Thursday, January 3, 2008

Gary Bedore’s KU hoops notebook

By Gary Bedore

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KU weak down low

The Kansas men's basketball team continues its streak of perfection after a recent 86-53 win over Yale on Saturday. Yet as the Jayhawks take to the road for their last nonconference trip of the season, things could be better down low on the low block for the Kansas men.

There's a touching Christmas story for all the world to see currently playing on the popular Internet site YouTube.com.

And it involves Kansas University basketball.

Click the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vThhJv8s0T4&NR=1 and you'll view "Hunter's Phone Call" - a 2 minute, 44 second video clip of KU coach Bill Self's cell communication with 9-year-old Salina native Hunter Watson.

In the clip, Self both encourages Hunter, whose 7-year-old sister, Chloe, died on Oct. 17, and invites him to attend next Tuesday's KU-Loyola game with seats behind the bench at Allen Fieldhouse.

The expressions on Hunter Watson's face during the Dec. 10 call - and comments in his exchange with Self - are telling to say the least.

"I can't believe it. I'm talking to the coach that has a team ranked 3 in the country!" young KU fan Watson exclaimed speaking on speakerphone with Self, piano music in the background.

"We've got some work to do. We've got to get to No. 1, don't we?" Self asked the fourth grader at Coronado School.

"Yep," Watson responded.

Suffice it to say, Hunter Watson accepted Self's invitation to attend the Loyola game and will be on hand with his mom, Heidi Feyerherm, who posted the clip on You Tube.

It'll be Hunter's first game in the Fieldhouse.

"It's been a really hard year. For Hunter, this type of thing is priceless," said Feyerherm. "He had no idea. It (phone call) was quite the surprise for him. Hunter felt pretty special. I joked with him about how Bill Self was his friend now. We'll be talking about KU and I'll say, 'Maybe Bill will call and you can talk to him.'''

She's most grateful to both Self and Blue Beacon, a company that adopted Heidi's family for Christmas and contacted Self, who also provided Hunter with a basketball autographed by all of KU's players.

"He (Self) mentioned something about letting Hunter shoot baskets with the team. We're hoping to stand next to some players," Heidi Feyerherm added, realizing the Jayhawks will tower over Hunter, who "is a pretty much a sports nut. He'll tell you the score from the (KU) games three years ago."

Hunter said Wednesday his first reaction to Self's call was: "Is this true?"

He added that he had "no clue" what would be in store for him in attending his first KU game, but indicated Sasha Kaun, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers were players he'd most like to meet.

Hunter and his mom did have a Merry Christmas.

"It was good. It was different," Heidi said of the Christmas without Chloe.

And they'll have a memorable Jan. 8.

"We look forward to meeting you. Promise me you'll do well in school," Self said on the memorable phone call. "Will you do that?"

"Yes," Hunter responded quickly.

¢

BC improves to 10-2: KU next will meet Boston College at 11 a.m., Central time, Saturday at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The Eagles improved to 10-2 on Wednesday by thumping Longwood, 81-52. Junior guard Tyrese Rice led the way with 24 points.

Freshmen Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji had 14 and 11 respectively, while senior Tyrelle Blair contributed 10 in the Eagles' victory.

¢

Unbeaten ... so far: KU is trying to become 14-0 for the first time since 2004-05. The best start in school history is 22-0 in 1997-98.

Comments

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

As great a gesture as this is, why would a mom post a touching and rather personal phone call from Self on the internet?

January 3, 2008 at 7:46 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

geniusmannumber1 (anonymous) says...

Why not?

January 3, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DrPepper (anonymous) says...

to share with friends and relatives.... even the kid's classmates. Youtube isn't just for porn.

January 3, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

If someone wants to share with friends and relatives, then send the video to the friends and to the relatives. Set up an online account with any of the hundreds of photo/video sharing sites and give friends and family the passwords. Some things weren't meant for the ears of the masses. Intimate details of a philanthropic project by Self would qualify, in my opinion. A good deed is its own reward.

January 3, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

lalawguy (anonymous) says...

Kansas went 22-0 in the 1996-97 season, not 97-98. I remember because that was my senior year at KU! KU lost its only regular season game (No. 23) to Mizzou in double-overtime, also the only road trip to Missouri that I ever attended.

The next season the Jayhawks also did well in the regular season, but did not start 22-0. They had early non-conference losses at Maryland and Hawaii.

January 3, 2008 at 10:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

byron (anonymous) says...

lj scooped by reader!

January 3, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

martyks (anonymous) says...

Was there anything that would embarrass Hunter about that phone call, either now, or in the future? What a load of caca to question why it would be posted. The mom was proud. Her boy talked to the coach. Go question something more questionable, or get a life. We certainly wouldn't want a story like this to get out. Think of all the awful things others will do, now that they know about it. Good Lord... why hide it? I'm awed by how ridiculous some idiots can be.

January 3, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

siliconhybrid (anonymous) says...

Hi Gary,

Could you come up with your own material, instead of stealing news from phog.net ?

a couple months ago you took the "CG Giles debut" story, last month you took "Self's 80% win". And now this "Self phone call" story?

I wonder how much you got paid for plagiarizing other's story and publish it to LJW.

January 3, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUFan90 (anonymous) says...

I wish there really WAS porn on Youtube...

January 3, 2008 at 2:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

tis4tim (anonymous) says...

martyks,

You can have your opinion without making personal attacks on someone who voices theirs. Then again, ad hominem attacks are the only resort for those to whom "Get a life" continually serves as a meaningful reply. I am awed at how often some "idiots" will still use that response despite how trite and stale it is.

I said nothing to the effect that Hunter would be embarrassed by anything now or in the future. I, in fact, said that the whole incident was touching. I just don't think that direct quotes from the conversation are needed here. It can be written about as a feel good story, but what Self said to that little boy should remain theirs alone, in my opinion. It would be that much more special than airing it for the world to debase as you did my comment... in such brilliant fashion I might add.

January 3, 2008 at 2:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Hawklin (anonymous) says...

silicon - All those stories were also on KUsports messageboards. How could you tell he took them from phog?

January 3, 2008 at 4:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

CasperCorps (anonymous) says...

I'm a man, I'm thirty, but that story almost made me tear up.... I do think you shouldn't hype up doing a good deed though.. Regardless my prayers are with their family.... Rockem Hawks!!!

January 3, 2008 at 5:26 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

dagger108 (anonymous) says...

With all the stories about the stupid actions of some athletes, it is nice to see a story about a kind gesture. My guess is that the call/game helps brighten the days that Hunter's family misses Chloe, and that YouTube makes it all the bigger.

I'd be worried if I thought that it wasn't an authentic gesture by Coach Self. It is great to hear him repeatedly encouraging Hunter to do well in school, and even better to realize that a lot of other kids will hear "the coach of the number 3 ranked team in the nation" say that doing well in school is important.

For me, it didn't happen until I was a sophomore in HS, and even though Coach Reed didn't lead a nationally ranked team, he did change my life. Hopefully, someday Hunter and a lot of other kids will be able to view the YouTube video and comment on how it positively impacted their life.

Noble gestures create noble lives and are worth being recognized.

January 4, 2008 at 1 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kmarti49 (anonymous) says...

so im a jayhawk fan in arizona, and go to arizona state. caught a funny story about our old pal cj giles. he was starting now that he is playing, but was benched for the pac10 opener vs arizona b/c of disciplinary reasons. does this guy ever learn??

January 4, 2008 at 3:25 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

siliconhybrid (anonymous) says...

----Quote-------------------------
Posted by Hawklin (anonymous) on January 3, 2008 at 4:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

silicon - All those stories were also on KUsports messageboards. How could you tell he took them from phog?
--------------------------------------

Because those stories always came out 1 day or 2 days AFTER they were popularly discussed at the phog. Even if they were taken from KUsports message board, Bedore should never have plagiarized story materials from anywhere.... ok once in a while, but this is a pattern for Bedore for a long time. And this is not counting his rephrasing slant articles (though perhaps with Shay's permission).

January 4, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Funny... kmarti... there was actually something on this website about it... but I apparently missed it as well.

"We could have used C.J. tonight," Oregon State coach Jay John said, "but when you show up late for two practices it is a pretty easy call."

The only surprising thing about this is that no one can be surprised any more. One thing I really try as hard as I can to avoid doing is judging people.... no matter what their offense. I don't know their situation, their background... noone can truly put themselves in someone else's shoes, because they haven't been in them all the time. There's no telling how many mistakes we all might have made if we have a different background, different teachers, different environment, different experiences. Most importantly, it's not our job to judge. None of us are perfect enough to be able to criticize others for their faults... we should all be working on our own problems. In addition, judging someone is just not contructive. Pointing fingers and ridiculing someone isn't going to influence any real change. (See Giles)

All that being said....

Yes, CJ is such a jackass it's kind of depressing.

January 4, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

sgtjb123 (anonymous) says...

I'm with you, marty

January 4, 2008 at 10:49 p.m. ( | suggest removal )