LAHAINA, Maui – Sweltering is what it was Friday in the Lahaina Civic Center, at least in the mid-80s and very humid.
Yet Kansas coach Larry Brown never even so much as rolled up the sleeves on his long-sleeved shirt during the Jayhawks’ 89-62 win over Chaminade.
Wasn’t he, a writer asked Brown, awfully hot in that long-sleeved shirt and tie?
“Not hot enough to wear a Hawaiian shirt,” Brown grinned.
Brown, of course, is notoriously supserstitious and he’d worn a Hawaiian shirt when the Jayhawks lost to Pittsburgh, 79-76, in the first round of the Aloha Classic last year in Honolulu.
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According to Walt Houk of Maupintour, which put together a travel package for the Maui Classic, Kansas has the largest group of fans of the eight schools here, around 200.
“We’ve got about 10 more than Iowa,” Houk said, although he didn’t say how he arrived at that figure.
Houk, who has worked for Maupintour for more than 20 years, says he’s made more than 150 trips to the Hawaiian Islands during that time.
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Kansas had to make unusual arrangements to depart Maui because of the possibility they might make teh tourney championship game on Sunday night (tipoff 8 p.m., local time).
KU booked a special flight taht will leave Maui’s Kahului Airport at midnight, local time, for Honolulu where the Jayhawk contingent can board a regularly scheduled 2 a.m. flight for the mainland.
That arrangement had to be made so teh Jayhawks would have enough rest before opening at home on Tuesday night against Pomona-Pitzer. Otherwise, they’d have returned to Lawrence on the same day as the opener.
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THe only Jayhawk suited up who didn’t play in Friday’s opener against Chaminade was sophomore forward Mark Randall.
After the game, Brown said he’ll probably red-shirt the 6-8 Coloradoan because of a nasal problem that will require surgery.
Brown also plays to red-shirt 6-10 senior Sean Alvarado who was on the bench in street clothes.
Also unsuited and on the bench were senior Chris Piper, who has a knee injury, and junior Milt Newton, who was sitting out an NCAA-dictated suspension.
Newton was eligible to play today while Piper might be ready to go on Sunday.
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The Kansas players and coaches rushed out of the arena after Friday’s game in order to take an afternoon ocean cruise.
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Chaminade coach Merv Lopes said the only reason the host school agreed to play Kansas in the first round was because ESPN wanted it for television.
“Get on ESPN and make a doller,” Lopes said. “That’s what it comes down to.”
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In case you’re wondering, it’s costing the KU athletic department about $40,000 for the Jayhawks to play over here, about the same as last year’s venture to Honolulu, according to KU business manager Susan Wachter.
Kansas saved some money, though, wehn athletic director Bob Frederick scrapped his original inclusion on the manifest. Frederick stayed behind to concentrate on the search for a new football coach.
The NCAA passed a rule last January allowing teams to leave the mainland only once every three years, but the Jayhawks will be allowed to attend the Great Alaskan Shootout next November because that appearance was scheduled before the rule was passed.
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Hopefully it’s not an omen: Marvin Branch, KU’s starting center, played only 16 minutes against Chaminade because of foul trouble. He picked up Nos. 3 and 4 within 35 seconds of each other early in the second half, then fouled out with 7:52 remaining.
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Bob Hill, who spent eight years as an assistant coach at Kansas under both Ted Owens and Larry Brown, has three jobs – analyst on games televised by the Jayhawk Network, back-up colorman for some New Jersey Nets’ telecasts and college talent scout for the Charlotte Hornets, an NBA expansion franchise.
