Monday, February 18, 2008
If Kansas needed any more motivation coming off Monday’s loss to Texas, all it had to do was look 20 feet behind at the short, gray-haired man with the familiar looking glasses.
Larry Brown, the coach and architect of Kansas’ last NCAA championship in 1988, was at Allen Fieldhouse Saturday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that title, and the 110 years of Kansas basketball.
Members of the 1988 championship-winning basketball team, including assistant coach Danny Manning (far right), are honored at half time Saturday afternoon during the Kansas-Colorado game. Former players from different eras of Kansas basketball came on the court for the ceremony commemorating 110 years of Kansas basketball.
“Now it’s our chance to be a be a part of something great,” senior forward Darnell Jackson said after admitting the Jayhawks didn’t want to disappoint Brown and the rest of the 1988 team in attendance. “As long as we just keep doing what we’re doing, everything will be fine and the tradition will continue.”
Kansas’ basketball tradition was on full display Saturday — at times overshadowing a somewhat run-of-the-mill victory against Colorado.
With the players and cheerleaders decked out in retro uniforms, the game played second billing and seemed to simply be a reason for more than 200 former Kansas players to return to Lawrence to celebrate 110 years of Kansas basketball. Players representing the coaching eras of Phog Allen, Dick Harp, Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self lined the court at halftime and were introduced individually. Brown and his group of NCAA champions were introduced last.
“You look around the room, and you see the ‘50s teams and ‘60s teams and ‘70s teams getting together hugging each other,” said Ryan Robertson, who played at Kansas from 1996-2000.
Robertson watched the game next to old teammate and college roommate T.J. Pugh. He said he spent the week reflecting on Kansas basketball, and he even called his old coach, Williams, to reminisce.
“When he started talking about the individual guys and the teams he kind of got a little emotional,” Robertson said.
Another former Jayhawk, Wayne Simien, walked into Allen Fieldhouse Saturday 10 minutes before the game, carrying one of Kansas’ newest fans — his daughter Selah Renae.
“She’s only 4 months,” Simien said. “I’m trying to teach her the Rock Chalk Chant before the ABCs. My wife doesn’t like that.”
Simien, who’s rehabbing an injury and gearing up for NBA free agency, said he’d been impressed by Kansas this season.
“It reminds be a lot of the last two Florida teams,” Simien said. “In the point production and the top-to-bottom depth of the team, I’m definitely pulling for them and watching every game.”
Junior guard Mario Chalmers, Kansas’ leading scorer Saturday, said the Jayhawks embraced playing in front of the old players.
“There’s a lot of tradition here, and now we have a chance to a part of something great,” Chalmers said. “Hopefully, we can add to that tradition as a team.”
Minutes after Kansas’ victory, coach Bill Self reflected on Brown, the coach who gave Self a job as a graduate assistant at Kansas in 1985-86. He said the basketball program was easy to fall in love with.
“There’s something different about this place,” Self said. “Whoever we recruit is never going to be the best player to ever play here. Wilt (Chamberlain) played here. Who ever coaches here is never going to be the best coach — with all due respect to coach Brown — we have the father of basketball coaching (Phog Allen) that was our coach here. To me, it’s being a caretaker for everybody else’s hard work.”
—Edited by Sasha Roe
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Players inspired by fieldhouse full of legends
JAYHAWKS!!
I've been lucky enough to live 1/2 block from the beach in Southern California for more than half my life now, but my B.A. and M.S. are both from KU and I honestly got choked up, reading the article about the commemoration of the 110th anniversary of KU basketball during halftime of the Colorado game. DUDES! CHICKS!! You're spending time at THE BEST PLACE IN THE PLANET for an amazing, memorable college experience. Hope you're lovin' every minute of it. ROCK CHALK!!!!
Players inspired by fieldhouse full of legends
I was at Kansas back in 88 when Danny Manning, Cedric Hunter, and a group of incredible players won the National Championship at Kemper Arena. It was one of the greates moments of my college life. I still have a copy of Sports Illustrated with Manning on the cover. There have been 20 years, but my former roommate who lives in Costa Rica and I (in Panama) always keep track of Jayhawk basketball.
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