THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY. APRIL 9.2008
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY MIKE DOWNEY
MONDAYS ARL 53 GO ANYTHING
MEMPHIS' Derrick Rose covers his face in front of Kansas' Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers, left, in the overtime period of the championship game at the NCAA College Basketball Final Four. Monday in San Antonio, Kansas won 75-68.
When Chicagoans face-off In the clutch, Collins made his shots,Rose did not
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The kid from Chicago had the championship right in his hands.
He did make the next one, but Memphis now had only a three-point lead.
That left the door open for a Kansas man to make a three-point shot and send Monday night's NCAA tournament title shootout at the Alamodome into overtime.
Derrick Rose bounced the ball
exhaled ... then shot a free throw that went in and out.
Whereupon the other kid from Chicago had the championship right in his hands.
Sherron Collins bounced the ball, exhaled ... then shot a free throw that went in, out, in, off the rim, up against the glass and back in.
He then made another, and in a memorable championship game, Collins dribbled away the final seconds of a 75-68 overtime triumph for Kansas all by himself.
The 5-foot-10-inch Collins was a three-sport high school star at Crane, but he was not supposed to be the star of this game.
He wasn't even in the starting lineup.
But the valuable sixth man
spent 34 minutes on the floor for the Jayhawks. He came through in the clutch when so many others around him did not.
It was he who dribbled furiously downcourt with the ball after Rose's missed free throw gave Kansas a last chance with 10.8 seconds to go.
"I just did what Coach told me to do." Collins said afterward of Bill Self, the former Illinois coach who bagged his first NCAA championship.
Collins stumbled as the clock ticked down. Off-balance, he batted the ball out to Mario Chalmers, who drained a three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left. That tied the score at 63-all and saved Kansas's season.
air as fireworks exploded inside the arena.
"That's as good a team as there is," Self said of the losing side. "If we played 10 times, it would probably go 5-5."
Memphis had come to the brink of a championship and a 39th victory, an NCAA single-season record. Only one team, Tennessee, had been able to beat the Tigers all season.
And then it was Collins again whose two free throws—including that crazy, will-wor-t-it first one—put the lajhawks' party on ice with 18.2 seconds remaining in the overtime period.
The small sophomore came up with a big rebound and was fouled—well, not so much fouled as flattened.
"I told them, 'You guys did everything right.'"  Mow.
After his free throws, Rose let fly a long shot that was too short and too late. The ball ended up in Collins' grasp again, and he merrily bounced it for the final seconds, thrusting a fist in the
Memphis coach John Calipari said. "Ten seconds to go, we're thinking we'rerenational champs. And then a kid makes a shot and, all of a sudden, we're not."
He had skipped Sunday's practice with a tummy ache, taking quite a bit of kidding from his Memphis teammates and coaches for making himself ill with a diet of Gummy Bears.
Rose, the
fab freshman who was likely playing in his last collegiate game, came within seconds of doing what LeBron James never did, what Kobe Bryant never did ... namely, winning and wearing an NCAA national crown.
It would have given the 19-year-old from Simeon back-to-back-to-back championships, coupled with his two Illinois high school titles.
Rose didn't do much in the first half Monday, attempting only four shots as his Tigers went into the locker room trailing 33-28.
Late in the contest, though, Rose made one of those spectacular moves that have some NBA scouts believing he could become another James, another Bryant.
He took an inbounds pass and, with the shot clock about to expire, fired up an awkward jump shot that banked in off the glass.
It gave Memphis a 56-49 advantage with 4 minutes 14 seconds to play—and, in many eyes, the game.
Indeed, the Tigers were still up by seven with less than two minutes to go.
They hung onto the lead for the entire last eight minutes until Chalmers' last-gasp shot.
"Memphis came out and played a great game," Kansas senior Russell Robinson said. "We just wanted it more."
The second statement is false, of course. Memphis' team wanted it every bit as much.
No one tried harder or felt worse than Rose, who kept playing hard until the end, even while limping after twisting his foot.
If only he could have made both of those free throws, how different his life would be. Big money will be coming his way in the NBA, but no NCAA title will be by his name.
"Let's put it this way," Calipari said with a sigh. "Did we have the guys on the free-throw line late in the game that we wanted to have on the line?
"Yeah."
But with the game on the line, the kid from Chicago saw a championship slip through his fingers.
The other kid from Chicago did not. He had the game—and the game ball—right in his hands.
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Packed home opener at Kauffman
Fans not complaining about construction
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Construction vehicles and piles of dirt were everywhere. But fans who turned out to Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday to see the Royals take on the Yankees were not complaining at all.
Or maybe it was the Royals' just completed 4-2 road trip to start the season. And for many in the crowd clad in crimson and blue University of Kansas gear, it was the afterglow of the Jayhawks' national basketball
Maybe it was the excitement of the home opener, which usually means a packed house and the kind of optimism Kansas City fans haven't been able to enjoy much past the first few weeks in recent years.
"We had to park further out than normal, but other than that it's been great.
championship Monday night.
BECCA HORTON Lee's Summit
Whatever the reason, the fans seemed willing to accept the small distractions.
"We had to park further out than normal, but other than that it's been great," said Becca
Horton of Lee's Summit. "We come to about 10 or 15 games a year, but we always come to opening day. I'm very excited. The Royals seem like they're going to be better this year."
Kauffman Stadium is undergoing $250 million in renovation that will include expanded concourses and entryways, improved concession options and the new outfield entertainment area, all expected to be completed by opening day 2009.
But the highlight was the 9,000-square-foot, high-definition scoreboard in center field, which made its debut Tuesday.
"I wish I had that in my living room," said Alan Moore of Parkville. "It's the best one I've ever seen."
"I have never seen a high-definition TV with any better clarity than that score-board."
JIMM SLOSS Kansas City
"I have never seen a high-definition TV with any better clarity than that score-board," added Jim Sloss of Kansas City. "It's a mindblower."
Sloss, who owns a sign company in Kansas City, credited helpful signs at the
"It's a little different this year, but with all the additional signage out there it's been real easy to find where I needed to go," he said. "Plus, everybody is more than willing to accommodate."
stadium for getting drivers to their parking spots.
Other fans made sure they wouldn't run into parking difficulties.
"We camped out last night, so we haven't had any problems," said Sarah Beckman of Lee's Summit. "We've been tailgating today."
Beckman, an engineer, was willing to cut the Royals some slack with the ongoing renovations.
"I think the aesthetic appeal of the stadium is a little less than last year, right now, but the big screen is awesome. We were in the parking lot last night and we could see it perfectly. Way out in left field, we can still see it clearly.
"Once they get everything completed it will be a good feel for the fans and will encourage people to come and see them play."
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