Will altitude vex Kansas Jayhawks in Salt Lake City? Former KU big man weighs in

Former University of Kansas center Greg Ostertag, who played 10 seasons for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, has a bit of advice for the 2023-24 Jayhawks men’s basketball team.

KU will be practicing Wednesday and then playing Samford on Thursday in a first-round NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional contest at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City — 4,265 feet above sea level.

“Don’t even worry about it. All talking about it will do is put it in your head,” said Ostertag, a 7-foot-2, 280-pound native Texan. “I played there a long time. I was in it (altitude) every single day. It’s a whole lot different when you are in it every day.”

Ostertag said he experienced very few problems playing at higher altitude.

“These are young guys in good shape. It shouldn’t affect them much,” noted Ostertag, 51, who conducted an interview with The Star on Monday while wading in water and casting a line as he fished a private lake near his home in Mount Vernon, Texas.

Ostertag played at KU from 1991-95 and with the Utah from 1995-2004. After spending a year with the Sacramento Kings, he returned to the Jazz for a final NBA season in 2005-06.

He insisted the Jayhawks should have no problems with their breathing while participating in the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City. If KU defeats Samford Thursday (tipoff is 8:55 p.m. Central Time), the team would practice Friday and then play either Gonzaga or McNeese State Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 in Detroit.

The Jayhawks planned to fly to Salt Lake City after Tuesday’s practice in advance of Wednesday’s practice and media session at the Delta Center, home of the Jazz.

“Get ‘em running and the blood flowing,” Ostertag advised. “These guys are in such good shape, especially with a lot of them playing 35 minutes a game, I wouldn’t even bring it (the elevation) up, to be honest with you.

“I’d tell them, ‘You know what, guys? We play Samford Thursday. All you’ve got to worry about is what we’ve got to do to beat Samford.’ That’s a die-hard Jayhawk talking.”

Ostertag said he feels fortunate that he played his home games at Allen Fieldhouse in college and inside the 20,000-seat Delta Center as a pro. Jazz fans are known for being as enthusiastic and loud as those who attend college games.

“It’s a great building, a great place to play ball,” he said of the Delta Center. “I’m a little biased. It’s one of the best places to play a pro basketball game.

“The crowds are always good. We’re the only game in town, as far as pro sports go. When I was in Utah, we had one of the best teams in the league every year. It was a great crowd, kind of like Allen. You couldn’t understand what the guy next to you was saying (it was so loud). Utah Jazz fans are fantastic.”

Ostertag said he’s always “looking for land to hunt on in Lawrence,” and would entertain invitations to hunt on land in the state of Kansas. But he also said that Jayhawks fans who make the trip to Utah should have a pleasant experience this week.

“Salt Lake is one of my favorite places in the world,” he said. “If I didn’t love Texas so much I could live in Lawrence or Park City (33 miles from Salt Lake). ...

“The people are fantastic in Salt Lake City. The landscape is gorgeous. It’s like Northeast Kansas in the fall, super pretty. Denver’s the same thing. Of course the Jazz have been notorious for drafting Jayhawks: me, Jacque (Vaughn), Ochai (Agbaji).”

Ostertag said he won’t be able to travel to Utah this week.

“I’m coaching 10-year-old softball and in a fishing tournament Saturday,” he said.

But he’s enjoyed watching fellow 7-footer Hunter Dickinson average a double-double (18.0 points, 10.8 rebounds) this season.

“You’ve got to understand, I’m old-school,” Ostertag said. “I’d rather see a big guy dominate the inside. I would tell him to try to dominate the inside and not worry about the outside.

“I don’t know what Samford has, but if he can become a dominant inside player, the rest can take care of itself. In today’s game, big guys are outside guys. He can shoot the 3. We never ran a play for Greg to shoot a 3. There’s nothing wrong with him shooting 3s. But if he dominates inside it’ll open up 3s for (Kevin) McCullar and the others.”

Of Dickinson, who has hit 55% of his shots (he’s 21-of-60 from 3-point range for 35%), Ostertag said: “He’s solid around the goal, has a soft touch, is a good inside player. My advice is go dominate the inside, make your presence known inside.”

Ostertag realizes basketball is totally different today from when he played in the NBA.

“I grew up playing against guys like Shaq (O’Neal),” he said. “In today’s NBA game a guy like Shaq would average 40 a game, no problem. There’s nobody that can guard Shaq in the league now, nobody.

“He’d be so dominant. What he gives up defensively he’d overcome offensively and foul everybody out. As dominant as Joel (Embiid) is, he couldn’t handle Shaq on a bad day.”