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MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Fans couldn't resist seeing St. Louis games
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
Jeanell Taylor (center), mother of senior guard Tyshawn Taylor, celebrates with other Jayhawk fans after Kansas defeats North Carolina to move on to the Final Four. Kansas defeated North Carolina 80-67.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Co-workers Kyle Dolinski and Mitch Miller, two Jayhawks fan from Kansas City, were pleasantly surprised by the vibrant atmosphere that St. Louis provided for the event, and they had a surprising weekend themselves.
ST. LOUIS - Peppered with blue, red and green, Washington Street in the core of downtown St. Louis served as the unofficial home to the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
During the weekend, fans from Kansas, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Ohio could be found walking up and down Washington, a street that runs parallel to the Edward Jones Dome. The street is full of food, bars and hotels, making it the perfect scene to fuel the NCAA Tournament.
When they woke up Friday morning, neither Dolinski nor Miller planned on heading to St. Louis until the middle of the work day.
"We were sitting there, and he was like, 'You want to go?' Miller said. "And I was like, I'm game if you want to go." So we were just like, 'Alright, let's go.'
They found a parking garage approximately 10 minutes before tip off and ran to the stadium. Luckily, the North Carolina-Ohio game went into overtime, pushing the start of the Kansas game back quite a bit. Luck also found Dolinski and Miller when they found a ticket scalper with only two tickets left.
The two left for St. Louis around 4 p.m. Friday. Neither had a ticket for the game, but that didn't matter; it was an event they were not going to miss.
"It couldn't have worked out
more smoothly," Miller said.
And with yesterday's game against North Carolina featuring a match-up against former Kansas coach of 15 years Roy Williams, Kansas fans everywhere were eager to voice their opinion on the former Jayhawks' commander before the game.
While some still had sour feelings toward Williams for leaving Kansas, others had started to forgive the coach who left Lawrence nine years ago.
and his history in college athletics gave him a more tolerant perspective toward Williams.
This includes Kansas fan Derek Feagans from Kansas City, Mo. Feagans was a shooting guard for Avila University in Kansas City,
"He's North Carolina's coach," Feagans said. "All I care about is Bill Self and Kansas. Roy Williams is a great coach at a great program. Coaches move on. He went home and that's great."
I'm glad we have coach Self."
While Fengans was quick to answer questions on Williams, his seven-year-old son Will didn't say a word until he was asked who his favorite player was.
"Elijah Johnson," Will said.
himself, was quick to answer for him.
"Because he's a shooter." Feagans said.
Will wouldn't say why, but his dad, the former shooting guard
Edited by Taylor Lewis
FANS
Hundreds gather to welcome team home from St. Louis
Fans watch a replay of Sunday's Elite Eight game while waiting in Allen Fieldhouse for the Kansas men's basketball team to return from St. Louis for a celebration. At 12:15 a.m., it was reported that the team was delayed by traffic.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
RYAN SCHLESENER
rschlesner@kansan.com
The atmosphere was full of excitement and passion as the Jayhawk faithful filed into Allen Fieldhouse to welcome the team back from their Elite Eight victory over North Carolina in St. Louis.
The team and this season mean so much to so many people.
"It's incredible, I don't think anybody expected it from this team. It's definitely special," said alumnus Mark Perrin, from Lee's Summit, Mo.
Fans began lining up well before the doors opened at 11 p.m. to greet the Final Four-qualifying Kansas Jayhawks. The team was delayed by a traffic accident, but the fans were content watching a replay of the 80-67 victory over former coach Roy Williams.
"The environment is amazing, said Tor Fornelli, a sophomore from Lawrence. "Everybody is
high-fiving and having a blast. Everyone here loves this team." From watching the game to flooding Massachusetts Street to filling the Fieldhouse for a welcome home celebration, it was definitely a special day to be a Jayhawk.
"It's always a great day to be a Jayhawk, but today, especially said Meghan Paulsen, a sophomore from Colorado Springs, Co.
"It's a very special day to be a Jayhawk," Brendan Nelson, a junior from East Hamptons, Conn, said. "I'm proud of my school, and it'll be exciting to see what we do next."
It's safe to say the fans were out in full force to show some love to their team, and there should be no question that the support will continue for the rest of the tournament run.
Edited by lan Cummings
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Jayhawks have a victorious spring break vacation
The layhawks celebrate after coming from behind to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers 63-60 in the March 18 NCAA Tournament game in Omaha, Neb. Kansas went on to defeat North Carolina State and North Carolina to reach the Final Four.
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Junior forward Thomas Robinson wrestles for a rebound against two North Carolina State players during the second half of Friday night's game. Kansas won the game 60-57.