Borchardt Is Putting His Best Foot Forward

Twice, Curtis Borchardt’s right foot ended his basketball season.

Turns out it started something, too.

Stanford’s 7-foot center is engaged to Cardinal point guard Susan King--out for the season for a second year in a row because of a knee injury.

“We met each other in the training room last year,” Borchardt said. “Her right knee, my right foot.

“I think we both helped each other. The thing is, you know what each of you is going through.”

Borchardt, finally over his foot problems, is playing the best basketball of his career, leading the Pacific 10 Conference in rebounding and blocked shots.

With No. 17 Stanford hungry for a scoring presence other than Casey Jacobsen, Borchardt is averaging a double-double--16.1 points and 10.3 rebounds--along with 2.5 blocks a game.

He also has a surprising touch from outside that would make him the conference’s most accurate three-point shooter at 58.3%, if he had enough attempts to qualify. (Be forewarned, UCLA and USC: Borchardt has made seven of 12.)

Borchardt is approaching the point where his previous seasons ended. Oddly, it was the USC game of Borchardt’s first two seasons that became his last, making the Southern California swing to play UCLA tonight and USC Saturday something of a milestone.

“Both years, the 20th game of the season, both times against USC,” Borchardt said. “Both games against USC, by the end, I couldn’t push off my foot.”

He had surgery last March for the stress fracture in his right foot, with doctors implanting two screws to stabilize the area.

“I’m really not too worried about it happening again because it does feel so good,” Borchardt said.

Borchardt isn’t the first Stanford player to seem jinxed by injuries.

Before him, Jason Collins twice had knee surgery in what would have been his freshman season, then dislocated his wrist after seven games the next season. But Collins recovered to become a first-round pick in last year’s NBA draft.

“Definitely inspiring,” Borchardt said. “Jason had two really rough, unlucky years when he got here. Just to see him improve after I got here was an example of what I could do if I keep fit and get to that high a level.”

Though Borchardt has put up some startling numbers--29 points and nine rebounds against Oregon, and 27 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots against Michigan State--he is a work in progress. Against California, the defense of Jamal Sampson helped hold him to single digits.

Still, his skills led Washington Coach Bob Bender to mention Christian Laettner this week and UCLA’s Steve Lavin to bring up Keith Van Horn.

But at 7 feet, Borchardt’s future isn’t on the perimeter.

“Curtis just needs to get into the weight room,” Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said. “He is down to 230, and at 7 feet that is just not the strength that you need in this league to finish. He is shooting the ball from the outside and getting better at shooting over people from the inside.”

Gaining weight might seem an odd problem for the son of an NFL offensive lineman--Jon Borchardt played nine seasons for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks--but Curtis said his father also had to work to reach his playing weight of 275 on a 6-6 frame.

“I really don’t like eating in the first place,” Borchardt said, though he does enjoy drinking whole milk, up to a gallon a day.

His fiancee is doing what she can to help.

“Susan’s force-feeding me at night, mostly things that aren’t good for you--cookies, shakes, popcorn. Lots of calories,” Borchardt said.

Some people around Stanford seem concerned Borchardt might decide to jump to the NBA after this season--”I’m not really sure,” he said. “I’m just trying to concentrate on getting better.”

Anyway, the Cardinal has a secret weapon.

Susan is only a sophomore.

Remembering Oklahoma State’s Loss

Bells will toll 10 times Sunday at the Oklahoma State library and Stillwater churches in memory of the 10 passengers who lost their lives in the crash of a team plane a year ago Sunday.

“It’s been a real tough time,” guard Victor Williams told reporters Monday in a special news conference at which three players and Coach Eddie Sutton talked about the year since the tragedy.

“We lost 10 people who were very dear to all of us. We have a lot of mixed emotions about it. Sometimes it kind of drives you to play your best. But sometimes, when you’re at home just thinking about it, it kind of brings you down.”

Forward Andre Williams said he doesn’t break down as often as he did in the weeks after one of three planes carrying the team back from a game against Colorado crashed. His roommate and teammate, Dan Lawson, was among those who died.

In August, Williams went to the site of the crash in Colorado for the dedication of a memorial.

“It was real hard, especially going out to where the plane actually hit,” Andre Williams said. “The closer I got to it, the heavier my heart felt. It was real hard, but it was something I needed to do.”

The emotions this weekend will be heightened by Saturday’s game against Colorado, the team Oklahoma State played before the crash. A moment of silence will be held at the game, but the school and the victims’ families will wait to hold a longer service in February at the dedication of a 20-foot black granite memorial in the lobby of Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The memorial will feature a likeness of each victim along with a kneeling Cowboy and the words “We Will Remember.”

Those who died were players Nate Fleming and Lawson, radio engineer Kendall Durfey, publicist Will Hancock, trainer Brian Luinstra, director of basketball operations Pat Noyes, radio play-by-play announcer Bill Teegins, manager Jared Weiberg and pilots Bjorn Fahlstrom and Denver Mills.

Wooden Update

Jason Williams probably would have to get hurt not to win the Wooden Award as the nation’s best player.

The competition behind him, however, is intense.

Our favorite five:

1. Jason Williams, Duke (21.9 points, 5.1 assists)

2. Mike Dunleavy, Duke (17.5 points, 6.9 rebounds)

3. Jason Gardner, Arizona (21.1 points, 5.0 assists)

4. Drew Gooden, Kansas (20.4 points, 11.8 rebounds)

5. Steve Logan, Cincinnati (21.5 points, 4.9 assists)

Not in the Wooden midseason top 30, but playing as if they were: UCLA’s Matt Barnes, Arizona’s Luke Walton.