14B
Monday, March 10, 1997
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk...KU!
Roy has smile of champion
Never before have we seen so much of Roy Williams teeth.
Near-perfect regular season has Williams and Jayhawks grinning into tournament
The man who has the winningest team of the 1900's never had dared smile as much as he has this season.
In the previous eight years, people
have watched the Kansas bench, waiting to see when Roy would flash a smile.
Often he would wait until the final buzzer sounded or at least until there was one minute on the clock and he knew his team had the game won.
On sure, might have smiled occasionally. Like when he was joking with an official or one of his players did something unbelievable. But never before did Roy smile like he has this season.
Oh sure. he
Roy smiled when a player missed a dunk. He smiled when one of his players was called for a foul. He smiled when the Jayhawks committed a turnover.
Maybe Roy knows something.
Roy even had the audacity to smile when his team was down—by 15 no less.
There are stories of how Kentucky coach Rick Pitino smiled more last
The year before, even UCLA coach Jim Harrick was known to smile more than usual. There is one story of how, when his team was down by 12, he actually told a joke during a time out.
season. His players and assistants all said that Pitino, known as a demanding person, wore an unusual smirk
That year, his UCLA team won the national championship.
Some say that those years Pitino and Harrick knew something. They couldn't prove it, but they felt it.
Pitino's team won the national championship last season.
That's why they could smile.
Roy says he doesn't know anything about his totoier self. His team is on a mission, he says, and they are trying to have fun.
Maybe that's why Roy can smile.
So far they have done both, which gives Rover a reason to smile.
But the next two weeks may be filled with less smiling from Roy. Now is when concentration and seriousness are key.
The players say they don't notice anything different about their coach. The same old Roy, they claim.
A No. 1 national ranking. A school-best regular-season record of 29-1. Wins against Cincinnati, UCLA, and California. The first-ever Big 12 Conference title. It's enough to make anyone smile.
This is the part of the season that counts.
This is supposed to be the year.
Six seniors. Raef LaFrentz, the Big 12 Player of the Year. Jacque Vaughn, all around good guy. Jerod Haase, all around scrappy guy. Paul Pierce and Billy Thomas, extraordinary shooters.
Through all of this, Roy has shown his down-home grin. The more Roy smiles, the more the fans have smiled.
These are the weapons that win titles and this season they are supposed to earn the trophy.
If he can't do it this year, when will he do it? That will be the question heard around the state.
But now, in the minds of fans
Right or wrong, fans will judge this season by how it ends. Fans want to see Roy smiling with the championship net around his neck.
everywhere, if Kansas cannot complete the mission, there will be little reason to smile.
If they don't, it will not take long to wine the smile of Roy's face.
This is supposed to be the year.
But for now, Roy will keep smiling. He knows the pressure because he's been here before. He knows the expectations because he has helped perpetuate them. Roy, more than anyone, knows what is supposed to happen at the end of this month.
They have told Roy about the smile. So Roy is smiling more this year because he knows that his team is the best. Now he just has to prove it.
He has probably talked to Pitino and shot the breeze with Harrick. And he does know some guy named Dean Smith at North Carolina. They probably have talked.
And maybe, just maybe, when the final game of the season is played on March 31, Roy Williams will get to flash the biggest smile of the season.
God knows he has had enough practice.
The following is poem sent to the Kansas sports desk about the Kansas men's basketball team.
1996-97 Jayhawks
Jacque Vaughn has got the point
Life is best when one travels the road less traveled
Yet, if I might assist
Life is yours, when you create your own path
Jerod Haase, Mr. Hustle of B-Ball With broken wrist and a competitors fire
He leads in floor burns Defining heart and desire
Scot Pollard, with painted nails and
Paul Pierce drives the baseline smooth speed and power With an inner quiet and strength He hits a 3 or flows in for the jam
Elvis sideburns
Leads the defense inside the paint
With the intimidation, blocks and rebounds
The Great White Rodman Hope?
Rael LaFrentz at power-forward
With the turn around jumpers
and monster tomahawk jaws
KU's first left-handed All-American?
KU heads into March Madness
With Ryan and Billy hitting 3's
With B.J. and T.J. hitting the boards
With Nicky and the walk-ons
Led by a good man
Led by a great coach
This 96-97 team
Can be Roy's dadgum best?
Playing as a true team With poise and confidence With determination and a common goal The national championship is within your grasp
Seize it!
And never let it go.
'Hawks make it so
Don Burns Wichita senior
Can't
dribble with his left hand, hit a freethrow or touch the net.
Can
eat pizza, drink beer and go to the College Basketball Finals.
If he can do it, so can you. Just come to Old Chicago. Enter to win a trip for two to the Finals in Indianapolis. It's not about skill, it's all about luck. And everybody's got the talent for that.
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