Ten former Jayhawks made their way back to the University of Kansas for the second camp scrimmage of the 2005 Bill Self Kansas Men’s Basketball Camp June 22.

Kerri Henderson

Billy Thomas, guard for the New Jersey Nets, runs after Stephen Vinson, junior guard, during the scrimmage June 22. Several former KU Basketball members made the journey to Kansas for this event.

Greg Ostertag, center for the Sacramento Kings, said he was excited to come back and play in the camp scrimmage, but was sure the alumni were “going to get thumped.”

Former Jayhawk forward/guard Nick Bradford also attended the scrimmage and was impressed with the players.

“This is probably the best alumni team to play in a camp scrimmage that I have ever seen,” Bradford said. “The only one we were missing was Paul Pierce.”

So what brings so many high-profile alumni back to campus each summer for the camp? The players say it’s the Jayhawk tradition.

Kansas coach Bill Self couldn’t attend the game because of NCAA rules, but spoke to the crowd after the game.

He talked about Kansas basketball tradition and how the University “is one of the few places in America where you can see this kind of basketball.”

Self said all of the players who came back to play in the scrimmage came because they wanted to and they paid their own way to get here. When he finished, he passed the microphone off to former center Nick Collison and former guard Mike Lee.

“It is great to be a part of the Jayhawk family,” Lee said.

Following the game, former Jayhawk forward/guard Nick Bradford said it was always a great experience to come back and see people he hadn’t seen in a while and play against the younger guys.

“It is good for the program and good for the kids to see the history Kansas has and how it continues to go on,” Bradford said.

The first camp scrimmage produced one alumnus, Bryant Nash. Two of the incoming freshmen, Julian Wright and Mario Chalmers, played in front of their first KU crowd. Word got out that several former players were returning for the second scrimmage and Jayhawk fans flocked to the Horejsi Family Athletic Center close to two hours before the start of the game at 3 p.m.

Seating was tight; fans were lined up against walls and sitting on the floors. When the center was filled to capacity the KU players ran out on the court and started layup lines. Incoming freshman guard/forward Micah Downs, Kirkland, Wash., was the only new face in the current players line-up.

Kerri Henderson

C.J. Giles, freshman center, scrambles to get the ball from Kirk Hinrich, guard for the Chicago Bulls. The winner of the scrimmage was the first team to 100 points won.

The real commotion began when Lee ran out and started greeting campers. Following close behind Lee were Collison, Kirk Hinrich, Ostertag, Bradford, Drew Gooden, Billy Thomas, Steve Woodbury and Danny Manning. Jacque Vaughn served as honorary coach for the alumni team, while Moulaye Niang coached the current players.

David Losey, St. John resident, said it was fun to see the former players come back.

“Guys like Woodbury and Bradford who haven’t made it to the NBA yet, it’s always good to see them play,” Losey said.

The game started out as Ostertag predicted. The current KU players, in blue shirts, came out strong and the former players, in red shirts, kept turning over the ball. The blue team experienced its biggest lead early in the game when the score reached 13-7. It was neck-and-neck leaving the game tied at halftime, 50-50.

Both teams came out the second half and started showing off their skills. There were more dunk attempts and the guys hustled after the ball.

During the second half, 6-foot-11 freshman center Sasha Kaun jumped up in the air for an alley-oop pass, snatched the ball out of the air and slammed it in the hoop over 7-2 Ostertag. The crowd went crazy with cheers and applause.

In the end, the alumni won, 101-92.

Phillip Spencer, 11-year-old Kansas City, Kan., camper was not satisfied with the display.

“The pros and the KU people could have worked harder to impress us more,” Spencer said.

Tyler Leak, 12-year old Kansas City, Mo., camper disagreed and said he liked the game and was excited to see the old players come back.

“I like learning from the players, seeing how they pass the ball,” Leak said. “It was cool to see Danny Manning play again.”