Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Missouri expects 3,000 fans to come to Mizzou Madness Friday night, and Kansas State might get 7,000 for Madness in Manhattan. The rest of the Big 12 schools don’t even have an open practice Friday night to start the season.
Kansas’ Late Night in the Phog is different.
Few schools can match the fan passion and atmosphere present in Allen Fieldhouse for Late Night, making the night a valuable recruiting tool for the Jayhawks.
“After that first one, it’s something else,” senior guard Russell Robinson said.
pullquote
It was real impressive having it on Fall Break and seeing it still packed full. Some schools’ late night may have five or 10 thousand but when they come to Kansas, it’s going to be sold out if it’s a championship or a scrimmage.
-freshman Cole Aldrich
Kansas’ Late Night tradition has been strong since the era of former coach Roy Williams. During the last years of his tenure, the Fieldhouse was nearly packed to capacity every season for the midnight scrimmage. The same has been true during Kansas coach Bill Self’s stint.
The atmosphere sends a perfect message to recruits: 16,300 people care enough about basketball to watch a 20-minute, intra-squad scrimmage. That means Kansas has a definite advantage over schools that don’t bother to put on Midnight Madness’ or that don’t attract many fans.
“There are very few schools out there that have kept the tradition alive,” said Shay Wildeboor, senior editor for kansas.rivals.com. “Other schools come and go with it, but they set the bar. It’s a huge tool.”
It helped entice freshmen Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed. Aldrich has been to Late Night three times. Reed has been six times.
“It was real impressive having it on Fall Break and seeing it still packed full,” Aldrich said. “Some schools’ late night may have five or 10 thousand but when they come to Kansas, it’s going to be sold out if it’s a championship or a scrimmage.”
Not all recruits get hooked after seeing Allen Fieldhouse at Late Night. Kyle Singler visited during Late Night last year and signed with Duke. Other big-time prospects, such as Jamal Sampson and Josh Childress, spurned Kansas for Pac-10 Conference schools after Late Night when Williams was coach.
Markieff and Marcus Morris, twin power forwards from Philadelphia, will make their official visits to Late Night this year. They’ll see the capacity crowd. They’ll see students carry mock KU jerseys with their names on the back.
They’ll see one of the few real Late Nights.
“I think it’s the best atmosphere in college basketball,” Reed said. “The fans here are great. The tradition is great. Everyone here loves basketball, and you can just see it by the fan support we have.”
—Edited by Chris Beattie
Late Night in the Phog to kick ...
“Late Night” streaming live on Internet
For the first time, basketball fans can see “Late Night in the ...
Freshman Reed lives dream of playing KU ...
Incoming guard Tyrel Reed grew up in Burlington wishing to become a ...
Late Night offers a first glance
Traditions amuse fans, attract potential players for Kansas basketball.
Freshman quartet enjoy the ‘madness’
Four freshman players are content to sit out of the spotlight this ...
Fans get first glance at basketball team
Allen Fieldhouse played host to 25th Late Night with the Phog with ...
Fieldhouse facelift good for fans
Freshman pumped for basketball season
The Burlington freshman prepared to be a Jayhawk even as a youth ...
Late Night loses its luster
Football schools improve basketball programs
Athletics Department hopes to follow the lead of other schools and make ...
Late Night in the Phog returns
The Kansas tradition continues this Friday, attracting recruits and spectators to Allen ...
The tradition, history of KU men’s basketball
The Late Night at the Phog gives fans an insight to the ...
Blog: Who to watch at Late Night
Basketball is back and Sam Kovzan takes a look at the players ...
Fans get first glimpse of men’s basketball ...
Basketball breaks out the dance moves, preseason scrimmaging for packed house
Jayhawks to tip off against Jayhawks
Fans will finally get a glimpse of what the 2008-2009 basketball team ...
Self looking to fill open scholarships
The Kansas basketball team could possibly lose seven players after this season. ...
Montemayor: Team looks promising
Rocky semester should not tarnish chances for successful basketball season.
Men's Basketball: The season in review
Beginning with Boot Camp and ending at the Elite Eight in San ...
Withey comes to Kansas full of potential
Jeff Withey, 6-foot-10 center, will redshirt for a year after transferring from ...
Where's the exit?
Jayhawk fans head for the door and leave their team in the ...
At Late Night, Self keeps expectations high
The Jayhawks kicked off the 2011-12 season with the annual Late Night ...
Men’s Basketball Notes: October 15, 2007
Here’s a recap of Late Night in Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
Final: Jayhawks dominate in final exhibition game
Kansas holds a 55-21 halftime lead against Pittsburg State
Leaders of the pack
The two most experienced KU basketball players are both sophomores. Do they ...
Jayhawks unite to play in new basketball ...
Fans crowd the Fred Pohlman Fieldhouse to watch amateur and professional players ...
Sarraf: Looking to the future
Through strong recruiting and consistent coaching, Bill Self is ensuring that the ...
ESPN to air raising of championship banner
National television coverage will boost the Jayhawks’ celebration of basketball success.
Women's team scrimmages at Late Night
Basketball notebook: October 2, 2007
These are the notes for basketball on October 2, 2007.
Brew: Ladies night out in Allen Fieldhouse
Sports reporter Hannah Wise spent Thurday night at the "Ladies Night Out ...
Beneficial rivalry
K-State's emergence has also benefited Kansas basketball.
What three men can do
How Johnson, Brown and Manning rejuvenated Kansas basketball.
Final: Kansas rolls in 107-68 victory against ...
Kansas set to face Fort Hays State in exhibition.
Kansas pulls away from Colorado in the ...
Kansas' athleticism prevailed in a 73-56 victory as Colorado gradually succumbed
Late Night brings recruits, fans in droves
A packed house — including five five-star recruits and six four-stars — ...
Passing out the grades
Grades are based on season expectations in comparison to the actual performance.
Kansas shows promising amount of talent
The sky is the limit for men's basketball if the team lives ...
Little retains passion despite adversity
From promising recruit to backstage senior, Little has weathered a challenging career.
Legends game helps charity, recruiting
The Legends of the Phog alumni game invited former players to Allen ...
Editorial: Stay safe during fall break
Students should take precautions to prevent attacks.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Basketball Preview: October 10, 2007
Just one correction - Late Night did not become a phenomenon with the arrival or Roy Williams on campus. Late Night with Larry Brown started in 1985, and over 6,000 fans attended the first-ever Late Night. I attended Late Night with Larry Brown in 1986 and 1987. The crowd grew in 1986, and by 1987 Allen Field House was packed for Late Night (helped by the fact that there was no Fall Break back then).
Basketball Preview: October 10, 2007
I was attending Late Night with Larry Brown in the Fall of 1983. It was a fund raiser, as now, for the local food banks.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID