well-developed upper body with good muscle tone and chest thickness ... Mobile for a player his size and has enough quickness to play in the open court ... Might lack ideal athleticism, but is an explosive leaper with the ability to dunk and put the ball back in when working around the basket ... Has the agility and spin in his step to put in lob passes, with good elevation to the basket ... Has good length and fluidity moving without the ball ... Despite his size, he is nimble enough and has the loose hips to sell fakes to a defender ... Plays with good court smarts and knows how to switch the ball to either hand to keep it away from the defender ... Uses his size and length, along with a good arc to get his shot up and over the outstretched arm of a defender ... A blue-collar type, he works hard to establish position in the paint and while he lacks explosion, he is good at angling on the way to the glass for rebounds and putbacks ... Plays with urgency on the offensive side, hustling for loose balls and crashing the boards with a purpose ... Earlier in his career, he relied mostly on his right hand for his scoring touch, but has now developed the spin moves to his right when operating from his weak side ... Capable of turning across his left shoulder with a soft right-handed hook shot ... Lacks a perimeter game, but is good working inside ... Has marginal shooting ability, except from close range, but is patient waiting for the entry pass when playing in the low post ... Won't ever be a scoring threat, but knows his role on the court ... Will call for the ball and work hard to gain position in the post ... Is strong enough that bigger centers struggle to push him out of the paint ... Plays at a high energy level and does whatever is needed to keep opponents out of the paint ... Shows good aggression on the court and even though he is still developing his shot, he does a good job of scoring with his back to the basket ... Has the agility and mobility to hedge the guards and disrupt the pick-and-roll ... Above-average one-on-one defender who has a good feel for his surroundings in the paint ... Does a good job of defending on the pick-and-roll, knowing how to rotate, move around and establish position under the boards, especially on the offensive glass for putbacks ... Positions himself well to get to the rebound, but would be even more effective with quicker timing ... Effective sealing out opponents when operating inside and has the hands and reach and steal a few balls on the open floor ... Better offensive rebounder than on the other end of the court ... When he gets into position and stays in front of the opponent, can be disruptive defending mid-range shots.

Negatives: Not a proficient ball-handler or passer and opponents have good success forcing a turnover when he puts the ball on the floor ... Has marginal shooting range, as most of his points come around the basket, especially on putbacks and dunks ... Still a neophyte in basketball experience, having completed just his sixth year of playing the game ... Despite his mobility, his footwork is sloppy, looking uncomfortable shooting the ball from angles, especially when he has the ball in his left hand ... Does not draw contact and is a marginal free-throw shooter ... Poor passer, especially out of the high post ... Gets too aggressive trying to alter shots outside the paint and will bite on pump-fakes and hesitation moves, leading to foul trouble ... Will stumble or lose balance when trying to fade away on his mid-range shot ... Lacks crisp passing skills and struggles to find cutters or kick the ball out to the perimeter shooters ... Shows good explosion as a rebounder, but it is mostly off the offensive glass and he needs to show that same aggression on the defensive end, where he is more conscious of the opponent ... Has better explosiveness attacking the rim from the right side (secured just 12 percent of his rebounds from the left side of the rim) ... Has no face-the-basket shooting skills and, though he moves adequately along the perimeter, he lacks the length and accuracy to make a shot beyond 7-10 feet.

Compares To: JAKE VOSKUHL-Boston ... Kaun will never cause the opponent to game plan to stop his offensive game. Kaun is still a young pup in terms of his basketball experience, having completed just his sixth season of organized ball. He is a high-energy type and is tough under the boards, especially the offensive glass. However, he has no shooting touch beyond seven feet and his lack of face-the-basket skills allows defenders to sag, knowing Kaun is not going to cause much damage playing away from the rim.

CAREER NOTES:

Kaun was a three-time Academic All-Big Twelve Conference choice, adding KU Athletic Director's and Big Twelve Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition in all four seasons at the university ... Started 65 of 135 games during his career, scoring 830 points (6.1 per game) while hitting on 331-of-583 field goals (56.8 percent) and 168-of-328 free throws (51.2 percent) ... Had 526 rebounds (3.9 per game), 150 blocked shots (1.1 per game), 44 assists (0.3 per game) and 50 steals (0.4 per game) ... Charged with 304 personal fouls and had 107 turnovers ... His 150 blocked shots placed him seventh on the school record list.

2007-08 SEASON

Big Twelve Conference all-reserve team selection by the league's media ... Academic All-Big Twelve first-team pick, adding ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District IX first-team accolades...KU Athletic Director's and Big Twelve Commissioner's Honor Roll choice ... Started 6-of-40 contests, logging 707 minutes of action ... Scored 284 points (7.1 per game), as he connected on 109-of-176 field goals (61.9 percent) and 66-of-122 free throws (54.1 percent) ... Grabbed 154 rebounds (3.9 per game) and doled out 12 assists while coming up with 17 steals and 49 blocked shots (1.2 per game) ... Charged with 97 fouls and had 32 turnovers ... Scored in double figures nine times.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Tied a career-high with three steals and scored six points vs. Nebraska...Had a season-high tying six makes from the free-throw line and was 4-of-5 from the field, totaling 14 points while coming up with eight rebounds vs. Loyola (Md.) ... Scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting (all season highs) and snared five rebounds in 15 minutes of action vs. DePaul...Took away a career-high three steals and totaled six points vs. Arizona...His 13 trips to the free- throw line vs. Missouri-Kansas City were a career-high, as he also tied his career-high with four blocks and scored ten points ... Added 10 points and seven rebounds the next game vs. Washburn ... Poured in 12 points in back-to-back early February meetings vs. Colorado and Missouri ... Had 10 points and four boards in the Texas Tech clash ... Came up with six rebounds and made all six field go tries to produce 13 points vs. Davidson in the NCAA Tournament.

2006-07 SEASON

Academic All-Big Twelve Conference choice ... KU Athletic Director's and Big Twelve Commissioner's Honor Roll selection ... Started 28 of the 35 games he appeared in, producing 207 points (5.9 per game) on 53.0 percent shooting from the field (88-of-166) and 50.0 percent from the charity stripe (31-of-62) ... Grabbed 133 rebounds (3.8 per game) and finished third on the team and seventh in the conference with 48 blocked shots ... Credited with 17 assists and 12 steals ... Scored in double figures seven times and led the team in rebounding in 11 contests ... Had 30 turnovers and 85 personal fouls.

2006-07 GAME ANALYSIS

Scored in double figures in seven games, including a season-high 16 points vs. Oklahoma State in the Jayhawks' league opener...Twice had a season-high nine rebounds -- at Colorado and at Oklahoma...Registered 11 multi-block games, including four games with a career-high-tying four swats, last at Colorado...Led KU in scoring with 13 points at Iowa State.

2005-06 SEASON

Academic All-Big Twelve Conference pick, as he also received KU Athletic Director's and Big Twelve Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition ... Shared the team's Dick Harp Field Goal Percentage Award with Julian Wright ... Started 29-of-33 games, totaling 638 minutes of action, as he scored 269 points for a career-high 8.2-point average ... Hit on 104-of-185 field goals (56.2 percent) and 61-of-114 free throws (53.5 percent) ... Grabbed 176 rebounds (5.3 per game) and blocked 36 shots ... Also had 18 steals and 12 assists ... Led KU in rebounding 11 times and registered 19 games with five or more rebounds.

2005-06 GAME

ANALYSIS

Scored six points and pulled down eight rebounds vs. Bradley in the NCAA Tournament...Scored 31 points and had six blocks over the three-game Big 12 Championship, including a 16-point effort vs. Oklahoma State...Blocked a career-high four shots vs. Missouri to go with six points and seven rebounds...Had seven points and seven rebounds vs. Oklahoma and played 20 minutes vs. Texas Tech, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds... Led Kansas in rebounds with nine vs. Kansas State and tied a career-high in field goal attempts (15) vs. Pepperdine...Had three steals vs. Western Illinois and set career highs in points (25), rebounds (16), field goals (nine), field goals attempted (15), free throws (seven), and free throws attempted (11) vs. Idaho State.

2004-05 SEASON

Earned the Clyde Lovellette Most Improved Player Award (as voted on by teammates)...KU Athletic Director's and Big Twelve Commissioner's Honor Roll selection ... Played in 27 games, starting at center vs. Iowa State and Oklahoma...Totaled 70 points (2.6 per game) on 30-of-56 field goals and 10-of-30 free throws ... Pulled down 63 rebounds (2.3 per game) and blocked 17 shots ... Also had three assists and three steals.

2004-5 GAME

ANALYSIS

Scored the first points of his career with a four-point, six-rebound effort vs. Saint Joseph's and logged 14 minutes with three points and five rebounds vs. Nevada...Grabbed two rebounds in the Jayhawks' win over Pacific and had three rebounds in 13 minutes vs. Louisiana-Lafayette...Had seven points in 12 minutes at Kentucky and totaled eight points at Colorado...Scored two points and grabbed four rebounds in 18 minutes vs. Nebraska, as he also had three blocks vs. the Cornhuskers...Poured in a season-high 11 points with five rebounds at Villanova...Scored four points in a season-high 26 minutes at Kansas State and added seven points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Iowa State.

2004 CANADA EXHIBITION Averaged 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games on the Kansas tour of British Columbia, Canada...Led all scorers with 20 points in the 101-46 win vs. Langara College.

INJURY REPORT

2008: Bothered in early January with a groin strain, but did not miss any games. 2006: Suffered a slight tear in the patella tendon in his right knee in practice on Oct. 29 that sidelined him for the exhibition season and the first three games of the regular season.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Florida Air Academy (Melbourne, Fla.), playing basketball for head coach Aubin Goporo...Named Academic Cadet of the Year as a senior and was ranked as the fifth-best center in the nation by Rivals.com ... Led his team to a 29-0 record and a state champion-ship in 2003, as he posted 15.3 points and 12.6 boards per game as a senior ... Averaged 13.0 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game as a junior and once scored 29 points to go with 20 rebounds in a single game.

PERSONAL

Computer Science major, earning Academic All-Big Twelve Conference honors in each of his last three seasons, adding Academic All-District IX accolades in 2007-08 ... Son of Olga Kaun ... His mother, who still lives in Russia, has seen her son play basketball twice during his career at Kansas ... Did not begin playing basketball until he came to the United States to attend high school in the tenth grade, leaving Russia after his father was found dead under mysterious circumstances ... Born 5/08/85 Tomsk, Russia.

Stats

Career Shooting Stats
Season	TEAM	G	MIN	FG	FGA	FG%	FG3	FG3A	FG3%	FT	FTA	FT%	PTS	AVG
2004-05	Kansas	27	270	30	56	53.6	0	0	-	10	30	33.3	70	2.6
2005-06	Kansas	33	638	104	185	56.2	0	0	-	61	114	53.5	269	8.2
2006-07	Kansas	35	609	88	166	53	0	0	-	31	62	50	207	5.9
2007-08	Kansas	40	707	109	176	61.9	0	0	-	66	122	54.1	284	7.1
TOTAL		135	2224	331	583	56.8	0	0	-	168	328	51.2	830	6.1

More Stats
Season	TEAM	G	MIN	REB	RAVG	A	AAVG	STL	SAVG	BLK	BAVG	TO
2004-05	Kansas	27	270	63	2.3	3	0.1	3	0.1	17	0.6	22
2005-06	Kansas	33	638	176	5.3	12	0.4	18	0.5	36	1.1	23
2006-07	Kansas	35	609	133	3.8	17	0.5	12	0.3	48	1.4	30
2007-08	Kansas	40	707	154	3.8	12	0.3	17	0.4	49	1.2	32
TOTAL		135	2224	526	3.9	44	0.3	50	0.4	150	1.1	107