Rare is the night when Kansas University basketball coach Roy Williams pep-talks the visitors before doing his post-game radio show.
It happened Saturday night.
Washburn | 25 | 31 | 56 |
Kansas | 48 | 51 | 99 |
Attendance: 16,300.
Minutes after the Jayhawks walloped Washburn, 99-56, in Allen Fieldhouse, Williams was walking down the hallway and into the Ichabods’ locker room.
“That was a great gesture by coach Williams,” Washburn junior point guard Shannon Kruger said. “For him to talk to us was really nice.”
Basically, Williams told the Ichabods, ranked No. 7 in NCAA Div. II, to keep their fires burning and not to let Saturday’s lopsided defeat hurt their confidence.
“I was happy to see him,” said Eric Carter, a 6-foot-9 senior and former Santa Fe Trail High standout. “I heard he might come by, but I didn’t know if he would. That was really great to have one of the best coaches in the country talk to us. It can’t get much better than that.”
Long-time Washburn coach Bob Chipman was also delighted Williams altered his post-game routine to talk to his players.
“The things he said might make a difference for us,” Chipman said. “It really helps when you get words of wisdom for a great coach like that.”
Washburn’s players were so impressed by Williams’ words that when he finished they applauded. Then Williams scurried back down the hallway headed for Hadl Auditorium and his post-game radio show and media session.
Washburn had no pretensions about winning, but the Ichabods did want to give it their best shot.
“They’re bigger and more physical than anybody we see in Division II,” Carter said. “We’re usually able to bang with teams. I’m not going to say anything about the refs, but it seemed they called it tighter on us. But that’s what you have to expect in Allen Fieldhouse.”
Washburn was whistled for 27 fouls. Carter and Ewan Auguste, the ‘Bods leading scorer and rebounder, fouled out. Two other WU players had four fouls.
Nevertheless, Chipman had no veiled comments about the whistle-tooters.
“They’re so good and so big inside we couldn’t stop ’em,” Chipman said of the Jayhawks. “All we could do was foul them.”
Actually, that wasn’t a bad strategy the way the Jayhawks were clanging free throws. KU missed 12 of 20 charities in the first half and 17 of 35 overall.
“At halftime I told one of my assistants I thought we were doing a good job because they were only 8-of-20 at the free throw line,” Chipman said with a smile.
Kansas put the clamps on Carter, who had been averaging 16.5 points a game. The 6-9 forward was only 2-of-11 from the field 1-of-8 from three-point range.
“There was one stretch where Eric missed three shots in a row,” Chipman said, “and I don’t he’s ever missed three in a row in his life.”
Carter was baffled by his inaccuracy.
“I felt good in warm-ups and I felt good in the game,” Carter said. “For some reason, I couldn’t get it to fall.”
He wasn’t the Lone Ichabod. Washburn shot only 29.9 percent (20 of 67). That includes four of 22 from beyond the arc.
“We battled our butts off,” Carter said. “We played as hard as we can play. In fact, that’s probably as hard as we’ve ever played.”
Three-point goals: 4-22 (Miller 1-2, Kruger 1-3, Walker 1-3, Carter 1-8, Williams 0-1, Ware 0-1, Murphy 0-4). Assists: 14 (Kruger 4, Ross 3, Williams 2, Tomlins 2, Carter, Auguste, Walker). Turnovers: 18 (Williams 5, Murphy 3, Walker 3, Ross 2, Auguste, Douglas, Hundley, Miller, Ware). Blocked shots: 4 (Auguste 2, Douglas, Murphy). Steals: 5 (Ross, Tomlins, Hundley, Walker, Murphy). |
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Three-point goals: 9-15 (Hinrich 5-6, Ballard 2-2, Gregory 1-1, Axtell 1-3, Boschee 0-3). Assists: 28 (Boschee 9, Hinrich 6, Axtell 3, Gooden 2, Gregory 2, Harrison 2, Chenowith, Ballard, Collison, Nash). Turnovers: 14 (Gooden 5, Chenowith 4, Collison 2, Hinrich, Boschee, Carey). Blocked shots: 4 (Collison 2, Chenowith, Axtell). Steals: 11 (Boschee 4, Gregory 2, Chenowith, Hirnich, Collison, Nash, Zerbe). |