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SPORTS
PAGE 28
JULY 6 - JULY 12, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MEN'S BASKETBALL
J. R. Giddens may soon be attending a different university. Self and Giddens decided the evening of June 28 that his leaving would be the best alternative to give both Giddens and the University a fresh start.
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Kansan File Photo
Giddens leaving Kansas
BY Liz NARTOWICZ
inartowicz@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Head men's basketball coach Bill Self announced on June 29 that junior forward J.R. Giddens will not return to the men's basketball team and will transfer from the University of Kansas.
After deliberating for hours, Self and Giddens reached the decision on the evening of June 28, Self said. He said the May 19 altercation involving Giddens had little to do with his decision.
"This is not a disciplinary action," Self said. "This is based on J.R. and me wanting a fresh start."
Self informed the team shortly after he and Giddens reached a decision. Self said although the team was caught off guard, he felt the team would recover. Self is not concerned with finding a replacement for Giddens, who had
The report on the May 19 incident outside the Moon Bar, 821 Iowa, remains in the possession of the Douglas County district attorney's office. No charges have been filed.
Giddens would be followed by too many questions if he remained at the University, guilty or innocent, Self said.
In a KU Media Relations press release, Giddens is quoted as agreeing that he thought a fresh start would be best for the University and himself.
already renewed his athletic scholarship. Self said there was too little time and too few options to find a replacement and that the team had several key players to carry the weight.
"We've prepared for this moment back when we thought J.R. was leaving after his sophomore year," Self said.
But even with Giddens off the team, Self said he and the program would maintain contact with him.
"We're not going to leave him high and dry," Self said. "If he needs anything, we'll help."
Giddens has not made a decision on what school he will transfer to or when, Self said.
— Edited by Erin M. Droste
SPORTS COMMENTARY
JONATHAN KEALING
JKEALING@KANSAN.COM
Giddens goes yet life goes on without him
So, he's finally gone.
After countless exclusive, in-depth reports and penetrating sports commentary both defending and deriding the participants in the Moon Brawl J.R. Giddens has finally left the Fieldhouse.
It's about time.
I don't say this because I bear any particular ill-will toward the talented, but misguided, wing forward. In fact, when J.R. was one he was one of the most exciting players to watch.
Unfortunately, J.R. also had a way of finding trouble. It's been rehashed over and over again in the seven weeks since the showdown at high Moon. There was the Wal-Mart non-purchase, the late night/early morning car crash and finally the slash and brawl.
Ultimately, J.R.'s free-wheeling, jersey-popping, self-centered style began to detract from the team. Instead of spending the summer months blissfully believing Self and his talented trio of incoming freshmen would return the program to the promised land of NCAA Tourney success, Kansas fans have awoken every morning to some new revelation about Lunar misadventures.
So instead of the cathartic purge of demons that was needed after a disappointing loss to Bucknell, the off-season has just added fuel to the fires of discontent. If this program was going to move forward, J.R. had to go. He would have just distracted the fans, the coaches and, most importantly, the team.
Coach Bill Self had already announced that if J.R. returned, he would be faced with considerable restriction on his off-court time.Does anyone think monitoring J.R. would have been a good way for Self and his staff to spend their time?
J. R. was an enigma to Kansas fans, which probably explains why they either loved him or hated him. There were camping groups dedicated to his name, and countless message board posts loathing his very existence. Sometimes he contributed mightily to his team's victories, while other times he could go more than a game without making a shot.
Some national commentators have even argued he shot his team out of the Bucknell game.
Love him or hate him, few will argue he wasn't fun to watch when he was hot.
SEE KEALING ON PAGE 27