THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008
SPORTS 3B
>> FINAL FOUR
Injury ends Stewart's season
Mindv Ricketts/KANSAN
Senior guard Rodrick Stewart gives post-game interviews in the Kansas locker room with his leg propped up. Stewart injured his right knee during practice Friday, which left him unable to play in the Final Four."It was hard to just be there watching my team,"Stewart said.
BY RUSTIN DODD
dodd@kansan.com
SAN ANTONIO — The chant started softly, dissolving into the vast space at the Alamodome.
Rodrick Stewart still heard it, and sitting behind Kansas' bench, his broken knee-cap elevated, Stewart broke
stewart broke down.
"Rodrick Stewart, clap, clap, clap-clap-clap."
The chant became louder and the tears more noticeable.
"That really touched me," Stewart said after the game.
dunk during Friday's open practice session at the Alamodome. But Stewart was still a part of Saturday night's victory against North Carolina.
"We did all that for him," junior guard Brandon Rush said about Kansas' 84-66 victory against North Carolina.
"Right when I was in the air, and I heard the pop, I was like, 'Ah man, I tore my ACL."
RODRICK STEWART
Senior guard
Stewart spent the game behind Kansas' bench with his right leg elevated.
Stewart, a senior guard, won't play for Kansas during the Final Four. Not after Stewart broke his knee cap while attempting a
The injury caused Friday
at the Final Four, normally a lighthearted day of open practices, to take a somber tone.
"Right when I was in the air, and I heard the pop, I was like,
'Ah man, I tore my ACL," Stewart said.
Then Stewart turned over and realized it was something different. He said he didn't feel the pain right away.
"Right when I turned over, the pain just hit me all at once," he said.
Stewart's injury will require surgery once he returns to Lawrence.
In some ways, Stewart's ghastly knee injury was reminiscent of 1988, when starter Archie Marshall was lost for the season with a knee injury. Marshall still suited up for the championship game against Oklahoma and was a source of inspiration for the 1988 champs.
Stewart said he thought the team rallied around his situation as well.
"Anytime stuff like that happens with our team, it just motivates us," Stewart said. "We've been through so much."
Edited by Daniel Reyes
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Rush not regretting return
Junior guard Brandon Rush answers questions during an afternoon conference at the Alamodome. Rush scored 25 points in the Final Four game against North Carolina.
BY MARK DENT
ndent@kansan.com
Jon Goering/KANSAN
SAN ANTONIO — After he ended any chances of a North Carolina comeback by scoring eight points down the stretch and completed yet another one of his great games this season, Brandon Rush looked into the Alamodome crowd to find his mom and grandma. He smiled.
Rush couldn't ask for anything better. He's one victory away from a national championship and playing the best ball of his career. It's not where the junior guard envisioned being after declaring for the NBA Draft last season, but he's happy where he's at.
"It definitely means the world to me," Rush said about this opportunity.
Those unexpected events brought Rush back to Kansas for his junior year. Instead of experiencing his first pro training camp in
Everyone's heard the Rush injury story by now. A dunk went horribly wrong last June. A knee popped. A NBA career had to be put on hold.
"You could just tell how bad he was feeling," senior forward Darnell jackson
he fall, he was rehabbing his knee for hours with Kansas' training staff, sometimes four times a day. It could get tough at times.
had just gotten better.
The same could be said for Rush. Before the season started, Self talked about how his player had to become a "new Brandon." He wanted Rush to rely less on his athletic ability and more on technique and fundamentals.
After struggling for much of the season to regain his athleticism, everything's started right for
"One time, I could remember watching him. He was in tears, just pushing, pushing, pushing."
DARNELL JACKSON Senior forward
said. "One time, I could remember watching him. He was in tears, just pushing, pushing, pushing."
Rush in the postseason. He scored 28 points against Texas A&M and 19 against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament and was named player of the tournament. His run has continued in
As much as it hurt Rush, Kansas coach Bill Self knew Rush's injury was a positive for the Jayhawks. Once Rush announced he was returning to school, Self called a meeting and told the them they
the NCAA Tournament. Rush is averaging about 16 points a game.
"His play has evolved this year in large part due to his health," Self said, "because he's gone from 80 percent to 90 percent to 95 percent, and now he's as close to whole as he's been. We're very proud of that, and the timing couldn't have been
better."
Rush's improved game was on full display against the Tar Heels. He scored 25 points despite missing five of his seven three-pointers. Instead of continuing to shoot from the outside, Rush changed his approach. He finally drove to the basket more often and finished consistently.
"It's big for me," Rush said, "but it's definitely big for us. In order for us to win, somebody's going to have to step up and make plays."
He'll get another opportunity to be the man for Kansas tonight. If the Jayhawks get the victory, Rush could easily be named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. He's also likely elevated himself into at least the last first round of this season's NBA Draft because of his postseason.
Rush may not have originally wanted to play for the Jayhawks this season, but sometimes things turn out differently for the better.
"Being here has been one of my main goals," Rush said. "This could be the perfect ending to a good story."
Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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