Eric Chenowith needs just one word to describe the season-opening Late Night With Roy Williams basketball celebration.
“Fun,” says Chenowith, Kansas University’s 7-foot-1 senior center from Villa Park, Calif.
Yep, fun.
For the past 13 years, Williams’ Jayhawks have opened the college basketball season with a Late Night funfest before a packed house at Allen Fieldhouse.
This year, 16,300 fans will watch KU’s players sing, dance, act, slam dunk and scrimmage as a means of celebrating the start of a six-month marathon known as college basketball season.
“When I think of Late Night,” Chenowith said, “I think of 16,000 people going nuts over players dressing up in stupid clothes and doing skits.
“I like to watch the reaction of the freshmen. When you are a player seeing it for the first time, you think, ‘If they are cheering for this, think how they are going to cheer when we do something on the court during the season.'”
Serious discussion of the season generally doesn’t heat up until the first week of November when the Jayhawks start for real.
At Late Night, talk is of guys like Chenowith attempting to make sweet music.
A year ago, Chenowith and roommate Jeff Carey played electric guitar as Nick Collison sang vocals for the Limp Bizkit song, “Faith.”
They were joined by a drummer in the KU band who’s a buddy of Chenowith.
“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had. I’ve aways dreamed of being a rock star,” Chenowith said. “Jeff, Luke and I have been talking. I think we’re going to put something together again. I think it’ll be fun.”
“We are planning on playing some songs again maybe,” Carey noted. “We’ll make it a surprise. We’re talking to Luke about being lead singer for one of our songs. We are musicians. Luke is the singer.”
Senior Luke Axtell is a singer a country singer.
For the past two Late Nights, he has held a mini-concert. Before his red-shirt season, Axtell played some Johnny Cash tunes. Last year, he performed a couple of his own original tunes for the fans.
He’s sure to repeat again this year, unless some NCAA official comes running on the court with a hook. The NCAA, of course, told Axtell he couldn’t sell his newly released CD, “The River Runs Dry,” until after basketball season.
“Luke is pretty good,” said Chenowith, who knows his music, having seen the Dave Matthews Band play in concert many, many times.
A year ago, Axtell’s music went over bigger than the Limp Bizkit song performed by KU’s “Three Guys and a Drummer.”
“Limp Bizkit is pretty well known. We figured the crowd would get into it. It was easy to play,” Chenowith said.
But was it easy on the ears?
“I’m glad the ‘Three Tall Guys’ can rebound and play basketball,” KU coach Williams said, giving the trio a good-natured thumbs down for their musical talents. “That had to be the lowlight of the night even more than my dancing.”
Ah yes, the coach’s dancing.
Williams and Kansas women’s coach Marian Washington danced with KU’s Crimson Girls and yell leaders last Late Night, agreeing to toe-tap for the players and the fans once a year.
“I’m happy to see kids happy,” Williams said, noting he’d pretty much agree to anything at KU’s hoops celebration.
Last year’s Late Night With Roy Williams, performed before a packed house, might be hard to top this year.
Last October, KU’s fans screamed for Axtell to resist the “Texas side” and clapped while Nick “Austin Powers” Bradford defeated Dr. Evil Jeff Carey and Jeff “Mini-me” Boschee while dancing with the “groovy” Crimson Girls.
The theme of Late Night 1999 was a Y2KU special filled with parodies of end-of-the-millennium films and television.
Axtell started things off on his own, strolling to the court and playing two songs to warm up the crowd about 9:30 p.m., an hour before the Crimson Girls took the court for official Late Night cheers.
Michelle Koch, 14, and Stephanie Koch, 11, both of Axtell (Kansas, that is) heard Luke Axtell sing, but they were more interested in getting his autograph on their handmade signs ‘Put it in the hoop. We’re from Axtell, Kansas.”‘
They booed “Darth Longhorn” as he tried to convince Jayhawk Jedi Axtell to join the Texas side, one of the scenes taken from a popular 1999 “Star Wars” movie.
The two probably also were aghast when Dr. Evil (Carey) announced his plan to build a “laser.”
“This ‘laser’ will be used to turn everything in Lawrence purple and silver,” the doctor said, before being defeated by the swinging dancing of Austin Powers Bradford and his blue and red crushed velvet bell bottoms.
Other Late Night entertainment included chilling forecasts on the Weather Channel for other Big 12 cities, hot requests on MTV and a Latin number by the Crimson Girls.
The Jayhawk women’s basketball players were effective lip synchers during several musical numbers.
Following the Broadway style show, KU’s men brought the fans to their feet during midnight dunk drills.
Lester Earl, Ashante Johnson and Kenny Gregory had some phenomenal jams.
The scrimmage, which tends to be sloppy after a night full of activity, was, well, sloppy.
Gregory and Drew Gooden scored 12 points apiece to pace the winners. Collison contributed eight points and Kirk Hinrich five. Chenowith grabbed nine rebounds and scored seven points.
“We accomplished some things,” KU coach Williams said. “The people got a first look at our new players. I think they like to do that.”
Williams cringed when discussing the actual basketball portion of the event.
“It is Kansas basketball, but the scrimmage itself is almost anticlimactic after all the things that take place,” Williams said. “I don’t have many goals as a coach, except to let the kids have fun. I’ve seen them enjoy being laughed at (during skits) and laughing with each other.
“I think our fans like to see the new players and this (Late Night) is a good opportunity for that.”
Last year marked the debuts of Collison, Hinrich and Gooden. This year, the only new scholarship player on display will be Bryant Nash, 6-6 from Carrollton, Texas. Yet the Jayhawks have a walk-on in Chris Zerbe, 6-5 of Hutchinson. Also Brett Ballard, 5-11 from Hutch CC, is trying out for the team.
As usual, some recruits are expected at Late Night 2000.
“I think it’s the best thing for recruiting. I don’t think there’s a better recruiting tactic in the country,” Chenowith said. “Recruits get to see 16,000 fans go crazy at a practice. It’s the only place in the country where people get that fired up for a practice. I came to Late Night when I was in high school, but I’d already committed. It was a lot of fun.”
They’ve been doing this at Kansas and other venues a long time.
Thirty years ago at midnight on Oct. 15, 1970 Lefty Driesell opened the University of Maryland men’s basketball practice at the earliest time teams could work out in accordance with NCAA rules.
Terps students loved the midnight workout and several coaches on the East Coast followed suit the following year.
Midnight Madness evolved in the 1980s as a major happening.
At Kansas, it is something the players look forward to shortly after arriving for class in late August.
“No question,” said Bradford, a popular Late Night fixture the last four years. He is hoping to play for the ABA’s Kansas City Knights this upcoming season.
“One thing that makes it exciting is at KU you do some things the crowd doesn’t see conditioning, lifting weights, playing pickup games. Four, five, six weeks before the season you work on your own.
“During conditioning, you know it’s getting closer. Then Late Night and 16,000 fans you know it’s time. It’s time.”
It’s time to recap Late Night With Roy Williams 13 years and counting. …
The theme was “Night at the Naismiths” an awards show in which guest judges rated acts and presented not an Oscar, but a “Naismith” to the winners.
KU sophomore center Chenowith and women’s player Shandy Robbins opened the “Best Picture” award category with a scene from the movie Titanic. Robbins played the role of Kate Winslet, while Chenowith was Leonardo DiCaprio.
The other Best Picture award nominee was “Karate Kid,” starring Louisiana native Earl as Daniel and Terry Nooner as Mr. Miyagi.
Chenowith and Robbins were deemed winners of the Naismith, a bronzed shoe. In accepting the award, Chenowith presented the shoe to injured senior T.J. Pugh, who could not participate.
Gregory and Horton native John Crider took part in a commercial where they played well-dressed businessmen shooting wadded balls of paper at trash barrels.
“It must be basketball season,” public address announcer Howard Hill intoned.
Next came a pair of spoofs of dance shows MTV’s The Grind, starring Axtell and Brooke Reves, plus Soul Train, featuring Gregory, Ryan Robertson and Chenowith in blue, teal and red polyester pants.
Soul Train won the “Naismith Award.”
The Music Group of the Year competition featured the Spice Girls, aka Nakia Sanford, Suzi Raymant, Heather Fletcher and other women’s basketball players against the Village People. Boschee wore an American Indians head dress, while Crider was in a sailor’s outfit.
Johnson and Nooner also danced and lip-synched to the song, “YMCA.” The Village People were winners of the Naismith and were attacked by the Spice Girls.
“I love all that,” coach Williams said.
Gregory was the star of the basketball portion of the show, ramming home several windmill dunks during a warmup drill.
“Kenny had some dunks that were really impressive,” Williams said.
A transfer from LSU, Earl wore a black leather jacket in a spoof of 1950s music, then showed some versatility by taking part in more modern rap numbers.
Earl had some monster jams, along with Gregory and Paul Pierce (now with the Boston Celtics) in a pre-scrimmage dunkathon. Also, Robertson had a big role in a skit as host of the game show, “The Price Is Right.”
Also, Raef LaFrentz imitated John Travolta in a dance skit, C.B. McGrath mimicked talk-show host David Letterman and Earl danced wildly in several numbers.
“I told Lester I was very impressed,” Williams said. “Eric (Chenowith) has no rhythm whatsoever. But it was fun. The skits may have gone more smoothly than I can ever remember. I think the fans really got into it.”
A highlight came when Williams danced with his players and the Crimson Girls at midcourt. “Can I judge my dancing? I just hope nobody catches it on camera,” Williams said.
Pierce, Pugh and Gregory had 12, 11 and 10 points respectively in the midnight scrimmage.
Scot Pollard became the first basketball player in KU history to score 14 points, grab seven rebounds and block four shots while wearing bright red polish on all 10 fingernails.
“Revlon Vixen” was his color of choice.
“I was trying to match my dress,” Pollard said with a laugh.
Pollard set the tone for a wacky season, telling the media after Late Night about driving his family around town in his prized 1969 Cadillac Seville convertible named Marvin.
“My family … people ask me why I’m so weird. It’s because I was adopted by barbarians,” said Pollard, now with the Sacramento Kings. “We drove down a hill today and they did the roller coaster wave.”
As if it wasn’t enough to dress in drag, Pollard, who still lives in Lawrence when he’s not playing for the Kings, was part of the most poignant moment in Late Night history.
Pollard had Williams grab the microphone and instruct Pollard’s girlfriend, the former Mindy Camp, to descend the stands onto the court. Williams gave the mike to Pollard who said, “Mindy, will you marry me?”
After she said, “Yes,” Pollard screamed, “I love you, man!”
The fieldhouse rocked during Late Night as the players competed against each other during an Ed McMahon-less spoof of the TV talent show “Star Search” with coaches Williams and Washington as judges.
In the scrimmage, LaFrentz scored 21 points. He hit three three-pointers. Pierce scored 12 and Robertson contributed 11.
Incidentally, in the “how soon we forget” department, Pollard was asked by some of Roy Williams’ campers last summer if he was Greg Ostertag? Pollard said, “No. I’m Juan Valdez.”
The ’95 Late Night was packed jam packed. Fans showed early for the Saturday night event which started when former KU football coach Glen Mason took the court and yelled, “Live from Allen Fieldhouse, it’s Late Night With Roy Williams.”
Now coach at Minnesota, Mason has since said one of his favorite moments at KU involved the reception he received at that Late Night. Earlier that day KU had won a football game during its highly-successful 10-2 season.
Fans arrived early and had to be turned away. Some who obviously had been drinking all day broke a fieldhouse window while attempting to get in.
Late Night was televised in part by ESPN2. Announcer Digger Phelps paced in front of the press table imploring fans to make some noise for his cameras. About that time, the fieldhouse erupted in cheers, not because of Phelps, but because the Jayhawk players, wearing Late Night T-shirts, charged out of the tunnel.
“This shows we have the greatest fans in the nation,” said Jerod Haase, now a member of the basketball staff. “Obviously it’s a great feeling playing in that environment.
“I think the people enjoyed themselves and our kids did,” Williams said.
On the court, Haase hit four of five three pointers and also picked up six fouls. A player fouls out with five in an actual game.
“I was really hoping I could foul out tonight when I had three in the first minute and a half,” Haase said. “Six fouls that’s not bad for me.”
Pollard hit six of eight shots, as did Robertson. He hit three of four threes. Pierce had crowd-pleasing dunks in warmups, then hit for eight points.
When Late Night ended, a horde of fans surrounded the doors to the KU locker room, the usual hundred or so waiting for autographs despite the late hour.
Future baseball Hall of Famer George Brett and golf superstar Tom Watson joined ex-Royals’ center fielder Brian McRae and ex-Chief defensive back Deron Cherry as honorary coaches.
Brett wore a KU T-shirt under his button-down, while Watson wore a KU hat throughout the proceedings.
“It was fantastic,” Williams said. “It was nice of them to sit in the stands (during skits) and I appreciate the heck out of it.”
Brett took his coaching duties most seriously, getting in the face of Haase for forgetting to high-five him during introductions.
“George is my kind of guy,” Williams said. “I was trying to get the officials to call a technical on Watson but they wouldn’t do it.”
During the scrimmage, Pollard and Haase scored 16 and 15 points respectively, while B.J. Williams had 12 points.
Fans dressed as their favorite sit-com characters before the scrimmage. The Lone Ranger, Silver, Tonto, Gilligan’s Ginger and Granny Clampett all were on hand.
This Late Night marked the debut of freshmen Jacque Vaughn, Pollard, B.J. Williams and Nick Proud, as well as Cal transfer Haase.
It’s interesting to look back and see how prophetic Williams was in talking about the newcomers.
“Jacque is one of the best quarterbacks, one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” Williams said. “B.J. is the kind of kid you watch a while and say, ‘I don’t know if he’s that good,’ then he does things that impress you.
“Scot will show people he can run. He’ll show people he can rebound. He’s really got to work on his offensive skills. Nick, it’s almost impossible to expect him to play by Nov. 17 (opener) because he’s not done a blessed thing in a month.”
He had mono, missed preseason conditioning and a year later would leave KU because of knee problems.
At Late Night, Haase scored 12 points, while Pollard had nine points and seven boards. Vaughn also had eight points.
Ostertag showed up in a Frankenstien outfit. Williams’ entrance was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new fieldhouse floor.
Patrick “Eubanks” Richey then hosted “The Newlywed Game,” quizzing couples who pretended to be from Kansas State, Missouri and KU.
Sample question: “Couple No. 1 (from KSU) what’s something you and your wife do every day besides make whoopee?”
Answer from Eric Pauley: “Cow tipping. When me and my wife can’t find a cow, I just tip her.”
The production number of the evening was Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Youngsters took part in a slam-dunk competition and costume competition. During the scrimmage, freshmen Sean Pearson and Calvin Rayford scored nine points apiece, with Pauley and Richey contributing eight. Juco transfer Darrin Hancock scored 18 and thrilled the crowd with some vicious dunks.
The place was packed, even though Late Night was televised, though the TV show drew poor reviews. It seems one has to be there to enjoy Late Night.
“They’re all pretty good but that was a heck of a night,” KU’s Williams said. “It’s amazing to have 15,800 or more fans out for a practice. There were even more people standing in the corners. To have that many people on a night it’s televised, it’s what sets Kansas basketball apart.”
Williams decided Late Night would be better suited on a Friday night, not Monday, the first day KU could practice in accordance with NCAA rules.
The fans responded, packing the building. The announced attendance was 15,800.
“We had a few days to practice, so the scrimmage was our best ever,” Williams said.
“In the past, I’ve been concerned about kids going to school the next day. In my first two years here, it fell on a weekend. I had no problem with that. This year, the 15th falls on Monday night. That really bothered me. Talking with members of our staff, I wondered how it’d go over waiting until Friday. One guy said, ‘That’s Homecoming weekend, too, and it might be a good way to get some fans in early.’ So I asked Bob Frederick if he had any problems with it.”
Prescrimmage hoopla was highlighted by freshman center Ostertag, who lip-synched a Garth Brooks tune while surrounded by the Crimson Girls.
Also, Williams, who earlier that night was introduced into KU’s Athletic Hall of Fame, was forced to dance again.
Adonis Jordan led all scorers with 25 points.
The 1991 Late Night opened with a volleyball match. The scrimmage started about 10 p.m.
The scrimmage, held on a Sunday night, didn’t cost fans a cent.
“I like it much better getting it back to free,” Williams said. Admission was charged in 1989 to cover costs of two bands. “We will again have entertainment and our players will be involved. The only change is it will be free.”
More than 13,000 fans showed up to see the Jayhawks dance and scrimmage after a long Sunday of pro football, including a Chiefs’ home game against Detroit.
“Maybe I should call Marty (Schottenheimer, Chiefs’ coach) and invite him here,” Williams quipped. “He came to a couple of our games last year. One game we sat him behind the bench. He said, ‘I wish pro football was this exciting.”‘
Schottenheimer did not attend and missed Williams’ first-ever dance session with the Crimson Girls.
During the 1990 scrimmage, Rex Walters scored 16 points and amazed the crowd with some violent dunks. Terry Brown had 19 points, exhibiting long-range shooting that made him a KU fan favorite.
“Our practice the next day was the most affected by it, more than any,” Williams said of the late start on a Sunday.
Call the 1989 Late Night, “The great experiment that failed.”
Controversy raged when it was announced there would be a $5 admission fee to pay for two bands, who performed on a massive sound stage.
“I think in life you always try different things. Some work. That didn’t,” Williams said. “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my kind of band. Maybe it shows I’m over the hill.
“It’s funny,” he added, referring to the pre-scrimmage concert by Shooting Star and the Nace Brothers. “Some people came just to hear the band. Some people were coming in, but also some were leaving after they played.”
At least the massive sound stage provided the backdrop for another one of Late Night’s most electrifying moments.
After the bands were finished, KU’s players climbed atop the stage and lip-synched Robert Palmer’s “Simply Irresistable” with KU’s Crimson Girls providing dance accompaniment.
“Me, Ricky Calloway, Freeman West and Jeff Gueldner were up on the stage during the Robert Palmer skit,” former Jayhawk Maddox said. “I had my NCAA championship ring on. A third of the way through the song, my ring flew off into the crowd. The last 2/3 of that song, I did it thinking I’d lost my ring. I found out a cheerleader had caught it.”
KU coach Williams ribbed the Jayhawks for their mechanical dancing.
“I think Jeff Gueldner better stick to basketball,” Williams said at the time.
This is the year the fans opened their arms to long-time Carolina assistant Williams, who admittedly was a bit humbled seeing his mug on a T-shirt that read, “Later With Roy Williams.”
Even Williams purchased one of the shirts. “I sent one to my Mom,” the first-year KU coach said. “I still see some of those shirts with my mug on the back. That tells me two things: 1.) How big Late Night really was; and 2.) How big the T-shirt business really was. I look at it that way more than how big Roy Williams was.”
Williams’ first Late Night drew over 10,000 fans.
“I wasn’t skeptical that I would be accepted,” Williams said. “Still, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Then when I was introduced, the people there the reception they gave me is still something probably as emotional as anything that’s happened to me.”
The fans gave Williams a standing ovation and chanted “Roy, Roy” as he made his initial appearance through the Allen Fieldhouse northwest tunnel. That chant has been repeated hundreds of times since.
“I’d been in there, but never with a crowd,” Williams said. “I remember walking in and the reception I got from the student body. It really surprised me and made me feel very good. They sort of adopted this dumb guy from North Carolina right off the bat. It’s still one of my favorite moments.”
This was the year Alonzo Jamison shattered the backboard. After the new goal was in place, Milt Newton led the Blue team to a 36-35 victory as he scored 16 points.
Danny Manning and Scooter Barry crooned a rendition of The Temptations’ “My Girl.”
The normally reserved Manning was willing to grab center stage prior to his senior season.
Record producers did not pour out of the stands, pens and legal paper in hand to offer Manning a contract.
“Let’s put it this way, I’d rather be his agent as a player than as a singer,” KU coach Larry Brown said.
“From where I was standing, he sounded pretty good, but I think he’d better stick to basketball,” Chris Piper noted.
Barry judged Manning’s singing as “adequate, but I don’t think he’s going into that.”
Looking on was Washington Post sportswriter John Feinstein, who caused a stir the year before by writing “On the Brink,” a runaway bestseller that chronicled an Indiana basketball season under Bob Knight.
Feinstein was in Lawrence working on a new project, the story of the 1987-88 basketball season.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to start a book about an entire season than 12:01 in Lawrence, Kansas,” he said.
Newton scored 21 during the scrimmage. That team, of course, went on to win the national title, with Newton, who started the season as a bit player, an integral factor in the Jayhawks claiming the crown.
Late Night With Larry Brown became a major happening in 1986, thanks in large part to its namesake, Late Night With David Letterman.
Letterman foil Larry Bud Melman, a geezer with cult-like popularity, visited Lawrence for the early Wednesday morning scrimmage, first signing autographs at 7 p.m. at the Burge Union.
Larry Brown, who loved student gatherings, introduced Melman on the steps in front of the union.
“I’m sorry I had to keep you up so late, but we’ll have to work that out together,” Brown said. And now the Larry you’ve all been waiting for
The crowd went berserk as Melman grabbed a microphone and told some corny jokes. Melman, who wore a KU jersey that night, since has attended Kansas State’s Late Night event.
At the 1986 Late Night, Jayhawk assistant coach Mark Freidinger drank a wild concoction of chocolate milk, raw eggs and pepper.
Now an announcer for Wake Forest, Freidinger insisted he actually drank that grotesque drink. No slight of hand involving Coca-Cola was made.
“I think it meant a lot to have that many people out there,” Brown said, referring to a crowd of 12,000. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it’d be like this.”
“It was a great crowd. We expected 7,000 or 8,000,” said guard Mark Turgeon, who went on to assist Brown, Roy Williams and former KU aide Jerry Green at Oregon. This year he is in his second year as head coach at Jacksonville State. “We have great fans.”
KU freshman Kevin Pritchard, who played for both Brown and Williams, agreed.
“I’d never played in front of any crowd like that,” said Pritchard, who is now coach of the ABA’s Kansas City Knights. “I came in and felt goosebumps right away.”
Manning scored 22 points in the scrimmage. That same year, Kansas State drew just 3,500 fans for its first Late Night.
KU’s inaugural Late Night With Larry Brown attracted 6,000 fans.
Considering it was a first-time event, Brown was ecstatic.
“It was fabulous. I was thrilled with the students,” Brown said of the throng that showed at 12:01 on a Tuesday morning. “They made it all worthwhile and I know our kids enjoyed it.”
Many of the students wore T-shirts that read, “Late Night With Larry Brown. Starring the 1985-86 Kansas basketball team all the way to Dallas.”
The shirts proved prophetic. That team did advance to the Final Four in Dallas, where KU lost to Duke in the semifinals.
None of the Jayhawks seemed to mind staying up so late.
“I’m a 10 o’clock guy, being a married old man,” center Greg Dreiling said. “But we’ve all stayed up until 3 o’clock for one reason or another.”
Newton, Ron Kellogg and Archie Marshall had crowd-pleasing stuffs. Following the dunk drill, the players split up and held an anticlimactic 40-minute scrimmage.
The teams were coached by KU students picked through essay and poster contests. Manning scored 18 points, while Kellogg and Marshall added 16 points each.