Monday, August 14, 2006
Fans of Kansas men’s basketball and the NBA will get a chance to see a pair of former KU greats and their NBA teams play in Allen Fieldhouse.
An October 15 exhibition game will feature Nick Collison’s Seattle Supersonics against Kirk Hinrich’s Chicago Bulls. Tickets go on sale this morning through the Kansas Athletics Ticket Office, located at the south end of the Booth Family Hall of Athletics in the fieldhouse, with student tickets available for $10 and regular tickets available for $25 to $60. Tickets may be purchased at the fieldhouse, online at www.kuathletics.com, or by calling 785-864-3141.
Since graduating in 2003, as two of the most decorated KU basketball players in school history, Collison and Hinrich have experienced different results in their now three-year-old professional careers.
Hinrich joined the Bulls as the seventh overall draft pick in the 2003 draft, and immediately found success averaging 12 points and 6.8 assists a game. He was named the Bulls player of the year, as well as being selected to the all-rookie first team and was invited to tryout for the United States Olympic team.
His team’s signing of defensive specialist Ben Wallace during this past off-season, combined with an impressive first-round performance against the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat in last season’s playoffs, has transformed Hinrich and the “Baby Bulls” into a legit playoff contender for this upcoming season.
Collison’s fortunes upon entering the league weren’t as bright. Drafted 12th overall by the Sonics, the forward saw his rookie season wiped out completely by injuries to both shoulders.
He played limited minutes in a backup role during his sophomore campaign as the Sonics continued to struggle. Last season brought about the transformation of Collison from a seldom-used bench player to a dependable backup and occasional starter.
The reunion between the former teammates and good friends will be the fourth time that an NBA game will be played in the fieldhouse. Known for serving as a venue to some of the top collegiate talent in the nation, the storied gym has seen such NBA greats as Michael Jordan and John Stockton grace Naismith court in past exhibition games.
The idea of bringing former Kansas players and their NBA teams back to Lawrence was first tried after Kansas won the national championship in 1988. However, feature attraction Danny Manning was unable to play in that game because of an injury.
In 1997, Jordan’s Bulls topped the Sonics in front of a sold-out fieldhouse crowd. In what instantly became a classic fieldhouse moment. Jordan would go on to win the last of his six NBA titles that season.
In 2001 the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz were featured, with Larry Brown coaching the 76ers and Greg Ostertag playing for the Jazz. Because of the absence of 76ers star Allen Iverson and Jazz great Karl Malone, the game drew only about 10,000 fans.
Organizers hope the presence of two Kansas standouts will boost attendance for this year’s event. Attendance for the latest installment of NBA basketball is expected to be much higher.
Kansan sportswriter Daniel Molina can be contacted at dmolina@kansan.com.
— Kristen Jarboe
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