Friday, March 12, 2010
Two thousand is just a number, and not even an important one like a million or pi.
But with Kansas’ 2,000th victory Thursday against Texas Tech, it’s a perfect time to reflect on what makes Kansas basketball so special.
I’ve been alive for 598 Kansas victories, which seems like a lot. However, the increased schedule length and Kansas’ dominance in the 90s and 2000s skews that number considerably.
More unfathomable is the fact that I’ve only seen two men run the program: Roy Williams and Bill Self. Four coaches have held the head-coaching throne at Arizona in the past four years.
Stability is one of Kansas’ strengths.
I know more about Larry Brown’s babysitting of Allen Iverson as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers than his impact on Kansas’ 1988 national championship. I couldn’t tell you Kansas’ record when they won the 1952 title or how many All-Americans the program has produced without looking it up.
In the bigger scheme of things, all I know is the tradition.
I’ve received more than a couple of emails imploring me to write a column informing students on how to properly perform the Rock Chalk Chant. If you don’t know, they didn’t used to “woo” after the KU part. It was silent, almost Gregorian, for a couple seconds before the chant began to echo again.
That little woo students love to scream after the chant bothers alumni enough to compose lengthy emails about it to the student newspaper.
That’s what makes Kansas basketball so special. Every person takes away their own memories. My personal favorite is the “Dancing Nachos” that used to scroll across the old-school scoreboard that hung over the middle of James Naismith Court. It was so pixelated, but so awesome.
There are bigger things on Bill Self’s checklist than a statistical coincidence like 2,000 victories — namely his second national title in three years.
But before we get enveloped with March Madness and the inevitable scare from a school that starts with “B” in the early rounds, it’s a great time to remind yourself why you love Kansas basketball. Maybe you secretly desire to sport C.J. Henry’s chinstrap, or maybe Kenny Gregory’s horrible free throw percentage continues to bring a smile to your face.
Or maybe that’s just me.
There’s where the beauty of the program is illuminated. No one looks at it the same way. I can’t possibly encapsulate everyone’s favorite things about the program in this space. It would take a million pages, and even then, I would miss things.
I’d probably miss mentioning the Dancing Nachos because they weren’t significant. C.J. Henry’s chinstrap wouldn’t make the pages. Kenny Gregory’s abysmal free throw percentage might make the stats page, but the uncertainty fans felt every time he strolled to the free line can’t be defined.
So take the time today to remember why you love Kansas basketball.
It’ll make March that much sweeter.
— Edited by Kelly Gibson
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