Kansas center reunites with mother

Udoka Azubuike has waited several years for the thrill he’ll get when he looks into the Alamodome stands at the Final Four and sees his mother.

Sure, Azubuike appreciates the opportunity to play for a national title with his Kansas Jayhawks. But he is the starting center for one of Division I’s most prestigious college basketball programs, and his mother has never seen him play.

In fact, Florence Azonuwu hasn’t seen her son at all for six years.

“It is just going to be nice to see her again,” Azubuike said. “This is what basketball is all about. Reuniting with family and getting to meet your family. That is the best part about it.”

Azonuwu’s emergency travel visa from Nigeria to the United States was only approved Thursday, following some wrangling by the school, Kansas’ two senators and the U.S. State Department. Azonwu got through three flights over 24 hours while avoiding trouble from an Air France strike in Paris and arrived at San Antonio by the time Kansas took the court against fellow top seed Villanova.

Azubuike was 13 years old when he left Nigeria to play basketball in Jacksonville, Fla. While he grew into an impressive studentathlete, most of his contact with his mother and siblings has been limited to phone calls every few weeks.

Xavier

Xavier stuck to custom and promoted from within to replace coach Chris Mack, hiring top assistant Travis Steele Saturday as its 18th head coach. The move came four days after Mack — a former Musketeers player who is the winningest coach in school history — left to coach Louisville. Steele, 36, has been an assistant at Xavier for 10 seasons, including the past nine under Mack. He has been an integral part of the program’s development in the Big East Conference.