SPORTS
PAGE 1B
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 72-65
Big 12, Big Dub, Big night
FOR THE WEEKEND
Wayne Simien, senior forward, battles for a rebound against Kansas State's jeremiah Massey, senior forward, during the first half of last night's game in Allen Fieldhouse. Simien set a career high of 20 rebounds during the 72-65 victory. The game was he and the other Kansas seniors' last game in the fieldhouse.
Last night déjà vu all over again
Of course, back then, the house that Phog built was still just an unchristened mass of bricks and steel, not yet haunted by the ghosts of basketball past or imbued with the mystique the building carries today. The Big 12 and Big 8 Conference Championship banners and All-American jerseys that now hang majestically on the walls and from the rafters were still waiting to be earned. The hallways were bare of most of the trophies and photos and plaques that are so pervasive today. And though icons like Allen and James Naismith and Adolph Rupp had already begun the Kansas basketball legacy, other icons were still waiting for their fieldhouse moments.
JOE BANT
jbant@kansan.com
Fifty years ago nearly to the day, Kansas and Kansas State played the first ever basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks' Gene Elstun scored 21 points, and coach Phog Allen led his team to a 77-66 victory in the contest.
Wilt Chamberlain, the man, the myth, the legend, was still playing ball at Overbrook High School in Pennsylvania. Danny Manning and the Miracles wouldn't shock the country for another 33 years. And the pantheon of great Kansas coaches and players that followed the days of Allen was still waiting in the wings, most of its heroes not even born yet. Fast forward a half century, and it seems fitting that the last home game of the fieldhouse's 50th season would also be against Kansas State and also result in a Kansas victory. In fact, if you closed your eyes, last night was almost that night over again, with the Jayhawks rolling to victory and 17,000 plus fans — yes, there were that many on the fieldhouse's opening night — roaring approval.
O one play said it all last night.
Of course, many things were fitting about last night's game. The four seniors got to go out top,
In the larger scheme of things, it wasn't instrumental in the Jayhawks' 72-65 victory against Kansas State. Most likely, it was forgotten after Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles, Mike Lee and Keith Langford provided Kansas fans with a one-hour send off after the game.
In a span of 20-seconds, the four seniors showed what they were all about.
SEE BANT ON PAGE 5B
About three minutes into the game, a K-State player missed a shot. Before the ball could even bounce off the rim, Big Dub ripped the ball down with his enormous hands.
A second later, he hit Mike Lee with an outlet pass. Lee took one dribble and sent it down the floor to Aaron Miles. Miles penetrated, drew the defense and found Langford, who spotted up on the opposite side of the court.
Money ball!
Game guarantees Kansas at least part of Big 12 title; seniors choked up at last home contest of season
The fact that the ball went through the hands of the four seniors and ended up in the bottom of the net is pretty much symbolic of the last four years. This team includes Kansas' all-time assist leader, two players with at least 1,400 career points and a valuable locker room leader.
"This is a special group," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "I love coaching these guys. I love chewing on them. I love going to practice with them every day."
A lot of kids missed their bed times last night. Few fans left, and these guys had a lot to say. Collectively, the four guys talked for more than an hour last
Sure, 16,300 fans crammed into Allen Fieldhouse to see Kansas beat Kansas State.
But they stuck around to hear the four seniors talk.
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWRITER
night — but the fans were interested.
Of all the laughs, tears and random babbles, Wayne Simien said something that embodied how these four feel about each other.
A couple of days ago, somebody asked him to describe each of his classmates.
"I can't think of anything that can separate us. We're going to leave as winners," Simien said. "How many assists Aaron dished out, how many clutch shots Keith hit, how many times Mike dove on the ball or how many rebounds I got."
"When they think of one they are going to think of us all."
A funny thing happened with Simien
yesterday. Anticipating the guys would be nervous, Self said he walked up to Simien during the shoot around and asked how he was feeling.
"He almost broke down right there," Self said with a chuckle. "I've never had a guy do that."
Simien was fine during the game. He scored 25 points and pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds. But he said he was on the verge of tears all day just thinking about the game.
"It was a really emotional day, just walking to class and having the shoot-around and warming up," he said. "I just knew that there were going to be a lot of lasts today."
As for the rebounds, Kansas certainly gave him plenty of opportunities. The Jayhawks shot just 23-of-53 from the field and 9-of-22 from three-point range.
Three of those three-pointers came from Mike Lee, whose only points of the game came from behind the arc. But sophomore J.R. Giddens nailed a couple of three-pointers of his own. Giddens, whose struggles from behind the arc have been well documented, missed badly on his first shot of the game. He came back and scored five straight points for the lahawks.
"It was a 28-footer and he missed by 19 feet." Self laughed. "But he showed a lot of guts stepping up and making his next two."
Self said the Jayhawks would need Giddens to play better in order for them to go far in the NCAA Tournament, mainly because teams will do what K-State did last night.
The Wildcats played a 2-3 zone for most of the game, but unlike other games during the season when they went stagnant against a zone, the Jayhawks were able to pass the ball on the perimeter and get it inside.
SEE SENIORS ON PAGE 5B
TRENDS
Wristbands become collectors' items
BY FRANK TANKKAR
fankan@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The RockChalk wristbands,
blue pieces of rubber that originally sold for $1, are now fetching more than 20 times that amount from collectors on eBav.
The Kansas University Athletic Corporation ordered 50,000 wristbands last fall to capitalize on the LiveStrong-style rubber wristband trend.
As word spread that the Athletics Department stopped selling the blue wristbands at
The wristbands, which were sold from October to December at all home sporting events and at www.kustore.com, are consistently selling for more than $20 on eBay.
Thirty-six eBay users bid on a RockChalk wristband Monday. It sold for $30, and some have gone for even more. But most KU students are choosing to hang on to their wristbands despite the high prices people are paving on eBay.
the end of 2004, they almost instantly became a collectors' item.
Kevin Waymire, Wichita
sophomore, said he wouldn't sell his wristband.
Not everyone is so sentimental. Sam Funk, Holcomb freshman, said he would consider selling his wristband for a big enough wad of cash.
"It's something that shows my respect," he said. "It shows how proud I am to be a KU student."
"I mean, I'm a college student." he said.
Andrew Steinberg, assistant athletic director in charge of marketing, said the department still had a few thousand wrist-bands, which it planned to give away at the baseball game versus Western Illinois on March 18 and at the softball game versus Arkansas on April 27.
He said that in addition to the wristbands that were sold, the department handed out thousands of wristbands to student-athletes, the spirit squad, the marching band and department employees. Wristbands were also given to everyone who attended the women's basketball game on Feb. 2.
Steinberg said the department was not planning to print more wristbands.
SEE WRISTBANDS ON PAGE 3B
Photo illustration by Courtney Kuhlen
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