Kansas hooks ‘Horns – KANSAS 82, TEXAS 66

By Gary Bedore     Feb 4, 2001

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
Texas' Chris Owens, left, and Kansas' Drew Gooden battle for a rebound. The Jayhawks defeated the Longhorns, 82-66, Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

It was plenty hot in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.

But that’s not why Kansas coach Roy Williams removed his suit coat and flung it into the stands during the second half of the Jayhawks’ emotional 82-66 victory over Texas at Allen Fieldhouse.

The second-half coat toss the jacket sailed several rows deep behind KU’s bench cost Williams a technical foul, his second of the season and first at Allen Fieldhouse since 1992.

The coat-chuck destined to go down as one of the wild moments in the Williams era came not because he was miffed at the refs.

Instead, he was irate at sophomore Drew Gooden, who was marvelous in scoring 19 points with 12 boards, but lax in guarding UT’s Chris Owens the second half.

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
A mad scramble for a loose ball draws, clockwise from top, UT's Maurice Evans (5), KU's Kirk Hinrich, UT's Brandon Mouton and Fredie Williams, and Kansas' Drew Gooden.

Gooden let Owens drive past him, then hacked him from behind with 6:08 left, KU up 65-53.

Not happy at UT’s having scored five straight points to go with the Gooden gaffe, KU’s coach went ballistic, ripping off his coat, throwing it and drawing a ‘T’ from ref Scott Thornley, who watched the missile head into the stands.

“I looked over there and saw coach in his shirt sleeves and I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t slide my feet and that really ticks coach off,” Gooden said.

Delighted that Gooden scored 10 of KU’s first 14 points of the second half a spurt that helped KU expand on a two-point halftime lead Williams was livid at the defensive gaffe that sent Owens to the line.

Darren Kelly converted two technical foul free throws, but Owens missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Jayhawks led, 65-55, after the technical foul furor had ended.

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
Kansas' Drew Gooden fires a shot over Texas' James Thomas. Gooden scored a team-high 19 points Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.

“It was very frustrating for me because I never want to do something stupid period, but I never want to do something stupid to hurt our kids. That had a chance to be that kind of mistake,” Williams said.

“Luckily the guys bailed me out because that’s one I would have remembered for a long, long time.”

Fueled perhaps the by the emotion of the crowd the fans cheered wildly after Williams’ display the No. 3-ranked Jayhawks (18-2, 7-1) scored seven straight points, including one of Jeff Boschee’s four threes, and led, 72-55, at with 4:28 to play.

Williams didn’t necessarily want a 7-0 spurt to start because of something as wild as a ‘T.’

“I had zero complaints whatsoever with the call. Zero. I had a lot of complaints with Drew Gooden. It looked like Drew just let the guy (Owens) drive by him, then reached around and grabbed him,” Williams said.

Earl Richardson/Journal-World Photo
Kansas and Texas players sported bands on their uniforms to honor the memory of those killed in last week's Oklahoma State plane crash.

“I’m jumping over there, screaming, getting down as low as I have ever been in my life in a defensive stance, showing Drew how to do it.”

Then he removed the coat.

“I was trying to get it to Jill (Ewert, student manager),” Williams said.

“I was trying to hand it politely to her. She was ignoring me,” he quipped.

“It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever been involved in the weirdest,” he summized.

UT coach Rick Barnes nearly countered Williams a few moments later when he ripped off his coat after a five-second call and feigned tossing it in the stands.

Yes, a lot of emotion was displayed in a hard-fought North-South battle.

Bothered by the Longhorns’ physical forwards, KU big men Gooden, Nick Collison and Eric Chenowith hit just three of 17 shots the first half as KU led, 34-32, at the break.

Gooden scored 14 points the second half on 6-of-8 shooting, while Collison tallied 14 points overall, 12 the second half. Chenowith finished with 14 rebounds and four blocks to go with eight points.

“It was adjusting to the physical play of Texas. We knew it was going to be a physical game. It’s one thing to know it, another to actually be out there,” Gooden said.

“They were getting away with a lot of stuff. One time Kenny Gregory (16 points, 11 first half) shot a free throw, Chris Owens bear-hugged me and the ref was right there and didn’t call anything. That lets you know they are going to let you play.”

Williams challenged KU’s big men at halftime and also the whole team for poor 5-of-13 free throwing the first half.

The Jayhawks, who missed three free throws and didn’t score the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first half, bounced back to hit 17 of 24 free throws the final 20 minutes.

“We challenged all our big guys to get the ball lower, be more aggressive taking the ball to the basket, to not take turnaround shots and fadeaways,” Williams said. “I challenged their toughness, their manhood, whatever.

“I said, ‘You’ve got to stop being so tentative and negative at the free throw line.’ Saying, ‘Oh my gosh I’m up on the free throw line. I can’t afford to miss and how bad I’ll look.’ It’s silly to do that. They are free points. Nobody is guarding you.”

It looked as if nobody was guarding Gooden when he scored 10 of KU’s first 14 second-half points as the Jayhawks opened a 47-38 lead.

“Drew got us off to a good start the second half after Kenny and Jeff Boschee kept us in the game the first half,” Williams said. Boschee, like Gregory, had 11 points the first 20 minutes.

“When you have 19 points and 12 rebounds (as Gooden did) and it’s not a great day for you, you have a chance to do some great things,” Williams added.

Gooden’s overall effort made Williams feel even worse about his coat-throwing technical.

“I hate that it showcased that one possession. Everybody will say, ‘Drew made coach do this.’ It’s my stupidity that made it happen,” Williams said.

“The great thing about Drew … he about made me have a heart attack. He did some things I didn’t like and did some things I thought hurt us, yet early in the second half he was THE player. Even when he was out I told him, ‘Stay in the game cause I’m gonna put you back in.’ I can forget that defensive play. He’s a kid I love to death.”

The Jayhawks will next meet Iowa State at 8:05 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.

TEXAS (66) MIN FG FT REB PF TP
m-a m-a o-t
James Thomas 18 3-5 1-3 3-5 5 7
Maurice Evans 25 4-13 0-0 4-6 4 10
Chris Owens 32 4-15 6-8 4-7 5 14
Royal Ivey 20 1-4 3-3 1-4 3 5
Darren Kelly 39 6-18 5-8 1-5 3 19
William Wyatt 9 0-1 0-0 0-2 1 0
Brandon Mouton 30 5-14 0-0 4-5 4 11
Fredie Williams 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0
Brian Boddicker 19 0-2 0-0 0-2 3 0
Chris Ogden 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0
Team 3-5
Totals 23-72 15-22 20-41 28 66

Three-point goals: 5-18 (Evans 2-5, Kelly 2-6, Mouton 1-5, Wyatt 0-1, Ivey 0-1). Assists: 8 (Kelly 4, Evans, Mouton, Williams, Boddicker) Turnovers: 10 (Kelly 4, Evans 2, Ivey 2, Owens, Mouton). Blocked shots: 4 (Kelly 2, Mouton, Boddicker). Steals: 8 (Owens 2, Mouton 2, Ivey, Kelly, Wyatt, Williams).

KANSAS (82) MIN FG FT REB PF TP
m-a m-a o-t
Drew Gooden 24 7-14 5-8 6-12 4 19
Kenny Gregory 32 6-9 4-8 3-8 2 16
Eric Chenowith 28 2-7 4-6 5-14 2 8
Kirk Hinrich 37 0-5 3-4 0-3 3 3
Jeff Boschee 36 6-9 0-0 2-5 2 16
Nick Collison 25 5-12 4-8 1-4 3 14
Luke Axtell 14 2-5 2-3 1-4 1 6
Bryant Nash 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0
Jeff Carey 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0
Team 2-5
Totals 28-61 22-37 20-55 18 82

Three-point goals: 4-10 (Boschee 4-6, Gregory 0-1, Hinrich 0-1, Axtell 0-2). Assists: 18 (Hinrich 8, Boschee 4, Gregory 3, Chenowith, Collison, Axtell). Turnovers: 12 (Hinrich 3, Boschee 3, Chenowith 2, Collison 2, Gregory, Gooden). Blocked shots: 9 (Chenowith 4, Collison 2, Gooden, Gregory, Boschee). Steals: 5 (Gregory 3, Boschee 2).

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