yates33333 (anonymous) says...

I think the team of Manning, Dreiling, Thompson, Kellog, Hunter, and Marshall was an excellent team that didn't but should have won it all. They'd also give the 2008 team a good game as would the 1966 team. I think the one asset this year's team had that I haven't noticed as much in other teams was the players ability to shoot with someone pushing, shoving, pulling, hacking, grabbing, etc., at them. They didn't seem to be unnerved, ever.

April 18, 2008 at 6:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

carterpatterson (anonymous) says...

1986 and 1997 were special teams. Hightower cost us the Duke game in 86, but rightfully corrected the big shot of Memphis from 3 to 2 points this year.

Too bad the 3 point line was not around in 86. Pony and Kellogg were pure shooting machines.

April 18, 2008 at 7:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mvjayhawk (anonymous) says...

i'd say the '08 team was the best....school record for wins....most wins by an NCAA champion...and a #1 seed in the tourney.
the '52 team was pretty darn good....as far as the era goes. Sure, you play comparative ages, and it's probably not close with this year's group. That said, i don't think the '66 team would beat this year's team either. The kids are a lot stronger now, bigger and faster. it's just the way it is.
Bottom line: KU has had some great teams in the past....teams that could beat anybody in its era. And this year's team was probably the best of them all, because it DID beat everybody.

April 18, 2008 at 7:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Brock (anonymous) says...

"And this year's team was probably the best of them all, because it DID beat everybody."

Hey, the Hawks couldn't beat Sean Sutton's Oklahoma State squad...but they learned from that loss.

April 18, 2008 at 8:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

AzHawk97 (anonymous) says...

The '66 team sounds more than solid and I love this years champs, but I agree with those that brought up the '86 team. Special K with a 3 point would have been ridiculous. It's too bad the game against Duke in Dallas was such a sham. It prevented this team from getting a well deserved banner of their own.

April 18, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Phogfan86 (anonymous) says...

"Dandies?"

"Troupe?"

"Squadmen?"

Bill Mayer writes for the 75-to-dead demographic.

April 18, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

63Jayhawk (anonymous) says...

Phogan86,
Please leave the vitriolic stuff in your trash can. If you don't like to read Bill Mayer's articles, then don't.

April 18, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Jacobpaul81 (anonymous) says...

1986 was Kansas' best team. 4 players averaged double digit scoring: Manning, Thompson, Kellog and Dreiling and 6 averaged more than 7 points a game (sound familar?).

Kellog and Thompson were deadly shots, and in point guard cedric hunter, they had a point guard that was by the numbers, essentially, the first coming of Russell Robinson. They're almost identical. Cedric had a solid backup in Mark Turgeon, who was good for quality minutes.

Of course, they had the inside monster that was Danny Manning. People talk about the Points and Rebounds, and forget, in 86, Manning had 80 steals, 46 blocks, and 93 assists!

And they had depth. Manning's inside support include Greg Dreiling (11.6 pts per game and 45 blocks), Archie Marshall (7 pts a game), and Chris Piper (started 69 of the next 70 games for Kansas).

They weren't perfect. They lost it all thanks to foul happy Eddie Hightower. took Ced right out of that Duke game. but that was in the era before the great equalizer, the 3-pointer. Today, I doubt any college team in the country could field that solid an offensive and defensive basketball squad.

April 18, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...

the Sixties were the only decade that Kansas didn't have a Final Four appearance ...

If you see an interview with Jo Jo White, many years later, he's still mad - and who can blame him?

Kansas could have been the team to beat Kentucky, not Texas Western ...

*sigh*

April 18, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

speedy (anonymous) says...

63 jhawk. wisdom comes with age. some people have yet to achieve any. i agree with you. phog fan should be so lucky to live this long.
64 jhawk-speedy

April 18, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Studogg (anonymous) says...

Isn't it great to have a basketball heritage and tradition like this? Just the fact that we're even able to have this discussion is a testament to the program's greatness. I love the Jayhawks and always will. 2008 National Champions and 37-3 will be forever heralded as one of the greatest teams/seasons in our storied history.

This is an interesting discussion to banter about, but the bottom line is no matter how you slice it, the history of college basketball can always be linked back to the University of Kansas.

Whether or not the '08 squad is definitively the best ever, they gave us a National Championship and some of the best memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!! GO KU!!!

April 18, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

doctorWho (anonymous) says...

The Truth is 1997.

April 18, 2008 at 10:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

rockchalk80 (anonymous) says...

Keegan says: "That would be the 1966 unit with Ted Owens as coach and the incomparable Sam Miranda as the power behind the throne."

Here is the flaw in Keegan's argument -- not any player...but the coach... Ted Owens...in my mind would keep them from being our best team. 2008 are National Champs.. being a Champion is the first qualifier.

April 18, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

swjhawk (anonymous) says...

I was there for the '66 team and loved the team but Keegan misses the weaknesses. Al Lopes was a very inconsistent shooter (though as a 6'5" guard he led the team in rebounding) and Delvy Lewis is not the equivalent of Mario Chalmers (though he was a very good player and as a happy coincidence my daughter coached his daughter in middle school in basketball). Player by player comparisons are always fun to argue. I was never a fan of Owens' walk-it-up style of play (and it eventually got him fired because he couldn't recruit enough top players to that style). His last teams were painful to watch. Bill Self is a much better coach and the '08 team had the best on-court chemistry I've ever seen from a Hawks team.

April 18, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

BannerforKirk (anonymous) says...

Did Keegan write this article?

April 18, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dannyxo (anonymous) says...

I loved the '86 team. They seemed like they had the textbook example of everything you wanted at every position but Center. I did not think we would ever win again when Kellogg, Thompson, and Hunter graduated. 38 of 39 games had the same starting 5.

When Archie hurt his knee--Correction-- When DUKE hurt Archie's knee, it was the first time I cried over a sporting event.

I would love to see that team play this year's team. But the stats and the banners say this team was the best.

It depends how you look at it. Based on records and talent (except D Manning of course), I would say the '88 team was one of the worst we have had since the Ted Owens Era, but they won it all.

April 18, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

kcphantom (anonymous) says...

The 2008 team was definitely one for the ages.

I think the 1996-1997 team was pretty darn good as well. Aside from the OT free throw-fest at Mizzou, and the Arizona buzzsaw, they were pretty much unstoppable. 4 of the 5 starters went on to the NBA.

And let's not forget about the 2002-2003 team. Getting to the final game is impressive. Two lottery picks plus a couple other short term NBA players. Can you imagine how good Graves might have been with Manning as a full time asst coach?

April 18, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

Not only did the '97 team have four starters go to the NBA, but two went in the top 10 (and Pierce obviously should have gone much higher than that). So that team is certainly right up there. But as swjhawk points out, the chemistry of this team was incomparable, and I think that's what really sets it apart, even over teams that might have had a little more talent. And let's not forget the coaching of Danny (this is his first year coaching, right; before that he couldn't actually work with the players) and the great defense coached by Bill Self. As great as the '86 team was (and as amazing as they would have been with a 3-point line), I don't think their defense, especially from the guards, was close to the level of this team's defense. So I would rank this team at the top, slightly ahead of '97 and '03 (which didn't have quite the depth of this team), and a little more ahead of '86 (which also didn't have a lot of depth).

April 18, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

I wrote a comment a while back where I compared some of the great teams (88, 97, 03, and 08). I came up with a tournament style format, and attempted to guess at which team would win. In a face-off of the 88 and 08 teams, 08 won. Im not sure my logic held water, but sometimes people get the right answers to questions with the wrong rationale.

Point is, I DO think the 08 team would be hard to beat by any other Jayhawk team.

April 18, 2008 at 2:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

actorman,

I agree with your looking back assessment of the 97 team that Paul Pierce should have gone higher, and four picks overall. However, if you take that into consideration, you would have to say that Raef should probably not have been picked as high that year. Although his college career was great, his pro career doesn't really merit a top 10 pick.

I think this year's team would have beaten any team from the RW era simply because they would have defended until those teams wilted.

The only teams that would have given this squad trouble are the Wilt squads because of the nightmare one on one match ups with Wilt (really don't have anyone to defend him) and the 86 team with the 3 point line. The '66 squad would have had problems because they wouldn't have been able to overwhelm this team with athleticism and Jo Jo White, although great, would have had his hands full with the Collins-Robinson-Chalmers attack.

That more than anything is what set this years squad apart. We could throw so many guys at another team with little if any decline in production. The biggest problem we had all year was defending teams with big guys that could be effective outside of 17 feet. When our guards could funnel the other teams penetration into the jaws of Jackson/Arthur/Kaun/Aldrich we were extremely tough defensively. That is what would make the difference in a mythical historic battle.

April 18, 2008 at 3:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lrahardja (anonymous) says...

Never saw the 66 team on video to assess their skills. But it is fair to say that today's athletes are more athletic because of the expectation how the game should be played. For example, most sub 6 foot guards can dunk with ease, you don't see that back then. Today's game strategy clearly is much more complex as well. For example, I haven't seen much set-plays such as alley-oop with multi screens. The team defense seems to be more intense and physical, the game is definitely played at a much higher level that at times, it seems that it is fast forwarded.

As such, it would be too much to expect the 66 team will win in 7 games against the 08 team.

April 18, 2008 at 3:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

100 (anonymous) says...

1957. With an uninjured Wilt. Best ku team ever, though not deep and unfortunatey coached by harp. However, this years team, coached by self woulda gotten wilt into foul trouble and woulda beat them.

April 18, 2008 at 4:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

txrockchalk (anonymous) says...

It would be slapdash to not mention the basketeers from the 1922 and 1923 teams...

April 18, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

PhogFan, you're a jerk. Old people are worth something too, you know.

April 18, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jhox (anonymous) says...

I've seen all of the teams since '71. I've seen video's of the 66 team and 57 team. Wilt would have been the best player on any KU team at any time, even considering how much the game has evolved and skills have improved. He was simply a man among boys and a 1957 Wilt would still dominate in the 2008 game.

That having been said, I recently watched a video of the 86 team (who I thought at the time was the best KU team I had seen, and thought that until 1997.) Other than Danny, who would also have started on any KU team, the other guys were not nearly as impressive athletically as I remembered them being. Hunter had great speed and was a great defender, but no better than Russell. Dreiling wasn't as good as Sasha, let alone Shady or Darnell (I loved his hustle and the way he battled though--much like Aldrich, except Aldrich doesn't have hands of stone which was Dreiling's curse.) Calvin had nice hops for his body size (a bit heavy), but was nowhere near the defender that Self's guards are. Kellogg was a great shooter, but no way he would start in front of Mario or Brandon. The 2008 team would have their way with the 1986 team, despite Danny's greatness. Wesley and White had a great team in 1966 but let's be honest, guys didn't come in to college with the kind of experience and skills guys have these days. Back then a big man was lucky if he could dribble with his dominant hand, let alone his weak hand. I have no doubt Wesley and White would be among the best players in the country if they were coming out of high school today. Athletically there aren't many kids who would be their equals. But the style of play and general skill level in 1966 was nowhere near 2008 standards.

1997 is the only comparable team to 2008, and I give the edge to 2008 due to their overall defense. 1997 had a lot of NBA first rounders, not just starters but even guys like Ryan Robertson who was later, I believe, was a late a first rounder. If memory serves I think there may have been 7 eventual first rounders on that team.

April 18, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

cshaynes (anonymous) says...

So rich is our tradition that we have this great luxury to compare and contrast!

April 18, 2008 at 6:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

100 (anonymous) says...

if the vote is between '97 and 2008 (again u cant top a healthy wilt with inspired coaching, which harp was not, so i'll digress) it has to be '08 simply because of best ku D off all time and best all time coaching adjustments in close games. Not to mention manning scouting opponents for this team, along with chalmers dad reciting bible verses before games, just as Minister (dr) Naismith used to do every day at ku for 41 years. This team had the basketball gods on its side. Self's toughness policy/ philosophy would not have allowed a freshman group out 'tough' him., so the '97 team under self woulda been the first 40 win team in the history of the NCAA. He woulda turned that '57, '86, '97, not to mention that 2002 group into national champs. On top of that, recruits and wilt would have stayed to play 4 self and we woulda won it all in '58 and '59 on top of 1957.

April 18, 2008 at 8:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SacJayhawk (anonymous) says...

I think that if the '97 team had rolled through the tourney they way that they should have, this would be a much different discussion. As it happened, the '97 team was very talented, but ultimately not able to get the job done.

April 18, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

I honestly think that the old teams, while perhaps not as athletic, certainly played better as a team than teams generally do nowadays. Yes, the chemistry is great between the players on this 08 squad, but if you watch the 88 championship replay everything really seemed so much more in sync. Perhaps more "controlled". Honestly, i dont know if I buy this myself but this is what I THINK I think. I wish I was there to see those old teams play so I could know what I was talking about firsthand, but my sense is that physical ability is on the rise, while basketball IQ seems to be on the decline.

April 18, 2008 at 11:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

Is it that basketball ability is on the decline or has athletic ability become so overwhelming that those simple passes from before get tipped/stolen now. Did everything look more crisp because you knew that you could get the ball through that gap, whereas now that gap closes before you can even deliver the ball? I don't know the answer to that.

Maybe teams from before were more talented basketballwise. But there was a time when a 6-6 guy was a power post guy that never handled the ball. How would a guy like that handle someone like Darrell?

There was a time when guards passed the ball and shot jumpers. How would they handle a guy like Sherron going to the basket? What about the leaping ability of guys like Brandon? I don't know if its that athleticism has taken the place of basketball skills, or if the athleticism has just overwhelmed pure skill. There was a time when a guy like Tyler Hansborough would have been a sought after pro prospect for his dominance at the college level. Now people don't even know if he will be able to ever start in the pros.

The game has changed. I look back at teams from 20-30 years ago and I'm amazed at how small the players are, not just height wise, but weight wise. Mario is just as big as some of the bigger guards were in the 60s and 70s. He's a small guard by todays comparison.

In yesteryear, Wilt was amazing because no one (absolutely no one) of his size could run the floor like he did. Guys over 6-8 just didn't have that kind of speed and grace. Now, if you aren't over 6-11, you had better be able to get up and down the floor, or you won't last very long. Wilt would make more sense in this era than he did 50 years ago, because he wouldn't be the only big man that could actually move (Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, etc.)

Would that make a difference if those squads were to play? Who knows. I think the speed and across the board athleticism of todays players would give the players from yester year a lot of problems just trying to keep up.

April 18, 2008 at 11:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

100 (anonymous) says...

with the next year's recruiting class coming in, if mario and sherron stay, the best ku team ever could very well be the 2009 edition. Especially if self lands one more grand slam of a big man. Take a look at the sports illustrated cover. Look at the tallest man on the front row. That's Julian wright. I sure wouldn't want to see mario or sherron there next year, 'longing' to have 'not' left so early... Ironically, by the way, not only would Julian now have a national championship, but he would have been a top 5 pick. He would have made much more money by staying... All I'm saying is, wow 2009 will be a great team if they both stay!

April 19, 2008 at 12:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

100...

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I have to respectfully disagree. You potentially lose your two top scorers, and 4 of the top 6 from a team who some--including Danny--say is the greatest team to ever take the floor. But not only do you have to replace points, you have to replace CHEMISTRY. Russells gone. Darnells gone. Rush is gone. Sashas gone. Arthur is gone. These guys knew each other and all played at least two years together. Some of them FOUR. Yes, I know we have great talent coming in, but to say that in ONE YEAR these kids, never having dribbled once and James Naismith Court, can get it together and be the greatest to ever take the floor in Allen? *shaking my head incredulously*

I give you props for taking a position, but sometimes you can get yourself out there on a limb that you wish to crawl back off of.

They'll be good. But last year's standard is lofty indeed. Emphasis on "INDEED". Did you see the shot chart on the Memphis championship game? Almost everything came from inside. Aldrich has wide shoulders, but can he carry the weight of losing Arthur, Kaun, and Jackson (who all gave points, defense, fouls, minutes...). How do we duplicate the post presence from last year? Bill Self runs the high-low. Im not worried about the HIGH, but we're definitely going to have to shore up the LOW considering attrition in the post (interestingly, we had that problem with Wayne Simien in coach's first year...no depth at the post, and so he had to tailor the offense to what was available). Can the new bigs run the floor in transition? Can they fill the lanes and finish at the basket/ What WILL help make the 09 squad competitive will be the exhibition tour in Canada which will let them get their feet wet a little bit, the loss of major talent around the NCAA to the NBA, and veteran leadership in the backcourt especially if Mario stays. I still say you have holes versus last year and a motherload of unanswered questions having to do with chemisty and bigs development. Danny's gonna earn his salary next year, I'll tell you what!

April 19, 2008 at 1:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

I posted this once before but it didnt get through: 1966 was also the year Jim Ryan broke the WR in the 880. 1:44 and change. That year, one Daniel Ricardo Manning was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Gayle Sayers was in his second year in the NFL and we were 3 years ahead of an Orange Bowl appearance.

With Coach Selfs salary last year, he could have bought 56 brand new homes in 66, each selling for an average 23,300. A gallon of gas at 32 cents was 9 cents CHEAPER than a stamp today, 41 cents. That's TEN TIMES CHEAPER. Oh, a stamp then was a nickel.

April 19, 2008 at 1:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yates33333 (anonymous) says...

The person who said the 1966 team couldn't drive never saw JoJo White play college basketball.

As much as I hate to bring this up after many years, Wilt was not used properly by the coaching at KU. He often shot 10 to 13 feet from the basket. That changed in the pros.

I have seen every team since Charlie Black brought the ball up court and shot! Charlie was a great player but not good at passing the ball. He lacked experience.

Dean Kelley was an excellent defender and point guard in 1952. He'd rank with Cedric Hunter and Russell Robinson. Ced was a good defender. He just couldn't shoot foul shots.

Without a doubt Wilt is the single greatest player in KU history. That is saying something considering how many great players KU has had. My favorite was Bill Bridges, a man among boys. He needed a bit more support.

Despite Roy Williams' excellent KU record, and despite the fact that he is a great coach, KUs best coaches have been Larry Brown and Bill Self. The greatest man obviously was Phog Allen. I don't remember Naismith who was the creator of it all and had to be super. So maybe that makes him the greatest!?!

Last comment. Old men like basketball and enjoy reading excellent sports' columns like this one. So f u, the poster who didn't like this 75 to Dead rendition.

April 19, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wpjayhawk (anonymous) says...

Does anybody know if there is any video of the 1966 KU / Texas Western game? It was the first year I paid any attention to KU basketball, and, though the game was televised, my parents made me go to bed. I'd love to see a replay of Jo Jo White's "winning" shot and form my own opinion.

April 19, 2008 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

100 (anonymous) says...

U can get a glimpse of the hollywood version of jo jo's shot in the Texas western movie. Ted owens has a print of jo jo getting ready to jump with his feet inbounds. As for the comment about the 2009 team lacking chemistry and experience-- half of this comment is very valid. I said 2009 'could' be great, partially because we r bringing back so many guys who know what its like. Additionally, sherron could stay. Mario could stay. Darrel could stay. And the twins will be PHENOMENAL!!! And they r all about hard work. Do some reading on these guys, I can't believe we landed them. And with the two stellar juco players (who came from great systems), the lack of college experience is lessoned. This group will take a few weeks/ months to gel, but once they do... Watch out! They COULD bring home another ncaa national championship trophy next year! In short, next year's team COULD be awesome!

April 19, 2008 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yates33333 (anonymous) says...

I don't know about video, but there are still shots of White being pushed out-of-bounds and, of course, we know he made the basket. LJW should have copies of the newspaper that ran the photos. I don't know what newspapers you have access to, but most larger libraries have old copies on microfiche.

April 20, 2008 at 5:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Sparko (anonymous) says...

Jo Jo's shot was phenomenal. It was the greatest clutch shot I have ever seen. And it was waved off. Dribbling at the edge of the court, shooting with accuracy. That wave-off was an atrocity to the game.
The 86 Jayhawks were pretty good, but Cedric was never very good at perimeter shooting. He could drive with the best of them, but his free throws were always a challenge. The 2008 Jayhawks are the best team the school has ever had. Collins would have chewed his own leg off to get the winning basket. That desire, love for one another, and talent, is how a team comes back from 9-down against the most physically intimidating team in college basketball. The big stat of the NC was Kansas' free throw shooting--what? 15 of 16? Coach Self has learned so much since Moody missed those free throws in Columbia. The right players were on the court in clutch time. This was the best coached Jayhawk team, easily.

April 20, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

'08's bigs would have destroyed '66's bigs, so major edge to '08 there. Wesley would have gotten a few base line turn arounds, but mostly all of our bigs would have beaten him up and left him for road kill, because he was so skinny. Next, imagine what DBlock, Arthur, Kaun and Aldrich would have done to Ron Franz, or Bohnnenstiehl, or Lochman. Good lord, everyone of our bigs would have alley ooped them to death constantly.

jo jo would have been a problem, but probably not more of a problem than CD-R and Derrick Rose, so not much real edge there.

Delvy would have been smothered and gone scoreless.

Rush would have completely shut Lopes down and kept him from rebounding.

Finally the '08 team would have left them in the dust on every fast break. Jo Jo was the only guy on that team who could have kept up with ANYONE on the '08 team.

The only reason this article was written was to trigger a bit of reminisciing.

It is a ludicrous comparison.

'08 would have killed them.

Now the '86 team in regular season and '88 team in the tournament, and the Hinrich's final four team would have give this team a run for its money. But frankly, when th chips are down, and it was all on the line, none of these teams could match the '08 team.

It had exceptional parts and it was greater than the sum of its parts the last month; that's the definition of greatness.

Finally, none of the other team mentioned had the want-to and guts and confidence to come from behind the way the '08 team did against Memphis...none of them.

'08 is a team for the ages in KU history.

April 20, 2008 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Johann Ross) says...

Irony of ironies...

Sam Miranda, KU '66.

Ernesto Miranda vs. State of Arizona decided when? 1966!

April 20, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wats211 (anonymous) says...

I remember putting the foil on the antennas for that game...that was in the day when games werent national...I lived in Kansas City...the game I believe was out of Topeka .....I do remember Jo Jo's shot...he was inbounds...it was a terrible call....Jo Jo remains my favorite jayhawk of all -time...

April 21, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wats211 (anonymous) says...

I went to Ted Owens camp as a young man...he is overlooked for the greatness he had as a coach. I loved his camp..when I checked in Jo Jo escorted me to my room...I was in awe of theis great jayhawk...in my opinion the greatest jayhawk...and what class ...and its is fitting that chalmers hit that shot wearing the number 15 jersey.....the number 15 was Jo Jo's number...there is ocassional magic in that uniform.....

April 21, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wissoxfan83 (anonymous) says...

It's almost pointless to compare teams of each era.
Are the athletes more athletic today? Probably, but really tough to prove.
Did they play more team oriented play back then? Maybe, but watching this years team without a bonafide go to scorer, well that's the definition of a team.
'66 was one of the best of that era, as was '52, as was '86-88, '97 and '03.
In my opinion bringing home the trophy makes you the best, so '52, '88, and '08 are the best.
Of course, if we'd made some FT's we'd add '03 to the list, oh and if the refs in '86....

April 22, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mr_lawrence (anonymous) says...

No one has mentioned the 2002 team. 16-0 in the Big 12, final four; that's pretty good.

April 22, 2008 at 11:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )