LAWRENCE, Kan. — When Cole Aldrich began his athletic career, basketball was not the first sport on his mind. Aldrich, a 6’11 Bloomington, Minn., native, never gave much thought to the game that would eventually bring him a great deal of success until his mother signed him up for basketball in the second grade.

“When I first started playing, I sucked. I was terrible,” Aldrich said. “It was the ugliest thing, but I kept playing.”

An awkward shooting style and a lack of basketball background characterized his first few seasons. The game didn’t come easily to him. His family was familiar with other sports, but not basketball. Luckily for Aldrich, the support he received from his coaches and family kept him playing. Instead of learning about jump shots and dribbling at home, Aldrich learned the value of hard work and persistence. Although they didn’t teach him basketball technique, Aldrich’s parents taught him life lessons that were just as vital.

Every weekday morning, Walt and Kathy Aldrich left their modest home in suburban Bloomington to provide for their children. Kathy operated an embroidery machine while Walt worked at the same sheet metal business he had worked for since leaving the Marine Corps.

“I like it. I’m a union guy,” Walt said. “But it’s getting harder the older I get.”

Despite long days at work, Cole’s parents still managed to attend all of his basketball games. This was an easy feat when he played in the Bloomington Athletic Association, but as soon as teams across the state wanted Cole’s talent, basketball became a traveling affair. In four years, Cole had improved his skills from terrible to tournament-caliber. Traveling across the country and playing in weekend tournaments became routine.

Eventually, he found himself attending Jefferson High School, where scouts at the state and national levels noticed his talent. During his time at Jefferson, Cole received many awards. The Associated Press named him Minnesota’s defensive player of the year three years in a row as he set Jefferson High School’s career scoring, blocking and rebounding records. The St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune also named him Minnesota’s player of the year at the end of his senior season.

While all of this was going on, Cole’s family was in the stands to witness every moment.

“I could hear Mom in the stands yelling during every game,” Cole said. “She’d yell things like, ‘Cole, push back! Cole, push back! Ref, are you blind?’ It was like they were hurting her baby. She doesn’t really understand about basketball.”

In addition to his recognition at the state level, Cole also was named a McDonald’s All-American. To the basketball world, he was one of the most talented high school centers in the country. Back home, he was still a talented basketball player, but more importantly, he was part of the family.

“Until Cole started playing, we never really paid attention to basketball. He was always big, but we had no idea he was so good,” Kathy said. “We both get up in the morning and go to work. Hopefully we’ve raised these kids right.”

Even with all of his honors and awards, Cole still managed to stay grounded. His working-class background and middle-class upbringing helped keep his accomplishments in perspective.

Back home in Bloomington, Cole’s name was synonymous with high school basketball. At the University of Kansas, his name became a hot topic in recruitment for coach Bill Self and his staff. After years of being in contact with Cole and his parents, Self received a verbal commitment that Cole would attend Kansas after high school. The University received one of the best freshmen centers in the country and Cole earned his greatest honor to date: the opportunity to be the first person in his family to go to college.

“We tell him he’s very lucky to have gotten a scholarship, because we couldn’t afford to send him to KU,” Kathy said.

Now, Cole prepares for his first basketball season away from home, away from the family that supported him and away from the state that named him its best.

As Cole stepped off the plane at Kansas City International Airport and arrived in Lawrence, the similarities between home and Kansas were apparent. The laid-back feeling that characterized Bloomington was part of Lawrence as well. Everywhere Cole went, he found people just as polite and accepting as they were back home. The most noticeable difference was the climate.

“The summers here in Kansas are more intense. When I left home it was 75 and now, here it’s 105,” Cole said in a thick Minnesotan accent. “But winters back home are much worse. Here it gets to be 30 degrees out and everybody stays inside. Back home we put on a coat and go out. It isn’t until it’s below zero that anybody starts to mind.”

For many college freshmen, leaving home and adjusting to college life was difficult, but for Cole it wasn’t a problem. His work ethic came to Kansas with him and he was immediately recognized by his teammates.

“He’s hit the weights a lot and that’s big,” sophomore guard Brady Morningstar said. “He’s going to have a big impact. Big guys get into foul trouble, and you need other guys to step in. Last year ended on a sour note, and we only lost one player. We want to win a National Championship this year, and Cole coming in adds a lot of depth.”

Off the court, Cole’s laid-back personality came in where his hard-working attitude left off. Living with his teammate, freshman guard Tyrel Reed, Cole found many opportunities to joke around and make his life in Kansas as enjoyable as his life back home.

“He’s a lively person and him being such a big guy makes the things he says funnier,” Reed said. “You can talk to him about anything.”

With his new basketball family around him, Cole prepared to take his place on this season’s roster. As his working-class background would suggest, he didn’t care what his job was.

“If coach wants me to get twenty rebounds in a game, I’ll try my damndest to get twenty boards,” Cole said. “If they play small, then I guess I’m losing my voice on the bench.”

When Cole does take a rest on the bench, Walt and Kathy plan to be in the stands behind him, supporting their son and the college that gave him the opportunity they never had.