Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Four former Kansas basketball players returned to Lawrence to don the crimson and blue in the annual Bill Self Basketball Camp scrimmage June 21. Billy Thomas, Aaron Miles, Michael Lee and Christian Moody were met with thunderous ovations from a packed house at the 1,300-seat Horejsi Family Athletic Center.
The two teams in the scrimmage wore either red shirts or blue shirts. The alumni, paired with Kansas freshman Darrell Arthur, Brennan Bechard and sophomore Roderick Stewart, made up the red team. The blue team was comprised of juniors Jeremy Case, Russell Robinson and Darnell Jackson, sophomores Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright, redshirt sophomore Matt Kleinmann and freshman Brady Morningstar. The victory went to the first team to score 70 points.
Former Kansas guard Aaron Miles autographs a basketball last Wednesday afternoon at the Horejsi Center after a scrimmage between former and current Kansas players. The blue team, which included current Kansas players, defeated Miles's red team, 71-66, during the scrimmage.
Thomas, who played with the NBA’s Washington Wizards last season after breaking into the league for the first time with the New Jersey Nets in 2005, said he looked forward to returning to the camp’s scrimmage every year even though the regime under which he played has changed. He was the second-leading three-point shooter in Kansas history, and played under former coach Roy Williams until he graduated in 1998.
A year away from Kansas basketball hasn’t hurt the all-time assist leader in both the University’s and Big 12 Conference history. Miles dished and drove past defenders the entire game. Miles played with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and the Fort Worth Flyers of the National Basketball Development League, the minor league of the NBA, last year. He said he was glad to be back in Lawrence with the guys.
“They have a lot of potential,” Miles said, “Hopefully with all the talent, how they started playing well toward the end of the season can carry over to next season and bring a championship here. The effort that they put into it is going to dictate results.”
Lee, a Harlem Globetrotter for the past year, echoed MIles’ sentiments about the prospects of this year’s Jayhawks.
“They’re a good group,” Lee said. “If they play together, the sky’s the limit.”
Moody, who college basketball broadcaster Billy Packer, called the greatest walk-on in the history of Kansas basketball, didn’t disappoint, and threw down several dunks to the delight of fans.
The game isn’t just important to campers and the fans, Self said it requires extra effort for former players to return. He said his players looked forward to the opportunity to play against former teammates and NBA players.
Three players did not play in the scrimmage. Junior Forward CJ Giles sat on the bench in street clothes. He’s restricted from contact for another month after having thumb surgery in mid June. Giles will resume individual workouts in a bout a week.
Freshman guard Sherron Collins returned to Chicago for personal reasons. Self said it was a shame Collins couldn’t make it back for the scrimmage because everyone in the crowd would have enjoyed watching him play.
Junior forward Sasha Kaun was absent because he went home to Tomsk, Russia to visit his mother and renew his visa.
“I don’t think Sasha’s been home for five years now,” Self said. “You take for granted some people get home sick being 45 minutes away. Here’s a guy that’s gone five years without going home. That’s tough for any young person.”
The red team led most of the game, but sophomore guard Chalmers sealed the 71-66 victory for the blue team after he split the defense for an easy layup.
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