FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2005
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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"It's a business," said Gooden, a 6-foot-10 forward. "It's not just a game you play."
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When the Memphis Grizzlies started the 2002-03 season with 10 straight losses, Gooden, seven months removed from playing in the Final Four, was not digging it. KU players are not used to losing.
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To make matters worse, coach Doc Rivers never seemed to find a place for him, Gooden said. Half the time, Gooden would start on the bench, which was something new for him.
After 51 games with a 12.1-point scoring average, the Grizzlies traded Gooden to the Orlando Magic. He sold his house in Memphis and left town a little wiser.
"I didn't know we'd be in last place in Tennessee," he said. "It was a learning experience."
The situation turned out well for Gooden. He started all but one of Orlando's 19 remaining games and, best of all, he got to play in the playoffs as his former Memphis teammates watched from home.
After losing in the first round to the Detroit Pistons, Gooden went into the off season with high hopes once again.
But those hopes were demolished when the Magic started with a 1-20 record in 2003. This time he had to endure the league's worst season in its entirety.
Meanwhile, Memphis improved to a 50-32 record and made the playoffs. Gooden felt like he was cursed.
"That was the most down point in my career," he said.
Gooden wanted this season to be different. Maybe, playing alongside young phenom LeBron James, he could re-establish himself as the dominating player he was at Kansas.
Some people said that was never going to happen.
"There were a lot of question marks," he said. "I felt like all eyes were on me coming to Cleveland."
shelled out $600 per week to work with well-respected trainer Anthony Slater.
"He was one of the most coachable athletes I've worked with," Slater said. "He wasn't here to get a quick sweat and leave. He was here to take something away from it."
So he called up a high-end sports club in Los Angeles and
SPORTS
Roy Williams, former Kansas coach, who talked to Gooden on Monday, said this patient attitude had gradually developed in Gooden through the years.
"I think with each and every year he's gotten more mature and more focused." Williams said.
Gooden also practiced his jump shot and post moves hours a day. He wanted to be a more complete player.
"I spent two months straight to trying to get my body and my mind right," he said.
Now he is having the most consistent season of his career for the Cavaliers, who, with a record of 52-28, are on the brink of making the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
Gooden's biggest improvement has been in rebounding. His team-leading 9.5 rebounds per game ranks 12th in the league, which is no small feat considering he has to share the boards with Cleveland's 7-foot-3 center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who ranks second in the league in offensive rebounds.
However, he has been streaky at times shooting the ball this season. He scored a career-high 33 points against Milwaukee Jan. 30, but has also scored in single-digits in one out of every four games.
Coach Paul Silas left Gooden out of the starting lineup for the first time all season for two games at the start of March. Gooden has since come back to help the team win three of its last for games.
Gooden said he would like to settle down for a few years with the Cavaliers. But he's not banking on it. He knows better.
"I love to be here, love to play here, love to win here and I'd love to win a championship here," he said. "But it's all just goals and dreams. You never really know."
Edited by Lori Bettes
was being interviewed by reporters because on one side of him, freshmen forward Alex Galindo and freshman guard Russell Robinson were pinching his feet. On the other side, his roommate, sophomore guard Jeremy Case, was dancing to a song playing on his iPod.
Jayhawks
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The jayhawks were clearly having fun.
Slightly more calm and reserved than the underclassmen were senior forward Wayne Simien and senior guard Aaron Miles. After finishing his interviews, Simien sat in the back corner of the locker room and read a book. Aaron Miles just smiled. He had a look on his face that said it all.
Junior forward Moulaye Niang gave one of the earpieces on his headphones to sophomore guard Nick Bahe. Soon after, the two were up dancing around the locker room, still sharing a set of headphones. It's quite a sight to see a 6-foot-10 man share headphones with a 6-foot-2 man while dancing around a crowded locker room. It made all of the players around roar with laughter.
"We are anxious," Miles said
as a big grin crossed his face. "It's our last chance. It's our last opportunity to accomplish a goal that we set when we got here."
"We're going to want to play." Giddens said. "You see a lot of teams losing, and we're not ready to do that."
The Jayhawks will start their journey into the NCAA Tournament tonight when they face Bucknell at 8:40 p.m. in the Ford Center, which is where a large number of Kansas fans gathered yesterday to watch the Jayhawks' 6 p.m. practice.
Giddens said he might be more anxious tomorrow.
The players arrived at the Ford Center at 5:30 p.m. for their 6 p.m. shoot-around.
Kansas held its final full practice before the Bucknell game at noon yesterday at Oklahoma City University. It lasted about two hours and was closed to the public. After practice the team visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.
About 5 minutes before it was scheduled to start, a loud stomping sound filled the otherwise quiet Ford Center. Children wearing their Jayhawk gear suddenly stormed through bleachers, thunderding echoes through the arena. They all carried sharpies and pieces of
They were waiting for the Jayhawks to arrive for the shoot-around. The problem was, they were all crowding around the wrong tunnel.
memorabilia in hand.
When they found out the Jayhawks would enter at the other end of the gym, they pushed and shoved their way across the arena.
He said he suffered a setback Wednesday with the flu-like sickness that has been bothering him for a week.
Loud cheers erupted from the fans when the Jayhawks, wearing their blue practice uniforms, took the court. They got even louder when Keith Langford came out, dressed in full practice attire.
Langford practiced yesterday in the Jayhawks' closed noon practice at Oklahoma City University. After the shootaround, Langford said he would try to play tonight if the training staff cleared him.
mistic about Langford's condition saying that he was feeling much better than he did Wednesday.
"With the training staff, there are still some questions, but if you ask me then I will go," Langford said.
Kansas coach Bill Self said Langford would have an input into the decision to play tomorrow, but it would be up to the coaching staff to decide how much to play him. Self was opti-
"Well, Wednesday he was zero percent, so I would say he is feeling much better today." Self said.
During the shoot-around, the Jayhawks did some passing, shooting and full-court drills, but did not do a full speed workout.
Junior guard left Hawkins got a charley horse in his left thigh and had to be attended to by the trainer. After the shoot-around, he said that he felt fine.
The Jayhawks spent the last 18 minutes of practice putting on a dunk show for the fans. Oklahoma City native and freshman forward Darnell Jackson slammed a 180-degree dunk and received an ovation from the audience.
The Jayhawks headed back to their hotel 20 minutes north of downtown at about 7:45 last night.
Senior guard Mike Lee said it might be a rough night of sleep.
"We'll all probably loose a lift to sleep tonight because everyone on this team is excited," Lee said. "We're just excited to get it started. It's tourney time."
— Edited by Austin Caster
Langford
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flu-like symptoms that have plagued him for more than a week. On top of that, the left ankle that he injured in the March 6 game against Missouri is still not 100 percent.
But yesterday, Langford said the illness was his biggest concern.
Langford worked out with
"Neither one of them are perfect," he said. "With the combination of both, my health has been pretty volatile for a while. I feel a lot better though. I had the unfortunate relapse, and they are just going to watch me over the course of the night and make a decision."
"Being a senior and being in the position I am, there would have to be a lot going on for me not to go out there and try to play."
Keith Langford Senior guard
"I did some stuff, I tried to run up and down a little bit, got some shots up. I felt pretty good," Langford said.
the team at the noon practice yesterday in Oklahoma City University. He said he felt good, but it was difficult to judge his stamina without going hard.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he were able to be effective," Self said. "But I can tell you what, he was zero percent yesterday so if he is up to 100 percent it has been a miraculous turn-around."
Kansas coach Bill Self said it would be Langford's decision on whether to play, but the coaches would decide how to use him. He said he wouldn't put it past Langford, who played through the NCAA Tournament last year with an injured knee, to play Friday.
If he is able to play, Langford would most likely not start, Self said. He would start senior
"Being a senior and being in the position that I am, there would have to be a lot going on for me not to go out there and try to play," Langford said.
But Langford had a positive attitude. He said he just wanted to get out there and play.
"That is the great thing about the game. It can bring you so much joy and so much pain at the same time, but I am sure that I will be able to get out there and participate to some extent," Langford said.
He said the trainers would watch him overnight and evaluate him in the morning, but the final word was that he would try to play.
guard Mike Lee.
— Edited by Laura Francoviglia