8A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASKETBALL
MONDAY,APRIL7,2003
Big games take back seat to jobs for some students
By Nicole Roché
nroche@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Emily Thomas was out of town last week so she couldn't ask off for Saturday's Final Four game — or tonight's championship game.
For the most part, Thomas said her Blockbuster customers Saturday seemed clueless that Kansas was obliterating its opponent, Marquette.
"A couple of people came in and said, 'Oh, the game's still on.'" she said. "Most of them didn't seem to care."
Dealing with apathetic customers was frustrating for students who had to work during Saturday's game.
Still, these basketball fans
found ways to get updates on the game.
Thomas said she and her Blockbuster co-workers kept running out to their cars to listen to the game Saturday. The manager also had a cell phone with online capabilities, so the employees logged on for the latest news.
Mostly older people and women came in while the game was on, Thomas said. For some reason, the film Red Drago, was popular with renters.
Blockbuster Video, 1516 W. 23rd St., had a mandatory employee meeting at midnight Saturday. Thomas said eight of the 14 employees showed up and they all "smelled like bar."
Thomas returned home at 1 a.m. and had to open the next
morning at 8 a.m. so she wasn't able to celebrate Kansas' victory with friends. She also lost an hour because of the time change.
Tonight, Thomas said she planned to spend more time running out to her car to hear the score.
"I just want to know if they won," she said.
Jason Simon, Andale sophomore, had to work Saturday night at the Hereford House, 4931 W. Sixth St.
He said a manager drew names to determine who would have to work during the game. He was one of those not-so-lucky individuals.
Simon said he was frustrated that people would come to a restaurant during such an important game.
"All the servers asked each other, 'What is up with these people? What town do they live in? We were like,'Show a little spirit — we're in the Final Four."
Jason Simon
Andale sophomore
"All the servers asked each other, 'What is up with these people?' What town do they live in?'" he said. "We were like, 'Show a little spirit — we're in the Final Four.'"
Simon said most of his customers were 35 or older and didn't seem to care about the game, though he did serve an 18-person wedding party that was crowded around the bar.
Simon said he was often at the bar with them watching the game.
The customers were in a good mood following the victory, Simon said. One man even proposed to his girlfriend.
"I don't know if it had anything to do with how the 'Hawks did," he said.
Simon said his manager gave him the night off tonight, along with everyone else who had to work during the Saturday basketball game.
Cheryl Wozniak, St. Louis sophomore, and Justin Becker, Harper junior, both forgot to ask off for Saturday's game and had to
work at Panera Bread Bakery-Cafe, 520 W.23rd St.
Becker said he tried to hook up his television but couldn't get reception.
The two ended up listening to the game in the back of the restaurant between serving customers.
Wozniak said a lot of people who weren't from Lawrence came in during the game, and she wondered if they knew or cared about the game.
Both employees said they would be able to watch tonight's game.
"I learned from my mistake," Becker said, "and I asked off for the championship game."
Edited by Ryan Wood
KU fans of all ages flock to Massachusetts Street to exchange high fives, dance and display their excitement for the Jayhawks' victory over the Golden Eagles. Traffic was at a near standstill Saturday night because of the downtown party, which began at about 8 and continued into the early morning hours.
Fans
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Partygoers scaled stoplights and shot off fireworks. No one was camera-shy. Perhaps the only differences between the downtown celebration and a New Orleans Mardi Gras bash were fewer people with beer in hand and more with clothes on. But there wasn't a shortage of bared breasts or alcohol, by any means. Debauchery-free jamboree
The no-alcohol policy may have deterred some from watching the game at the stadium, but for about 1.500 fans, that was a reason for the videoboard.
Lara Sampson came with her three children, I.C., 15, Mersadees, 5, and Lochi, 4.
"It's good to be around the fans but still be with the kids," she said.
Lara was a student during the 1988 championship and remembers being part of the crowd that flooded campus after the victory. She said she wouldn't be as crazy this time around but planned to have a good time.
"I think Monday I'll probably have a baby sitter," she said.
Stan Linnick came to Lawrence from Houston.
"I heard the game was going to be in the stadium, so we got on a plane and came up here," he said.
He bought his roundtrip $123 Continental Airlines ticket on special Friday with his wife, Rhoda Nelson. They stayed for the whole game, despite the cool weather and the stadium's cold, metal seats.
"It's a blowout," Linnick said. "We're going to stay to the end just to make sure nothing happens."
Their two daughters are KU alumnae; his daughter Elisa Nelson turned 23 Saturday.
Linnick said they came for the game and the birthday, but mainly the game, he said, smiling.
Skyler Carey, 2000 alum and Fort Riley resident, had been packing all day before arriving in Lawrence. He will be called to active duty soon. Carey, his wife and their two children made it to the stadium at tip-off.
Carey didn't get to watch March Madness and the Jayhawks' Final Four appearance last year because he was in training at Fort Irwin, Calif.
"I couldn't be happier," he said. "I've been waiting for a while for them to take it all."
During the game at Memorial Stadium, Logan Henderson stood on the track wearing a balloon hoop hat on his head.
The Houston junior was the object of attention during a commercial break as fans from the crowd tried to throw a small basketball into his hat.
Henderson watched the game at the stadium because he thought the atmosphere would be fun.
"It's rather exhilarating, especially when I have a hoop attached to my head," Henderson said. "I now know what it's like to be a backboard."
Richard Johnson, dean of students, stayed on the track, front and center of the stadium crowd next to the band and cheerleaders. Periodically, he joined in
with the Jayhawk spirit
"I was a cheerleader in my other life," he said jokingly.
Wearing a shirt that said "Big Easy" and colorful beads around her neck, Beth Baldin, Winchester freshman, was in good spirits walking up to the Campanile from the stadium. It was a much better atmosphere than her residence hall, she said.
"I liked it," Winchester said. "There were a lot of people. Everyone was cheering at the same time rather than four people in the dorm room."
Winchester summed up the sentiment of the night.
"Silty Eagles," she said "Championships are for Jay hawks."
Final Four
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
— Edited by Lindsay Hanson
Not to mention the contribution from junior forward Jeff Graves, who played an active role on defense while grabbing nine rebounds and avoiding foul trouble long enough to play 27 minutes.
While the Jayhawks were running on offense, they were making it awfully difficult for Marquette's All-American junior guard Dwyane Wade to get a clean look on the other side of the floor.
Wade scored an average of 21.6 points per game during the regular season and has arguably the best one-on-one skills in college basketball. With Hinrich and Lee shadowing him, however, Wade had to work for each of his 19 points.
Kansas continued to run, continued to defend and continued to dismantle Marquette well into the second half. At the 14:51 mark, the Jayhawks led by 43 points. They were still up 35 when Kansas coach Roy Williams indicated that he thought Marquette had suffered enough by substituting seldomused freshman guard Jeff Hawkins into the lineup for Langford with 6:16 to play.
n't let up until Marquette stopped twitching.
"Do you feel sorry?" Williams said when asked if he felt bad for Marquette. "You always feel compassion for the other kids, particularly for me, the other coach. But you can't tell your kids to stop playing."
The victory moves the Jayhawks into the title game for the first time since 1991. They face Syracuse at 8:18 tonight.
Edited by Ryan Wood
Aaron Showalter/Kansan
Marquette's Dwyane Wade struggles to overcome the defense of junior forward Jeff Graves and senior guard Kirk Hinrich. Wade scored 19 points in the game against Kansas.
KU BASKETBALL:
KNOW THE FACTS
Kansas has a 7-5 record in national semifinal games.
Tenight's game will be Kansas' first appearance in the NCAA championship game since 1991.
Kansas is now the first Big 12 team to reach the championship game since the formation of the conference.
The 33-point margin in Saturday's game was the fourth-largest ever in a Final Four game.
The 29-point first half margin was the second largest in Final Four history.
Kansas' Nick Collison moved into sole possession of second place on the Jayhawk's all-time scoring list with 2,078 points.
Collison is now a top 10 NCAA Tournament rebounder. His 160 career boards in NCAA ties him for seventh place.
Saturday marked Kansas' 30th win of the season. This is the sixth time in team history that the Jayhawks have won 30 games. Five of those seasons were under the reins of Roy Williams.
The victory was the Jayhawk's 70th in NCAA Tournament play. Kansas is the fifth school to win 70 tournament games.
Marquette's defeat was its first in an NCAA semifinal game. The Golden Eagles defeated Kansas in 1974 and Charlotte in 1977.
Saturday marked Kansas' 12th straight victory against a lower seed.
Marquette was the first non-football school to reach the Final Four since Seton Hall in 1989.
Marquette nearly set an NCAA Tournament record currently held by Kansas. The Golden Eagles finished 40-of-81 (49.4 percent) from behind the arch in the tournament. The record for a single tournament is 51.9 percent, set by Kansas in 1993.
Eight Kansas players made their first Final Four appearances Saturday. In the history of Kansas basketball, 110 players have played in a Final Four, which is second-most of any school. Only North Carolina has more with 121.
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Kansas sports are now 3-4 in the Superdome. Its other victories have come in the first round of the 1999 NCAA tournament and the 1983 Sugar Bowl.