Sasha Kaun

hooroo · Jun 2, 2008

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=jn-sasha030708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

...“When you look at all the things that happened that led Sasha to this point … it’s an unbelievable story,” KU coach Bill Self said.

...Shortly before midnight – as he raced through his neighborhood to comfort his mother – 13-year-old Sasha Kaun could see the lights from the ambulance flickering against the dark sky. ...Kaun said his mother told him she’d become concerned when her husband, Oleg, failed to come home from work, and that her search for him had ended at the family’s single-car garage a few blocks away. Olga entered and found Sasha’s father on his knees and unconscious. His body faced a wall, his torso sloped forward and his right hand was behind his back.

...Olga believes Oleg was killed, and that the murder was somehow related to his job as a computer programmer for one of the largest banks in Russia. Not only did he create the programs used by the bank and all of its branches, but it was also Oleg’s responsibility to prevent hackers from getting into the system.

A few weeks before he died, Oleg told his wife that he was “having some problems” at work and that someone had broken into the program and was stealing money. “Russia was very unstable during the 1990s – especially the banking system,” Olga said. “My friends and I have come to the same conclusion: Someone just got rid of Oleg so he wouldn’t cause any problems.

...Throughout his college career, Kaun has chosen not to speak publicly about the death of his father, who he described as “very private.” But earlier this week, as he reflected on the tragedy during an interview at Kansas’ Burge Union, Kaun was open and matter-of-fact when discussing Oleg’s passing and the way it shaped his future.

...As painful as Oleg’s death was emotionally, it also caused a change in lifestyle for Sasha and Olga, who was left alone to raise her only son. “All of a sudden,” Sasha said, “it was just the two of us.” Olga, though, was confident they would persevere because of a comment Sasha made moments after he arrived outside the garage on that dreadful January night. “On that cold winter evening, his first words to me were ‘Mom, don’t worry. From now on I’m going to help you with everything,” Olga said. “That was the end of his childhood. He became very serious, very grown up.”

On nights when he used to hang out in the streets playing soccer, Kaun now found himself shopping for groceries. He’d clean the apartment between homework assignments and often cooked dinner for his mother, who had to work extra hours to pay the tuition fees of Sasha’s private school. The routine worked well until high school, when Sasha fell into the trap that threatens so many children in single-parent homes. With so much freedom, Sasha said he became lazy and blew off homework assignments. His grades begin to slip right along with his work ethic. Luckily, the problems didn’t last long.

The summer before his sophomore year, Sasha received a call from a friend who’d just graduated from a high school called the Florida Air Academy. Located in Melbourne, Fla., the boarding school had long been lauded for its efforts in attracting foreign students. Kaun’s friend said the school wanted to add more Russians to its student body and suggested he enroll.

...So she borrowed about $2,000 from her parents for a plane ticket and a Visa. Just like that – without knowing a word of English – Sasha was on a plane bound for Florida. ...Kaun went 18 months before returning to Russia. Instead he and Olga talked twice a week on the Internet. In the meantime he was earning good grades in school – he aced Calculus as a sophomore – while continuing to learn more and more about computers.

“He was chasing his dream – just like his daddy,” said Aubin Goporo, a faculty member at Florida Air Academy. “The first time I met him I asked him what he wanted to be and he said, ‘A computer engineer.’ I asked him what else he may want to do and he said, ‘I don’t know, maybe own my own business.’”

Goporo pauses and chuckles. There was another reason he’d called Sasha into his office that day. “Did you ever think about making a living playing basketball?” Goporo asked Kaun. No, Sasha said. Never. From the day he arrived on campus, everyone at Florida Air Academy knew Sasha Kaun. At 6-foot-10, he was easily the tallest student at the school – and the ironic thing was that he had never played organized basketball.

...Physically, Kaun, then 175 pounds, didn’t have the strength to match up against anyone in the paint. One day in the weight room, he said he attempted to squat 135 pounds but fell over as soon he lifted the bar from the rack.

Kansas assistant Joe Dooley remembers watching one of Kaun’s practices during his sophomore season. “Anyone who says they saw him as a sophomore and knew he was going to be a good player is lying,” said Dooley, an assistant with New Mexico at the time. “But with big kids you can never tell. You never know how they’re going to develop.”

Still, even the ones who improve rarely do so as rapidly as Kaun, who began logging extra hours in the weight room and gym. Kaun might have had an advantage when it came to size but, even today, he credits hard work – and not natural ability – as the main reason for his success.

“He’s one of the most disciplined kids I’ve ever coached,” said Goporo, who counts Florida’s Walter Hodge among his proteges. “He doesn’t say much, but he pays attention to everything that goes on around him. You won’t find many players smarter than Sasha.”

After just two years of organized basketball, Kaun began excelling on the summer AAU circuit. A standout performance at the Boo Williams Invitational catapulted him near the top of college want-lists across the country. In the end, Kaun named Kansas, Duke and Michigan State as the finalists for his services.

...Kaun averaged 8.2 points while starting all but four games as a sophomore. His scoring average dipped to 5.9 a year ago, when nagging injuries stymied his progress.

Still, Kaun, at 250 pounds, has developed a reputation as one of the Big 12’s strongest players in the paint. Rarely does he get outmuscled, and right now he’s on pace to achieve season-highs in both points and blocks despite losing his starting job to Darnell Jackson.

Self said Kaun is having his best season ever for the 27-3 Jayhawks, who can clinch their fourth straight Big 12 title with a win Saturday against Texas A&M.

“This is the healthiest he’s been,” Self said. “He’s was prepared to come in and have a good year. He hasn’t had lower body problems like he’s had in the past. There were two summers in a row where he couldn’t work out because of health reasons.

...Kaun will graduate May 18 with a degree in computer science. Beyond that, he’s not sure what’s next.

An NBA scout said last week that Kaun – because of his size, strength and intellect – might be selected in the second round of this summer’s NBA Draft. If that doesn’t happen, he could almost certainly earn solid money playing basketball overseas.
Click to expand...

kpsta · Jun 2, 2008

Sasha, Sasha, Sasha
Sasha Kaun
Sasha Kaun
Sasha Kaun
Sasha Kaun

Sasha Kaun
Let me rock you
Let me rock you
Sasha Kaun
Let me rock you
That's all I wanna do
Sasha Kaun
Let me rock you
Let me rock you
Sasha Kaun
Let me rock you
'Cause I feel for you
Sasha Kaun
Won't you tell me
What you wanna do
Do you feel for me
The way I feel for you
Sasha Kaun
Let me tell you what I wanna do
I wanna love you
Wanna hug you
Wanna squeeze you too
Let me take you in my arms
Let me fill you with my charms
Sasha
'Cause you know that I'm the one
To keep you warm, Sasha
I'll make it more than just a physical dream
I wanna rock you, Sasha, baby
'Cuz you make me wanna scream
Let me rock you
Rock you

Roxfan73 · Jun 2, 2008

^^^Thank you, kpsta. Nothing more to be said. Mods, please close thread, and award 1 assist to hooroo.

hooroo · Jun 22, 2008

I don't understand Russian but this article from CSKA Moscow's official site apparently states they've signed Sasha Kaun.
http://www.cskabasket.com/news/?a=news&id=5464

B-Bob · Jun 22, 2008

hooroo said:

I don't understand Russian ...
http://www.cskabasket.com/news/?a=news&id=5464
Click to expand...

Those are the lyrics posted by kpsta, translated into Russian.

ferrari77 · Jun 22, 2008

damnit kpsta, u beat me to it.
As soon as i saw the title of the thread i was ready to add the lyrics.

Jturbofuel · Jun 22, 2008

Isn't Sasha Kaun the guy who played Borat?

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