Never in the history of Kansas University athletics, I’d venture to say, have so many gathered to celebrate the status quo.
Thousands were lured to Memorial Stadium in April of 1988 to fete the Kansas NCAA championship team.
And thousands more were in the stadium on Thursday night to, in effect, hear Roy Williams say two words. Darned if they weren’t the first two words he uttered, too.
“I’m staying.”
All of Williams’ other words were elaboration, but, as everyone who has followed Kansas University basketball during the dozen years of the Williams Era knows, it’s as difficult for him to say just two words as it is for him to say, “I love Duke University.”
With a media session announced about 5 p.m. and scheduled for 9 p.m., folks from Kansas City, Topeka and beyond had plenty of time to show up for Thursday night’s love-in.
Also, with the news Williams would be there, it was official. He was staying. If Williams was leaving, his press conference would have been in North Carolina, not here.
KU officials estimated the crowd at 16,300, which drew a chuckle from the media because that’s the capacity of Allen Fieldhouse a place KU officials wisely avoided Thursday night.
With no air conditioning, the venerable fieldhouse would have been a sauna bath on a hot, steamy summer night like this one. As it was, Memorial Stadium was hot and sticky enough.
But who cared? Not only were the Kansas faithful delighted Williams decided to remain on Mount Oread after seven days of agonizing, they had to be thrilled he had stiffed North Carolina.
Yes, North Carolina is Williams’ school, but darned if the Tar Heels don’t seem to have a holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to basketball, like they’re the Yankees and everybody else are the Brewers.
I know many KU fans were miffed the vibes out of North Carolina made it sound like all the Tar Heels had to do was tell Williams they wanted him, and he would bolt the flat, dry wheatfields of that hick state located somewhere west of Kentucky like he’d been awarded a pardon.
No doubt concerned about how Kansas fans will feel about his alma mater in the wake of his mull-it-over marathon, Williams said: “You need to help me. You need to make North Carolina your second favorite school.”
Well, at least UNC ranks ahead of Missouri and Kansas State, although not necessarily in that order.
Veteran media members were curious why Kansas officials announced Thursday’s press conference about four hours before it was scheduled. Usually, two hours is sufficient.
As it turned out, Williams wanted his wife, Wanda, and daughter, Kimberly, on hand. Wanda and Kimberly were planning to return on Saturday from the family junket to the Carolinas. Instead, Chancellor Robert Hemenway sent the university jet to fetch them.
Wanda and Kimberly arrived moments after Williams said “I’m staying” and left a few minutes before the media session ended. Both were smiling while they were there, but as they left, they declined interview requests. Wanda hasn’t granted interviews for years.
I’d love to know and I’m sure you would what the last seven days have been like for her.
“She would want what he would want, and it was clear this made him happy,” said Margey Frederick, wife of KU’s athletic director, and one of Wanda’s best friends. “They have a great marriage.”
As for Williams, surely he has never experienced a day that began so ominously and ended so happily. On Thursday morning, Williams met with Frederick, dodged the media, met with Frederick and Hemenway, dodged the media, met with his staff, dodged the media, then drove to his house about 3 p.m.
To tell the truth, Williams looked haggard and worn out.
About six hours later, Williams said “I’m staying” and looked like he had just won the NCAA championship. He never has, of course, and maybe he never will. That’s basketball.
Whatever Williams does the rest of his life, people will always say he ran the Kansas basketball program the North Carolina way. From that comparison, there is no escape.
At least he won’t be running the North Carolina program the North Carolina way. At Kansas, it’s back to the status quo.
