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Men's Basketball

Friday, July 23, 2010

Former Jayhawk Chalmers in town to give back

By Gary Bedore

Former Kansas University teammates Russell Robinson, left, and Mario Chalmers talk about Chalmers’ sprained left ankle before a mixer/auction to benefit breast cancer research on Thursday at the Oread Hotel. Chalmers is hosting his National Championship Golf Classic today at Alvamar.

Photo by Richard Gwin

Former Kansas University teammates Russell Robinson, left, and Mario Chalmers talk about Chalmers’ sprained left ankle before a mixer/auction to benefit breast cancer research on Thursday at the Oread Hotel. Chalmers is hosting his National Championship Golf Classic today at Alvamar.

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Clutching a pair of crutches, Mario Chalmers climbed out of an SUV in front of The Oread Hotel at 6 p.m. Thursday, eager to join 150 or so guests at a mixer/auction to benefit cancer research.

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Oread holds pre-tournament mixer

Members of the 2008 national championship team were at the Oread Hotel Thursday to take part in a mixer event. Mario Chalmers was among the attendees for the pre-National Championship Classic event.

“My family and I want to give back. A lot of people out there are struggling with breast cancer. It’s something that affects a lot of people,” said Chalmers, who today hosts the second-annual National Championship Golf Classic at Alvamar.

“I consider Alaska my home because I was born there. This is my home away from home,” added former KU guard Chalmers, third-year combo guard with the NBA’s Miami Heat. He suffered a high-ankle sprain playing pick-up basketball on July 12 and is expected to be in a cast a couple more weeks.

“I feel good,” he said. “I’m trying to get my ankle right and get back on the court.”

He’ll be playing with the threesome of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the 2010-11 campaign.

“I look forward to talking to them once the season gets closer,” Chalmers said. “I don’t have an NBA ring. I need one of those to go with my Jayhawk ring. Hopefully we can get one.”

Chalmers was joined at Thursday’s mixer by four other players from the 2008 NCAA title team: Russell Robinson, Matt Kleinmann, Brennan Bechard and Brady Morningstar. Brandon Rush, Darnell Jackson and Darrell Arthur have said they’ll be in town for the golf today.

“It’s good to be back seeing teammates and enjoying each other. That was a long three weeks,” former KU point guard Robinson said of his summer league stint in Orlando with the Indiana Pacers and in Las Vegas with the NBA Development League all-stars.

Robinson said he hasn’t heard official word whether he’d be invited to Pacers’ training camp.

“I’d say there’s an 80 percent chance I’ll be somewhere in Europe next year,” Robinson said.

Back to No. 15

Mario Chalmers gave his OK for NBA phenom James to wear his jersey No. 6 next season.

“I always wanted to go back to 15,” Chalmers said of his number at KU and in high school. “I started at 15. That’s my number.”

No. 15 wasn’t available his first two years in Miami.

Perhaps James will be willing to pay a little penalty, say pick up the tab at dinner in exchange for the number?

“We haven’t talked about it yet. We are going to get to that once everybody gets back to Miami,” Chalmers said.

KU to play Buckeyes

KU's basketball team will begin a two-year home-and-home series with Ohio State starting in the 2011-12 season, KU senior associate athletic director Larry Keating said Thursday. The Buckeyes would play at KU in ’11-12, with KU returning the game to Columbus, Ohio, the following season.

Keating said the signed contract hadn’t been returned yet, but both schools had agreed to play. An OSU official told the Columbus Dispatch the series had been scheduled.

KU will be traveling to the Maui Invitational in 2011 and also will play at the University of Southern California. Keating said the Jayhawks likely would be looking for just one more marquee game that nonconference season, likely to be played in Allen Fieldhouse.

Recruiting

Future KU player Zach Peters is not at this week’s Hoop City Classic in K.C. Rivals.com reports the 6-foot-9 Plano, Texas, native suffered a concussion at the James camp and is out a couple weeks. ... Perry Ellis, a 6-8 junior from Wichita Heights, received a scholarship offer from Texas A&M on Thursday, his family reported. He’s considering KU, Kansas State, Memphis and several others.

Comments

  1. Otownhawker (anonymous) says…

    Call me crazy, but Chalmers looks a little bit like Ludacris.

    1. KU (anonymous) replies…

      Hmmmm...........you never see Mario and Ludacris together..........think about it.

    2. kustrong (anonymous) replies…

      I thought Jay-Z when I first saw the pic.

      1. BoulderHawk (anonymous) replies…

        That is ludicrous , He looks like Mario.

  2. VegasJhawk09 (anonymous) says…

    LOL! thats funny

  3. kustrong (anonymous) says…

    I know this is off topic, but I have a question about ticket sales. If I am out of state, am I only able to purchase tickets online? I've done it for years and end of having to go to stubhub and get raped. Last year I spent $200 on two tickets and was in the very last row next to a support beam. Is there a better way?

    Rock Chalk

    1. kcmostwanted (anonymous) replies…

      ku strong..... Craigslist??

    2. gchawk (anonymous) replies…

      kustrong: There were a few times we couldn't go to a game so we "donated" them back to the school. That way we get credit for the tickets being used and the school in turn sells them through the university. Contact the athletic department and ask them about purchasing "turned in" tickets, they're suppose to be available on a first come, first serve basis.

    3. areyouserious (anonymous) replies…

      kustrong,
      just show up for any non-conference week day game and you can find tickets laying around everywhere. There have been many times when we couldnt give our tickets away, just so somebody would use them and we get credit for them being used. This is a much cheaper alternative to snubhub. Obviously if you want a premium game, you are gonna pay premium prices.

  4. OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says…

    kustrong..

    1] ...ask Tyrell Reed's sister out on a date.
    2] ...have a longtime, super-generous friend with a high Williams Fund ranking. [My personal favorite]
    3]....all the really good contacts are no longer in the ticket office.
    4]....make an offer to a couple of students [It'll cost you but surely less than $200]
    5] ...send two kids to KU and use their tickets[ of course, that will cost way more than $200]
    6]....ignore items #1 thru #5 and call the Kansas ticket office and discuss options.

    To quote a favorite line from "Taken"......."good luck". :]

    1. plasticJHawk (anonymous) replies…

      they scan student IDs for student tickets. Started that in fall 2005 I think. So it makes it harder to use student tickets.

  5. Munich_Jayhawk (anonymous) says…

    You dudes are losers.

    1. jaybate (anonymous) replies…

      Maybe in Munchen too long, ja? :-)

      Getting those old Farben, Krupp blues?

  6. oxcaljayhawk (anonymous) says…

    Aside from Wade, Chalmers is the only one on the Heat that ever won anything. If I were a Miami fan, I'd want Chalmers taking the last shot rather than James.

    1. jaybate (anonymous) replies…

      Yup.

    2. VegasJhawk09 (anonymous) replies…

      Plus, Chalmers is Mr Clutch.

    3. approx (anonymous) replies…

      How about Haslem?

      1. approx (anonymous) replies…

        Winning something I mean... he was on that 2006 team.

  7. jaybate (anonymous) says…

    "Some Other Ways to Get Better Tickets:"

    ~Wear a ski mask and brandish a Walther PPK when approaching the ticket window.

    ~Fly a high-jacked commercial jet toward the Williams Fund building.

    ~Call up an Assistant Athletic Director from a Seattle telephone number and say, "My name is Bill Gates and I want to become a Jayhawk basketball booster."

    ~Have a woman friend call Lew Perkins and pretend to be HHS Sec. Kathleen Siblelius, then have her say in a hammy Viennese accent, "Ja, Guten morgen, Herr Perkins. Eich bin ein Lawrencer. (pause for chuckles) Da next Friends of Bilderberg conference ist en Lawrence. May I have som gut tickets, ja?"

    ~Hint that you may post photos of AD Lew Perkins snapped by Annie Leibowitz for a shelved Playgirl pictorial titled "Athletic Directors of Division One;" then say, "Just kidding."

    ~Hint that you may post photos of Chancellor Bernie snapped by Helmut Newton for a shelved Playboy pictorial titled "Chancellors of Division One;" then say, "Just kidding."

    ~Subtly suggest you will go on Dr. Phil and divulge the exact cost of the huge easy chairs in front of the players' lockers, if you are not given seats within ten rows of Dick Vitale's shiny head.

    ~Phony up some Secret Service stationary and send a note to KUAD reading, "The Hawaiian Jayhawk wants Oregon State scheduled and he wants two of the best seat in the house. He's sick of listening to his brother-in-law's trash talkin'."

    ~If all else fails, give generously and wait your turn.

    (Note: The above is entirely satirical fiction, i.e., none of it is true, and it is expressly intended for the sole entertainment of kusports.com board rats. All malice is intentionally absent. And copying, pasting, and digital and/or non-digital reproduction and dissemination of this particular content probably depends entirely on who has deep enough pockets to impose their wills legally through lawyers that ought to be doing something more constructive with their double-billed time than worrying about this post.)

  8. jaybate (anonymous) says…

    Judging from the picture above, Mario Chalmers has discovered the weight room and dietary supplements.

    OMG!

    He looks like he played for Izzo.

    1. ralster (anonymous) replies…

      Oversize shirt? (imho) Robinson looks a little more filled out, too.

  9. UncleMiltyN (anonymous) says…

    He does look like he played for Izzo, but he doesn't look like he "dribbled down in VA"
    I think he did get caught herbin em with Arthur though....

    Sorry. The Jay-Z comparison and the Izzo reference confused me.

    1. Clydecito (anonymous) replies…

      I thought it was Beasley's, who was hidin' in the closet and who also brought the 'chicks'.

  10. alexwishawk (anonymous) says…

    you are all very welcome
    http://www.slcdunk.com/2010/7/23/1583...

  11. dynamitehawk (anonymous) says…

    "Rivals.com reports the 6-foot-9 Plano, Texas, native suffered a concussion at the James camp and is out a couple weeks"

    What happened? Did he get his shoelaces caught on the rim again, and take a digger on the hardwood? Did he put his head through the side of a moving locomotive? Was he bench pressing a refrigerator and it slipped? Was he demonstrating the Veritimax (plus two giant black balls) to Jenna Brantley, and bonk his noggin' with the giant black balls?

  12. jayhawks32 (anonymous) says…

    i was arguing sports with a 'bama fan last night. i need some ammunition for ku vs 'bama for the next time i run into him...

    1. dynamitehawk (anonymous) replies…

      Google Mike Price. Focus on "We're rollin' baby"

    2. BoulderHawk (anonymous) replies…

      I have always thought the "Red Tide" was a nasty disease.