THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOUR FORMER JAYHAWKS TO PLAY IN NFL
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MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2008
SOFTBALL EARNS SPLIT AGAINST OK LAHOMA STATE
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》CAMPUS
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A different perspective on women
A talent show ode to female beauty sent a different message about what it means to be a woman in today's culture Friday and Saturday nights.
FULL STORY PAGE 3A
》 PROFILE
Student stars in Sunsilk commercial
Sybil Niccum, Olathe graduate student, has been selected as a semi-finalist for Sunsilk's "Life Can't Wait" competition.
Niccum shot a commercial in New York City that will air during tonight's episode of "Gossip Girl." A video detailing her story will also be available online at www.lifecantwait.com for people to vote for her as a Sunsilk icon.
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VOLUME 118 ISSUE 140
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK EXTRAS RISKY
weather
FULL AP STORY PAGE 9A
58 35
Sunny
— weather.com
65 48 Partly Cloudy
index
Classifieds...4B
Crossword...6A
Horoscopes...6A
Opinion...7A
Sports...1B
Sudoku...6A
WEDNESDAY
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Partly Cloudy
"Basketball at the professional level, it's a hell of a sacrifice." Michael Lee, former Kansas guard
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2008 The University Daily Kansan
FORTHE LOVE OF THE GAME
BY RUSTIN DODD
dodd@kansan.com
It's been 10 years since Billy Thomas, now 32, last put on a Jayhawk uniform and played before thunderous capacity crowds in Allen Fieldhouse and the NCAA tournament. On this day, Thomas' team, the Colorado 14ers of the National Basketball Development League, are playing the Tulsa 66ers at 11 on a Thursday morning.
TULSA, Okla. — Billy Thomas sits on the beach and peers toward the ceiling, patiently waiting for the public address announcer to introduce the starting lineup as a sparse crowd of about 500 fills the seats in the Tulsa Expo Square Pavilion, capacity 1,500
"Atguard,6-foot 5inches, from Kansas, Billy Thomas," the
says, as Thomas rises, slowly slaps his teammate's hands and moves toward the center of the floor.
This is Thomas' life
Greg Gurley, a Kansas guard from 1991 to 1995, like the majority of players, never harbored dreams of playing in the NBA. He said he realized quickly as a freshman that he would be making a living in something else other than basketball.
"Most people probably don't realize it as quickly as I did," Gurley said.
Since 1988, more than 110 players have suited up for Kansas. Just 23 have played at least one regular season NBA game.
The NBA Draft consists of only two rounds and just 60 selections. But that didn't stop 84 underclassmen from declaring for the draft in 2007, adding themselves to a list that included .25 European players and every other college senior.
"More so than ever, guys think they
Thomas is among a small group of one-time KU players who have missed out on the riches of the NBA, but still can't part with the game they love. Players such as
as a basketball vagabond. He has spent the past 10 years moving from team to team, from league to league. Throw a dart at a map, and Thomas may have played there. Places such as Argentina, Serbia and Cincinnati. He's had four brief visits to the NBA, including his latest when the Cleveland Cavaliers signed him for this year's NBA playoffs.
Scooter Barry, Aaron Miles and Michael Lee have tried to hold onto the game as long as possible, playing for paychecks in minor-league towns and carving out careers in faraway European leagues. Barry managed to play professionally for 19 years. Miles has found a decent living playing in Spain, while Lee has given up the dream for a potential coach career.
can go to the next level. It's crazy," Gurley said. "They put all their hopes and dreams into one impossible goal."
It's a phenomenon that Dr. Andrew Jacobs has noticed while working for more than 25 years as a sports psychologist. Players are groomed from an early age to believe that the NBA is their own personal destiny.
ing focus of their lives — basketball.
They are often star players on their high school teams, Mr. Basketball in their states, McDonald's All-Americans, starters on highly ranked Kansas teams playing nationally televised games on ESPN. Suddenly, their four years of college are over, they are not drafted by the NBA, and they face life without the dominat-
"A lot of guys, to be honest, a lot of them have never thought about anything beyond their sport," said Jacobs, who worked at the University of Kansas from 1981-85. "So for a lot of them, they don't know what to do. They've been playing basketball their whole life; now it's
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