Kansas’ Self would like to win plane trip

By Gary Bedore     Mar 18, 2004

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self, who boarded a roomy charter bus at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, is used to highway travel this time of year.

“It’s our fourth bus trip in a row,” said Self, whose Jayhawks were headed to the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., home base for KU’s traveling party during this weekend’s NCAA Tournament action in K.C.

“Our first year at Illinois we drove to Dayton, the second year Chicago and the third year Indianapolis. Those are all bus trips (from Champaign, Ill.). … Hopefully we’ll go far enough in the tournament we’ll have to fly.”

A win over Illinois-Chicago at 8:55 p.m. Friday at Kemper Arena and a win over either Pacific or Providence at 3:50 p.m. Sunday would guarantee KU a spot in the Sweet 16 and a short charter flight to nearby St. Louis.

Two wins there and KU would head to San Antonio for the Final Four.

Wednesday, Self was content to sit back and relax for the short drive.

“What this does is make you realize your time together as a team is limited,” Self said. “From this time forward, you just want to extend it as long as you possibly can.

“Tomorrow is the exciting day, because you wake up, eat, practice, go back to the hotel and watch everybody else play before the press conferences and shootaround.”

The Jayhawks will practice at an undisclosed location this morning, then, after watching tourney games, hold an open practice from 6 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. at Kemper.

Self, whose players had a nice dinner at a K.C. restaurant Wednesday night, had his players in their rooms shortly after the meal.

He brought his players to K.C. Wednesday because of St. Patrick’s Day.

“It’s not important to keep them away from Lawrence. It’s important to keep them away from distractions,” Self said. “It’s St. Patrick’s Day everywhere. I think it’s a big party night. Most Wednesday nights in Lawrence are pretty dull by college students’ standards. I think tonight will be a little more lively than others.

“I’m not concerned about our guys as much as innocent people wanting to hang around them, coming by, knocking on the doors.”

  • Health improves: All of the Jayhawks’ walking wounded practiced on Wednesday.

“Today we had 15 minutes where everybody practiced,” Self said. “That’s something to write about right there.”

Keith Langford (knee) was able to practice 15 to 20 minutes. The rest of the injured Jayhawks went longer, including Wayne Simien (groin), Bryant Nash (foot), David Padgett (foot), J.R. Giddens (foot), Jeff Graves (knee) and Jeff Hawkins (back).

“It’s not going to be good the rest of the season,” Self said of the team’s health. “I would say it’s fair. When the adrenaline gets going, sometimes fair becomes good.”

  • Blurry-eyed: Self said he had acquired 10 tapes of UIC basketball games. He said had studied seven of them and associate head coach Norm Roberts watched at least that many.

“They are good — tough and quick,” Self said of the Flames.

  • If the slipper fits: Illinois-Chicago coach Jimmy Collins isn’t so sure his team is a “Cinderella” team in the NCAA Tournament.

“It is my understanding you are not a Cinderella until you win a few of them. We’ve not won anything yet,” Collins said.

“We’re just a team that fought hard to get into the NCAAs,” he added of the Flames, who went 24-7 in the regular season and won the Horizon Conference Tournament. “If we win a few, then we fall in the status of Cinderella.”

  • Downs’ dad a KU fan: Kansas is the leader in recruiting for Micah Downs, a 6-foot-8, 185-pound prep junior shooting guard from Bothell, Wash.

Downs is considering KU, UConn, Michigan State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Washington State.

“I really want Micah to attend the University of Kansas, but that is a decision he is going to make,” Downs’ dad, Steve, told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com.

“I would like to see Micah attend Kansas for a variety of reasons, but one being that they produce NBA players. I also had a grandfather that was born in Kansas in 1885, so it has always been my school. Wilt Chamberlain was my hero growing up, so I have always followed Kansas basketball and been a fan of the program.”

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