Crider, Hinrich rule run/KU notes

By Jim Baker     Aug 26, 2000

John Crider is a three-time winner of Kansas University’s preseason 12-minute men’s basketball conditioning run.

Crider, a junior from Horton, completed 81/3 laps at Kansas Memorial Stadium, clipping Kirk Hinrich, who finished 81/4 laps.

Luke Axtell, who has recovered from his recent groin pull, finished 7 2/3 laps, followed by Jeff Boschee, Drew Gooden, Jeff Carey, Nick Collison, Chris Zerbe, Kenny Gregory, Eric Chenowith and Bryant Nash, who were all over seven laps. Walk-on possibility Brett Ballard, a Hutchinson CC product, also topped seven laps.

“John and Kirk made over eight and really did well,” Williams said. “Going over eight laps is really difficult. Kirk made it look as easy as anybody I’ve ever seen.

” Anything under 61/2 laps, you are nowhere near the shape you need to play college basketball. They all made over seven, even Bryant who had no clue what the 12-minute run was.

“Eric looks good. Luke looks a little bigger. Those are the only two I would say when I saw them their looks have changed.”

Williams says 7-footer Chenowith put in a lot of work over the summer.

“Regardless of what he says, he didn’t do one flippin’ thing last summer,” Williams said of the summer between Chenowith’s sophomore and junior campaign. “If he did, it was in the wrong direction. It didn’t help his game or his body.

“That’s in the past. It’s over with, done. I will not get on him any more about that. I am really pleased with what he did this summer.”

Chenowith attended a camp in Las Vegas, the Pete Newell Big Man camp in Hawaii, and played in an L.A. summer league. He worked out with an ex-NBA player and his high school coach.

“Eric didn’t need any secrets. He needed to invest the sweat,” Williams said. “From all the reports I received, his workouts and attention and effort have been great. It’s what we’ll focus on now.”

Axtell’s CD: Williams hasn’t yet listened to Luke Axtell’s CD, “The River Runs Dry.”

“Luke gave it to me yesterday. I’ll listen to it in the car,” Williams said.

Of the NCAA’s decision to not let Axtell market the CD until after the season, KU’s coach said: “It’s just ridiculous. Whether I agree with it or not, we’re gonna go along with it. I think there’s more important things (for NCAA) to be worrying about than whether a guy’s picture is on the front of his own CD or not.”

On watching football/basketball player Mario Kinsey at football practice: “He played quarterback one possession and wide receiver the next. He’s an athletic rascal. I know that.”

Kinsey is to leave the football team on Oct. 13, for the first day of hoops practice. What will happen if Kinsey’s red-shirt is lifted?

“I have no idea. I will not worry about that unless it happens. That’s not the plan right now,” Williams said. “If anything were to happen, coach (Terry) and I have a great relationship. We’d sit down. Whatever needed to be done would be done.”

Fantasy camp: Williams recently worked Michael Jordan’s fantasy camp in Las Vegas. His and Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson’s team of 35- to 60-year olds lost in the camp championship game to Mike Fratello’s team.

“I lost my voice. I yelled at ’em just like I did my own players,” WIlliams quipped. KU’s coach found time to golf in Vegas with Jordan, Larry Brown, P.J. Carlesimo, Doug Moe and Dean Smith.

What did Michael think?: Jordan, like Williams a North Carolina grad, was “supportive” of Williams’ decision to stay at KU and decline the UNC coaching job in July.

“He wanted me to come back. He told me that before. He was supportive. He understood,” Williams said.

“I had a lot of really good people, important people to me from North Carolina, who have been very supportive — some not nearly as supportive as I hoped. That’s how it’d have been if I left here, too. There’d be some people from Kansas who would have understood completely and been supportive. Some would have been mad or hurt and have not been as big a supporter of Roy Williams as they would be otherwise. For me it was not a win-win situation.”

Throughout the years, Williams never said one way or another if he’d accept the UNC job when offered.

“Nobody on either side can ever say I told ’em this or that. If one person said I told em I was going to stay at Kansas, that’s not true. If one said I told them I was going to North Carolina, it’s not true.

“It’s been several years since I came out and promised a recruit (he’d stay at KU). I’ve had some guys in the past that I promised I’d be here their four years. I’ve not done that the past couple years and not for any big plan. It’s a day I hoped would never come. I was really struggling.”

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