8B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Team sees another familiar face
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Memphis coach John Calipari talks with reporters during a press conference Sunday afternoon at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. Callipari's Tigers will face Kansas in the championship game Monday night.
SAN ANTONIO - The Jayhawks may have traveled almost 800 miles to San Antonio, but they can't seem to escape their program's past.
First, the Jayhawks faced and defeated former Kansas head coach Roy Williams. Now they're up against former Jayhawk assistant coach John Calipari, head coach at Memphis.
But the matchup between Kansas and Calipari doesn't trigger the same resentment among fans as Williams' appearance on the opposing bench. In fact, Calipari versus Kansas seems like a lovefest compared with the return of Roy.
"Ive known 'Cal' for quite some time," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "I was actually a player (at Oklahoma State) when he was starting out coaching at Kansas. He had got a job at Pitt right before I got there as a graduate assistant, so our paths never crossed as far as working,
but everybody knew Cal and liked Cal."
Calipari started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach under Kansas coach Ted Owens in 1982. The 24-year-old earned money by working as a trainer while he assisted Owens to get a foot in the door of the coaching profession.
After leaving Kansas in 1985, Calipari shot through the coaching ranks. He led the University of Massachusetts to the Final Four in 1996 before taking over as the New Jersey Nets head coach later that year. After New Jersey fired Calipari, former Kansas coach Larry Brown hired Calipari as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers.
"Larry Brown reached out to me and was saying, 'Come on down here and join me,' Calipari said. "What it did for me - it starts to bring you back."
Callpari parlayed his job in Philadelphia into his current gig atop the Memotis tempo pole.
Since arriving at Memphis, Calipari has won more than 75 percent of his games and captured three Conference USA titles.
the Jayhawks didn't do Roy Williams any favors. Despite Calipari's warm memories of Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas will try to send him home unhappy Monday night.
For the second straight game, Kansas meets a coach that helped craft its basketball history. Saturday
—Edited by Sasha Roe
MEN'S BASKETBALL
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Team, coaches all smiles after Final Four victory
Jon Goerina/KANSAN
"It feels good to be here," he said.
A HECK OF A WEEK
Last Sunday, he led Kansas to a victory against Davidson to make it to his first Final Four in five tries. Self followed that up with a victory against North Carolina in the semifinal against former KU coach Roy Williams. Both of those accomplishments likely earned him more favor with Kansas fans.
Self wants to do more than enjoy the ride. He sat in the upper deck when the Jayhawks won in 1988 and knows how much it would mean for the program to win another one after so many close calls. Self's not overly worried about pleasing the fans, though.
You can't accomplish much more than Bill Self has in the last few days.
"People correlate passion and caring to pressure," he said. "To be real candid with you, I don't feel it that way. I think from a fan base, I've said this before, we have the most realistic unrealistic fans around. Not everybody can say that at a high-profile place."
Kansas coach Bill Self answers questions during the team's press conference Sunday afternoon at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Self led the Hawks to the championship game in his first trip to the Final Four.
Assistant coach Danny Manning was selected for the 2008 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class. Manning is the University's all-time leading scorer and led the Jayhawks to the national championship in 1988.
MANNING INDUCTION
Start at kansan.com/bracketblowout
When Self thinks of Manning, he thinks of his unselfish attitude.
"For a guy that's done what he's done," Self said, "he has absolutely no ego. If I'm a parent of a recruit, and they have a chance to sit down and visit with him, he can share with them so many life experiences. I don't know, they may not pick us, but what an advantage it is to
have somebody that could mentor your son or your grandson in a way because he's taken every step that you can dream to take."
Along with Manning, Charles Barkley, Arnie Ferrin, Billy Packer, Jim Phelan, Nolan Richardson and Dick Vitale were selected for the Hall of Fame.
DON'T JUDGE
"The biggest misconception has nothing to do with basketball," Douglas-Roberts said. "It's us as people. They don't really know us, and they tend to judge based on how we look, how many tattoos or whatever. They don't see the real people."
Chris Douglas-Roberts and his teammates know they're getting enough respect for the basketball they play. He just doesn't think people see them in the right light off the court.
ROOMIES!
Back in their high school days, Brandon Rush and Memphis' Shawn Taggart were roommates at Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina. Last night, after their games, Rush said they talked about getting together and hanging out during the summer.
Edited by Matt Hirschfeld