Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Basketball players congregate outside Wescoe Hall on Sept. 23 at about 10 a.m. after a confrontation between members of the basketball and football teams. Brett Ballard, wearing a red shirt and black jacket, is the director of basketball operations and former backup point guard for the Jayhawks for two seasons.
The smiles were everywhere. Sported as wide as Wilt’s wingspan, grins gave way to exposed teeth as the men’s basketball team collectively assembled for the first time in front of the working press Oct. 15.
In between posing for portraits you’ll soon see a lot of — Cole and Sherron looking down at the camera, the Morris twins side by side in what looks like a hardwood family photograph — the players crowded around newly printed media guides, joking about one another’s pictures and biographies as if it were high school yearbook day all over again.
Senior guard Sherron Collins responds to questions from the media Oct. 15.
There was a lot to smile about that day and the following night at Late Night in the Phog.
Few sporting publications with credence have this team pegged anywhere but No. 1 this preseason. And why not crown them the best-looking team at this point of year? Sherron Collins returns for a final campaign, two seasons removed from assisting on “The Shot” and one year after establishing himself as an undisputed leader. Cole Aldrich postponed NBA riches for a year to seek a championship banner that he’ll have a bigger part in earning. And the elusive — and at times, indecisive — Henry brothers highlight a promising, athletic freshman class.
Yes, there was plenty to smile about — for the first time in a while.
Common sense and civility were sorely ignored by several football and basketball players when, in September, a 48-hour period of trivial brawling dealt a blow to the Athletics Department’s reputation. Soon after, junior guard Brady Morningstar was arrested for driving under the influence — he would later be suspended for the fall semester.
We may never fully know what sparked the fights. But perhaps the sole remaining question is whether a similar incident will happen again — and even that question grows fainter by the day. This is attributable to the swift response taken by Athletics Department leadership. It is a product of the honest, direct approach coach Bill Self has taken in addressing the problem and his insistence on placing every player in front of the media without impositions as to what can and cannot be asked.
Most of all, time and tradition heal most wounds.
When I asked ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale whether he thought the incident would have a negative effect on Kansas recruiting, his response was a resounding “no way.” The school’s tradition and history are just too much for these incidents to erase all that has been achieved at the birthplace of basketball, he said.
Former Jayhawk and 10-year NBA veteran Scott Pollard agreed.
“Coach Self’s job is to get these players back in the right frame of mind,” Pollard said. “These athletes represent one of the greatest institutions in America. It was a lapse in judgment, a forgetting who they are.”
Well, it appears as if it didn’t take long to remember. Late Night is always something to behold, but still, there are more ghosts in Allen Fieldhouse than on the SyFy channel. Thousands of fans still erupted at repeated viewings of Mario’s miracle shot at Late Night. The chills are inescapable.
“It was crazy,” freshman forward Thomas Robinson said after Late Night. “It makes you want to be a part of that. Next year I want to come back and look at a banner with my team’s name on it.”
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Robinson and freshman guard Xavier Henry (6-foot-6, 220 pounds) are two of five incoming freshmen. Self says Robinson and Henry are the most physically gifted players he’s brought to Lawrence.
They are part of the reason why Collins won’t have to put as many games solely on his shoulders. Why the fates of games won’t hinge on record-breaking, shot-blocking performances by Aldrich alone.
On paper this team appears as deep as they come. On paper it appears that this team has fielded a bench capable of helping any number of other teams to a deep postseason run.
On the court, we’ll see.
“I think it is a motivator,” Aldrich said. “I think it’s pretty cool but at the same time it’s still preseason and until that last team is still standing on the court in Indianapolis that will show who the best team in college basketball is.”
But let’s not kid ourselves. No matter how deep this team is, it will be Sherron’s and Cole’s team. Any delusions of grandeur from the team’s younger troops will be focused and driven by a pair that could go down as one of the greatest duos to play in the Phog, a pair focused on leading a team toward a common goal.
Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor received the most publicity during the September inter-sport altercations. After all, he made news by dislocating a finger throwing a punch in one of the early fights and essentially broke the news on his Facebook, using unfortunate and ill-educated language.
Cleared to practice and play on the eve of Late Night and appearing alongside a suspended-but-contrite Morningstar, Taylor bubbled with the same enthusiasm shown by the thousands of fans at the 25th annual gala.
“It’s been so long since we’ve been in here,” Taylor said. “Just coming in here and seeing these lights and the arena, it feels great. Man, I love this place. I’m so excited for the season.”
As are we.
— Edited by Abbey Strusz
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