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2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Kansas basketball notebook

By Gary Bedore

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2007-08 March 28 KU-Nova Hoops

Collins has tonsillitis, too: Sherron Collins' left knee felt fine Friday night.

The rest of his body did not.

"Sherron wasn't himself today, you could see that," KU coach Bill Self said after the Jayhawks' 72-57 Sweet 16 victory over Villanova at Ford Field.

"He caught what Rod had, the tonsillitis," Self added of Rodrick Stewart, afflicted last week in Omaha, Neb. "Sherron didn't go to the (afternoon) shootaround, was in bed all day. I was glad to have him out there."

Collins finished with four points, four assists, three turnovers and two steals in 21 minutes.

"I've got a little head cold," Collins said. "I don't have the flu, just a cold."

¢ Davidson next: KU will meet 29-6 Davidson, a team that has won 25 straight games, in the Elite Eight.

"They are one of the hottest teams in the country. They are good," Self said.

"They've got good guards, a great team. They are really hot right now," Brandon Rush noted. "I think they are good, but I think this is our year. We want it for our coach, our seniors, everybody. I want to get there once and see what it's like."

¢ So close: Self has taken KU to three Elite Eights in five seasons. He was asked about some of the players saying he wanted it even more than they did.

"I would say it's probably very fair to say," Self said with a smile. "It's not the reason I want to win. I want to win for the players, the program, the school, fans, everybody. We've been close. You guys (media) will do a great job documenting that. We feel it's our time. (Yet) nobody will give you anything. You've got to take it."

¢ KU's road: The Jayhawks have defeated No. 16 Portland State, No. 8 UNLV and No. 12 'Nova, with No. 10 Davidson remaining in the way of a Final Four bid.

"It's my senior year. We're close and really want to get there. UCLA stopped us last year. We think we learned some things from that game that can help us get there now. I think we're hungry," Russell Robinson said.

¢ Stuck with nowhere to go: KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony and KU radio legend Max Falkenstien were stuck on a Dearborn Hyatt Regency elevator for 40 minutes Friday. No KU players had similar problems at the hotel.

¢ Roy recalls: Former KU coach Roy Williams' North Carolina Tar Heels meet former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals today for a spot in the Final Four.

Williams was asked Friday about KU's 150-95 victory over Pitino's UK team on Dec. 9, 1989, in Allen Fieldhouse. That was the game in which Pitino flashed Williams an obscene gesture late in the game when Williams asked Pitino if he wanted him to call timeout to help Pitino's short-handed team take a breather.

"I think he only had about eight guys, but they kept pressing, and we kept running through it," Williams said. "And he had some guys foul out, and it was a fortunate day for us and an unfortunate day for them. But it was wild. I hadn't been involved in anything like that. But it has absolutely nothing to do with tomorrow's game. It had nothing to do with our game we played them at Rupp the next year, except it's the only time I've been booed by 24,000 people in harmony (during UK victory). As many games as Rick and I have coached it's way, way down the list right now."

Of the obscene gesture, Williams said: "Rick and I have talked about that. It was unfortunate things and probably my fault more than anybody's, but we've had discussions many years ago about that and put it behind us. We've played golf together. He was the first guy that got me on Shadow Creek in Vegas, so I owe him one big-time because I haven't been able to do anything like that for him. But when we played out there it was me and Rick and Gene Keady and Nolan Richardson and, I have zero, zero problems with Rick. The only thing I have for Rick is a great deal of respect, and I mean that sincerely."

KU Basketball

Comments

yates33333 (anonymous) says...

No point in suggesting the LJW forget about Roy. Do as I, just don't read the s**t.

March 29, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...

Why would you want to forget about Roy? He gave us 15 or so years of great basketball with good kids. If you can't deal with that then you aren't really a KU fan.

March 29, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

dagger108 (anonymous) says...

I'm sure that yates is a real, and real passionate KU fan, but that he senses and deals with things differently than you do KC. No need to demean him. If he doesn't want to read about an ex-coach, that is fine.

I liked the line one guy made a while ago, that Roy is like an ex-girlfriend. There are some relationships that are just too hard to deal with, and others where the 2 can be very plutonic. In this case, every KU fan had their own relationship with Roy, in whatever form it took, and everyone has the right to their own experience of it. Sometimes it is a bit odd to have their feelings expressed vivdly on a public forum, but again that is they right to expression.

Glad that you are able to remember fondly the 15 years. I'm probably somewhere in between, but mostly gratful that we have Coach Self. I think we're miles ahead in the game now and for the next umpteen years.

March 29, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

mcrozb (anonymous) says...

I agree dagger, Bill self is perfect for us and i think he will get us a championship eventually, lets hang in there and support him.

My thoughts on Roy: sure it was heartbreaking leaving the way he did, but everybody needs to remember one thing- KU made Roy Williams, Roy didn't make KU.

Rock Chalk !!

March 29, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kc_wildfire (anonymous) says...

dagger...

I agree with you that everyone has their own take on Roy, which is the way it should be, but to say forget about Roy is plain wrong.

Whatever your stance is...begrudge, get over it, or forgive...but never forget.

March 29, 2008 at 10:06 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

63Jayhawk (anonymous) says...

I enjoyed the article. I enjoyed watching the Jayhawks play when Roy was coach. He is a big part of KU basketball history, and he always will be. I didn't like it when he left or the way in which he left, but I'm glad he came to KU to coach. He did a fantastic job. Roy's UNC team is an important part of this tournament, and it is completely appropriate that articles like this one be written here at this time.

Roy had an opportunity to build a great, great, long lasting record at KU. He is and will be recognized as a great basketball coach, but his reputation will NEVER be what it would have been had he stayed at KU.

I'm not glad that Roy left, but I am very glad that Bill Self is now KU's basketball coach. Bill Self is off to a great start at KU. He is now the one with the opportunity and likelihood of establishing that great, long term, record at KU.

Roy is doing all of the Jayhawk nation a great favor by keeping UNC in the tournament, on a collision course with Bill Self's Jayhawks. What a great opportunity for a very enjoyable victory in the final four!!

March 29, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

hawk_bred20 (anonymous) says...

dagger...

Very well said.

As for the great debate between Self and Roy that everyone loves having so much. It's easy. Roy was great for us for 15 years. Self is going to end up having the court, gym, or some other piece of Allen Fieldhouse named after him. He is 45 years old and is going to have a legacy here that no one could ever dream of. Bill Self will go down as the greatest Ku coach ever by the time he is done. I'm very confident of that. So everyone gets what they want I believe.

Let's take care of business tomorrow and Rock Chalk!

March 29, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

LAJayhawk5 (anonymous) says...

BRANDON RUSH: DUNKS SO FUNKY, THEY COME WITH A SPEEDSTICK!!!!!!!!!!

March 29, 2008 at 11:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

cklarock (anonymous) says...

I agree with hawk_bred20. Bill Self is among the absolute top-flight of coaches -- a very, very small fraternity that also includes our former coach.

KU is the best coaching job in the country, and the perfect venue for Self to realize his ambition.

March 29, 2008 at noon ( | suggest removal )