Kansas Star Looking Good Despite Layoff In First Game Back, Lafrentz Performs Like Game’s Top Player
After scoring 31 points in his return from a broken finger, Raef LaFrentz wasn’t concerned whether the one-month layoff would cost him votes for player of the year.
“That honor is something I have no control over. That’s up to you guys,” LaFrentz said. “Nine games out, I really don’t think it hurt me that much because I’m going to come out and play just as hard as I did before.”
LaFrentz, an All-American for Kansas last year, broke his right index finger Dec. 26 when he was hacked in practice by teammate Eric Chenowith. In LaFrentz’s first game back, the 6-foot-11 forward grabbed 15 rebounds as No. 5 Kansas routed Texas Tech on Saturday.
“If there’s a better player in the country than Raef LaFrentz, I haven’t seen him,” Texas Tech coach James Dickey said. “I think his hand was sore, but he did a couple of things that showed me he was an All-American player, the first player to be chosen in the draft.”
LaFrentz was averaging 21.8 points and 11.6 rebounds this season before the injury. He doesn’t think the layoff should exclude him from player of the year consideration.
“I think the player of the year should go to college basketball’s best player and whoever that is should get it whether they play 40 or 35 or 25 games,” he said. “Whatever the time they play, they should be deserving of the award.”
Nebraska coach Danny Nee thinks LaFrentz is the best in the nation.
“When I judge it, it is what he brings to his team, his leadership,” Nee said. “Raef gets A-pluses across the board. It should not affect him. He’s a great player and he’s what college basketball is all about.”
The nine games LaFrentz missed were the only ones he didn’t play in during his college career. He has started all of the other 117 games since arriving from tiny Monona, Iowa.
LaFrentz endeared himself to the already-adoring Kansas fans by staying in school for his senior year. When Paul Pierce, another preseason All-American, also decided to stay, it gave the Jayhawks a chance to make up for last season, when they lost to Arizona 85-82 in the semifinals of the Southeast Regional.
“I’m always looking forward to a challenge,” LaFrentz said. “The bigger the challenge, I always feel better when I succeed.”
Like last year, Kansas coach Roy Williams has been able to create a special feeling of team unity among his players in this 100th season of Jayhawks basketball.
Some of the Kansas traditions - like the Rock Chalk Jayhawks chant before each game - might seem corny to outsiders, but it is all part of basketball in Allen Field House, just like having the team bow to the crowd in thanks Saturday after winning a school-record 56th straight home game.
“I got a new appreciation for what I’m doing,” LaFrentz said of watching from the bench for nine games.