Kansas will get lift when Rush returns
KANSAS CITY - Brandon Rush won’t be on the court when Kansas opens its season against Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 9 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Exactly how soon the junior swingman will take the floor and what kind of shape will he be in when he does remain two of the biggest questions in the Big 12 Conference heading into this season.
Brandon Rush, a preseason All-American, is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered during a workout in May that required surgery and forced him to pull out of the NBA Draft. That might have been the best thing to happen to the Jayhawks, Big 12 favorites, who appear poised to make a run at the Final Four if Brandon Rush can get back to the level he played at last season.
"I’ve got another month left before I can start doing things with the team," Brandon Rush said earlier this week during Big 12 media day at the Marriott Country Club Plaza. "I feel great. I feel pretty good. Everything’s going well. The rehab’s going well."
But even Brandon Rush can’t say for sure when he’ll put on his jersey again.
"The timetable has always been Dec. 1 that he would be participating in games," KU Coach Bill Self said. "That was exactly six months from the day of the surgery. But it’s too early to have a definite timetable because he goes through some last-round tests, strength tests and things that I don’t understand."
Brandon Rush would then be cleared to go through workouts at full speed, though he would still be held back from contact as he gets himself ready to play in competition. Self said he thinks he could have Brandon Rush back on the court within a week or two on either side of Dec. 1.
Kansas should have enough depth to get by in the early going without Brandon Rush. Sophomore Sherron Collins, the team’s sixth-man last season, could slide into the starting lineup alongside senior Russell Robinson and junior Mario Chalmers.
? RUNNING IN PLACE: New Colorado Coach Jeff Bzdelik has changed jobs twice since 2004. Even in the topsy-turvy world of coaching, that seems like a lot, but Bzdelik disagreed when one reporter said he "bounced around a little bit the last few years."
"I haven’t really bounced around," the coach said. "I’ve stayed in the same home, just changed directions on I-25."
Bzdelik, a long-time NBA assistant coach and scout, took over the coaching job for the Denver Nuggets in 2002 and stayed with the team for just more than two seasons but was fired after a lackluster start in 2004.
He wasn’t out of work long, however, as he took over the Air Force program just down the road in Colorado Springs and led the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and the NIT semifinals last season, credentials that got him hired in Boulder.
"I love the state of Colorado," he said.
If he can turn the Buffaloes into a winner, he’ll be able to stay as long as he wants.
? ALMOST OUT THE DOOR: Iowa State senior center Jiri Hubalek came on strong after Jan. 1 first last season, starting the final 16 games and averaging 7.7 rebounds in league play. He also gave the Cyclones a back-to-the-basket scoring presence and, for the season, contributed 11.2 points per game.
But Hubalek didn’t always enjoy his first season under Coach Greg McDermott.
"He was about five minutes from being on the plane back to the Czech Republic right after Christmas," McDermott said. "And he and I finally had it out."
The coach said he and Hubalek hadn’t gotten along very well during his first few months in Ames in large part because Hubalek preferred playing the way he grew up, facing the basket. But he also has the talent to play on the block, and McDermott wanted to take advantage of those skills.
"I’ve just tried to listen better and follow what he’s telling me to do to be a better basketball player and make the team better, as well," Hubalek said.
But he added that McDermott wasn’t exaggerating when he said he nearly left.
"I was really close," Hubalek said. "He even told me he was going to buy me the ticket."
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