LOS ANGELES — Did you hear? Comedian Will Ferrell now has a star on Hollywood Boulevard. Well, that’s cool. But so do 2,546 other entertainers; a tourist can’t do the walk of fame without tripping over the star of Don Knotts or Rin Tin Tin.
Who’s the real big man in the city of angels this week? That would be Frank Kaminsky, the 7-foot center for the Wisconsin Badgers.
“Frank Kaminsky,” a cheesehead cheering for Wisconsin at the NCAA Tournament told me Thursday, “would look good in the Denver Nuggets’ frontcourt.”
I agree.
You can have Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein or any of the cavalcade of first-round picks in the NBA draft from Kentucky.
Give me Kaminsky and Jusuf Nurkic in the paint for the Nuggets.
Frank the Tank and the Balkan Bear. Twin towers of power.
Kaminsky, whose nickname is inspired by Ferrell’s character from a 2003 movie, plays old-school basketball. He will be a first-round draft choice later this year. He would be considered a reach for the Nuggets to take with a lottery pick. Critics see Kaminsky as Keith Van Horn. I see him as closer to Pau Gasol, the 34-year-old veteran center who owns two NBA championship rings.
“My hands were shaking; my palms were sweaty; I was afraid I was going to mess up,” Kaminsky said. “It was awesome.”
Kaminsky was not talking about Wisconsin’s stomach-churning, 79-72 victory Thursday night against North Carolina in the West Regional. The Badgers survived and advanced only after overcoming a seven-point deficit midway through the second half.
So what reduced Kaminsky, whose sleepy-eyed demeanor on the court makes it appear as if he needs to be shaken awake from a nap immediately before the opening tip, to a 242-pound bundle of anxiety? On this trip to Los Angeles, Kaminsky got to meet Ferrell and interview the famous “Saturday Night Live” alum for “Access Hollywood.”
“It was the most nervous I’ve been in my life,” Kaminsky claimed.
Wisconsin junior forward Sam Dekker, who also projects as a first-round draft pick, was the leading man against the Tar Heels. He scored 23 points while making 10-of-15 shots from the field.
But it’s Kaminsky, a 7-footer who can stretch the floor with his long-range jumpers and make his teammates better with court vision that allows him to lead Wisconsin in assists, is the player most responsible for the Badgers’ sterling 34-3 record.
Or as North Carolina coach Roy Williams put it succinctly when considering what makes Wisconsin so tough: “Who is going to guard Frank?”
The Badgers trailed 51-44 with 12 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the game against the Tar Heels, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, which advanced five teams to the Sweet 16 for the first time in the league’s long and storied basketball history.
Rather than panic, however, Wisconsin responded in the way you would expect from a rare veteran squad in this era of one-and-done college stars. The Badgers rallied with an 8-2 run to climb back in the game and turn the contest into survival of the mentally toughest down the stretch.
And please remember: A year ago, the Badgers did advance to the Final Four.
“That grows you up quick,” said Dekker, whose 10 rebounds served as a reminder Wisconsin is athletic as well as savvy under pressure and committed to team basketball.
“This group right here handles adversity as well as any team I’ve ever coached,” 67-year-old Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said.
“Our guys, they’re here, they’ve bought in, they are so committed. The difference between involved and committed? You sit down to breakfast with bacon and eggs. You look at the eggs, you know the chicken was involved. You look at the bacon, and you know the pig was committed.”
After a slow first half, Kaminsky finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. He skipped the NBA draft a year ago and returned to college because he thought winning a national championship was business left to finish.
In 2015, Kaminsky will prove to be a steal of a pick for some lucky NBA team.
The Nuggets could use some luck, don’t you think?
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or
