It’s been a while two full seasons since Kansas University has defeated Iowa State in men’s basketball.
“It’s something we do remember,” KU coach Roy Williams said of the Jayhawks’ five-game losing streak to the Cyclones, the last KU victory a 74-60 decision on Jan. 9, 1999 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I probably remember it more than the players do because so many of the guys weren’t here, particularly the freshmen weren’t here. Our players will be focused and enthused about playing because they’ve kicked our tails for a long time,” Williams added.
His Jayhawks, 15-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12, will visit Iowa State (9-10, 1-4) Wednesday for an 8:05 p.m. tip.
KU has dropped three straight in Ames since claiming an 83-62 victory on Feb. 4, 1998 at Hilton Coliseum.
Prior to the five-game losing streak, KU had claimed six straight wins and eight wins in nine tries versus ISU. Overall, Williams is 19-11 against Iowa State, including 6-7 at Hilton Coliseum.
The last conference team to win five straight versus KU was Oklahoma State from 1982 to 1984.
“After Saturday’s game (win over Oklahoma) I told the kids I wanted them to feel good about it, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” Williams said. “You know a lot of people made a big deal out of having three games in eight days against teams ranked in the top 11.
“Just because we got through that and we’re still alive and kicking doesn’t mean anything when we go to Ames.”
l
Best in Big 12: KU forward Drew Gooden, who averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for the fourth time this season.
He’s tied Marcus Fizer for most player-of-the-week awards in a Big 12 campaign. Fizer was player of the week four times in 1999-2000.
KU’s Danny Manning was named Big Eight Player of the Week five times during the 1985-86 season and was Big Eight Player of the Week a school-record 14 times in his career. Gooden has been Big 12 Player of the Week six times total.
“It’s a great credit to what Drew has done this season. I hope he has a few of more of those down the line,” Williams said.
Williams has given the 6-foot-10 junior some freedom to drift outside this season.
Gooden has hit four of 17 threes compared to four of 10 all last season.
“I talked to Drew a lot, as well as Nick (Collison) in some areas and different ways, about giving them more freedom, so don’t hang yourself,” Williams said. “I said, ‘You can do other things as long as you do them successfully and I’m going to give you a chance to do that.’ We’ve tried to change a little bit so we can get our big guys a little more out on the court.
“We’ve tried to give them more room to put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. Those are some things I think Drew has the ability to do, especially if he has his concentration. He had a stretch for five, six, seven games he played about as well as anybody I’ve had.”
Gooden has played so well that there’s been speculation in the media and among fans concerning whether he’ll bolt for the NBA after this season.
Gooden and Williams have said many times the two will discuss the situation after the season.
“Last year at the end of the season I talked to a lot of NBA people, got an evaluation for Drew from them, talked to his family, we had conversations, then Drew made the decision to stay,” Williams said Monday on his Hawk Talk radio show.
“Before the season started this year I said I’d do the same thing and between now and then we weren’t going to talk about it.
“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it so we’ll wait until the end of the year and I’ll look through and get as much information as I can and try to help him make a wise decision. Whatever that decision may be is what we think is best for the individual and go from there. It hasn’t changed. It’s the way we decided to start the season and is what we’re doing right now.”
Everybody’s looking for signs, some fans believing Gooden’s blowing kisses to the KU fans in Boulder, Colo., and soaking up the atmosphere after the KU-CU game was a sign he won’t be in Boulder again.
Others who want Gooden to stay might be intrigued by his comment last Friday.
Asked about Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA, Gooden said: “I hope he sticks around a couple more years.”
Gooden, of course, has one year of eligibility remaining at KU.
Talk of Gooden being a possible lottery pick in the 2002 Draft has surfaced. OU coach Kelvin Sampson said before the KU-OU game Gooden was a sure lottery pick if he comes out after this season. A pair of NBA sources told the Journal-World on Monday that Gooden indeed looks like a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
“It should be the furthest thing from his mind and everybody else’s mind,” Williams said, “except agents who crawl out from rocks.”
It’s been a while two full seasons since Kansas University has defeated Iowa State in men’s basketball.
“It’s something we do remember,” KU coach Roy Williams said of the Jayhawks’ five-game losing streak to the Cyclones, the last KU victory a 74-60 decision on Jan. 9, 1999 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I probably remember it more than the players do because so many of the guys weren’t here, particularly the freshmen weren’t here. Our players will be focused and enthused about playing because they’ve kicked our tails for a long time,” Williams added.
His Jayhawks, 15-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12, will visit Iowa State (9-10, 1-4) Wednesday for an 8:05 p.m. tip.
KU has dropped three straight in Ames since claiming an 83-62 victory on Feb. 4, 1998 at Hilton Coliseum.
Prior to the five-game losing streak, KU had claimed six straight wins and eight wins in nine tries versus ISU. Overall, Williams is 19-11 against Iowa State, including 6-7 at Hilton Coliseum.
The last conference team to win five straight versus KU was Oklahoma State from 1982 to 1984.
“After Saturday’s game (win over Oklahoma) I told the kids I wanted them to feel good about it, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” Williams said. “You know a lot of people made a big deal out of having three games in eight days against teams ranked in the top 11.
“Just because we got through that and we’re still alive and kicking doesn’t mean anything when we go to Ames.”
l
Best in Big 12: KU forward Drew Gooden, who averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for the fourth time this season.
He’s tied Marcus Fizer for most player-of-the-week awards in a Big 12 campaign. Fizer was player of the week four times in 1999-2000.
KU’s Danny Manning was named Big Eight Player of the Week five times during the 1985-86 season and was Big Eight Player of the Week a school-record 14 times in his career. Gooden has been Big 12 Player of the Week six times total.
“It’s a great credit to what Drew has done this season. I hope he has a few of more of those down the line,” Williams said.
Williams has given the 6-foot-10 junior some freedom to drift outside this season.
Gooden has hit four of 17 threes compared to four of 10 all last season.
“I talked to Drew a lot, as well as Nick (Collison) in some areas and different ways, about giving them more freedom, so don’t hang yourself,” Williams said. “I said, ‘You can do other things as long as you do them successfully and I’m going to give you a chance to do that.’ We’ve tried to change a little bit so we can get our big guys a little more out on the court.
“We’ve tried to give them more room to put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. Those are some things I think Drew has the ability to do, especially if he has his concentration. He had a stretch for five, six, seven games he played about as well as anybody I’ve had.”
Gooden has played so well that there’s been speculation in the media and among fans concerning whether he’ll bolt for the NBA after this season.
Gooden and Williams have said many times the two will discuss the situation after the season.
“Last year at the end of the season I talked to a lot of NBA people, got an evaluation for Drew from them, talked to his family, we had conversations, then Drew made the decision to stay,” Williams said Monday on his Hawk Talk radio show.
“Before the season started this year I said I’d do the same thing and between now and then we weren’t going to talk about it.
“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it so we’ll wait until the end of the year and I’ll look through and get as much information as I can and try to help him make a wise decision. Whatever that decision may be is what we think is best for the individual and go from there. It hasn’t changed. It’s the way we decided to start the season and is what we’re doing right now.”
Everybody’s looking for signs, some fans believing Gooden’s blowing kisses to the KU fans in Boulder, Colo., and soaking up the atmosphere after the KU-CU game was a sign he won’t be in Boulder again.
Others who want Gooden to stay might be intrigued by his comment last Friday.
Asked about Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA, Gooden said: “I hope he sticks around a couple more years.”
Gooden, of course, has one year of eligibility remaining at KU.
Talk of Gooden being a possible lottery pick in the 2002 Draft has surfaced. OU coach Kelvin Sampson said before the KU-OU game Gooden was a sure lottery pick if he comes out after this season. A pair of NBA sources told the Journal-World on Monday that Gooden indeed looks like a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
“It should be the furthest thing from his mind and everybody else’s mind,” Williams said, “except agents who crawl out from rocks.”
It’s been a while two full seasons since Kansas University has defeated Iowa State in men’s basketball.
“It’s something we do remember,” KU coach Roy Williams said of the Jayhawks’ five-game losing streak to the Cyclones, the last KU victory a 74-60 decision on Jan. 9, 1999 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I probably remember it more than the players do because so many of the guys weren’t here, particularly the freshmen weren’t here. Our players will be focused and enthused about playing because they’ve kicked our tails for a long time,” Williams added.
His Jayhawks, 15-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12, will visit Iowa State (9-10, 1-4) Wednesday for an 8:05 p.m. tip.
KU has dropped three straight in Ames since claiming an 83-62 victory on Feb. 4, 1998 at Hilton Coliseum.
Prior to the five-game losing streak, KU had claimed six straight wins and eight wins in nine tries versus ISU. Overall, Williams is 19-11 against Iowa State, including 6-7 at Hilton Coliseum.
The last conference team to win five straight versus KU was Oklahoma State from 1982 to 1984.
“After Saturday’s game (win over Oklahoma) I told the kids I wanted them to feel good about it, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” Williams said. “You know a lot of people made a big deal out of having three games in eight days against teams ranked in the top 11.
“Just because we got through that and we’re still alive and kicking doesn’t mean anything when we go to Ames.”
l
Best in Big 12: KU forward Drew Gooden, who averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for the fourth time this season.
He’s tied Marcus Fizer for most player-of-the-week awards in a Big 12 campaign. Fizer was player of the week four times in 1999-2000.
KU’s Danny Manning was named Big Eight Player of the Week five times during the 1985-86 season and was Big Eight Player of the Week a school-record 14 times in his career. Gooden has been Big 12 Player of the Week six times total.
“It’s a great credit to what Drew has done this season. I hope he has a few of more of those down the line,” Williams said.
Williams has given the 6-foot-10 junior some freedom to drift outside this season.
Gooden has hit four of 17 threes compared to four of 10 all last season.
“I talked to Drew a lot, as well as Nick (Collison) in some areas and different ways, about giving them more freedom, so don’t hang yourself,” Williams said. “I said, ‘You can do other things as long as you do them successfully and I’m going to give you a chance to do that.’ We’ve tried to change a little bit so we can get our big guys a little more out on the court.
“We’ve tried to give them more room to put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. Those are some things I think Drew has the ability to do, especially if he has his concentration. He had a stretch for five, six, seven games he played about as well as anybody I’ve had.”
Gooden has played so well that there’s been speculation in the media and among fans concerning whether he’ll bolt for the NBA after this season.
Gooden and Williams have said many times the two will discuss the situation after the season.
“Last year at the end of the season I talked to a lot of NBA people, got an evaluation for Drew from them, talked to his family, we had conversations, then Drew made the decision to stay,” Williams said Monday on his Hawk Talk radio show.
“Before the season started this year I said I’d do the same thing and between now and then we weren’t going to talk about it.
“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it so we’ll wait until the end of the year and I’ll look through and get as much information as I can and try to help him make a wise decision. Whatever that decision may be is what we think is best for the individual and go from there. It hasn’t changed. It’s the way we decided to start the season and is what we’re doing right now.”
Everybody’s looking for signs, some fans believing Gooden’s blowing kisses to the KU fans in Boulder, Colo., and soaking up the atmosphere after the KU-CU game was a sign he won’t be in Boulder again.
Others who want Gooden to stay might be intrigued by his comment last Friday.
Asked about Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA, Gooden said: “I hope he sticks around a couple more years.”
Gooden, of course, has one year of eligibility remaining at KU.
Talk of Gooden being a possible lottery pick in the 2002 Draft has surfaced. OU coach Kelvin Sampson said before the KU-OU game Gooden was a sure lottery pick if he comes out after this season. A pair of NBA sources told the Journal-World on Monday that Gooden indeed looks like a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
“It should be the furthest thing from his mind and everybody else’s mind,” Williams said, “except agents who crawl out from rocks.”
It’s been a while two full seasons since Kansas University has defeated Iowa State in men’s basketball.
“It’s something we do remember,” KU coach Roy Williams said of the Jayhawks’ five-game losing streak to the Cyclones, the last KU victory a 74-60 decision on Jan. 9, 1999 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I probably remember it more than the players do because so many of the guys weren’t here, particularly the freshmen weren’t here. Our players will be focused and enthused about playing because they’ve kicked our tails for a long time,” Williams added.
His Jayhawks, 15-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12, will visit Iowa State (9-10, 1-4) Wednesday for an 8:05 p.m. tip.
KU has dropped three straight in Ames since claiming an 83-62 victory on Feb. 4, 1998 at Hilton Coliseum.
Prior to the five-game losing streak, KU had claimed six straight wins and eight wins in nine tries versus ISU. Overall, Williams is 19-11 against Iowa State, including 6-7 at Hilton Coliseum.
The last conference team to win five straight versus KU was Oklahoma State from 1982 to 1984.
“After Saturday’s game (win over Oklahoma) I told the kids I wanted them to feel good about it, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” Williams said. “You know a lot of people made a big deal out of having three games in eight days against teams ranked in the top 11.
“Just because we got through that and we’re still alive and kicking doesn’t mean anything when we go to Ames.”
l
Best in Big 12: KU forward Drew Gooden, who averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for the fourth time this season.
He’s tied Marcus Fizer for most player-of-the-week awards in a Big 12 campaign. Fizer was player of the week four times in 1999-2000.
KU’s Danny Manning was named Big Eight Player of the Week five times during the 1985-86 season and was Big Eight Player of the Week a school-record 14 times in his career. Gooden has been Big 12 Player of the Week six times total.
“It’s a great credit to what Drew has done this season. I hope he has a few of more of those down the line,” Williams said.
Williams has given the 6-foot-10 junior some freedom to drift outside this season.
Gooden has hit four of 17 threes compared to four of 10 all last season.
“I talked to Drew a lot, as well as Nick (Collison) in some areas and different ways, about giving them more freedom, so don’t hang yourself,” Williams said. “I said, ‘You can do other things as long as you do them successfully and I’m going to give you a chance to do that.’ We’ve tried to change a little bit so we can get our big guys a little more out on the court.
“We’ve tried to give them more room to put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket. Those are some things I think Drew has the ability to do, especially if he has his concentration. He had a stretch for five, six, seven games he played about as well as anybody I’ve had.”
Gooden has played so well that there’s been speculation in the media and among fans concerning whether he’ll bolt for the NBA after this season.
Gooden and Williams have said many times the two will discuss the situation after the season.
“Last year at the end of the season I talked to a lot of NBA people, got an evaluation for Drew from them, talked to his family, we had conversations, then Drew made the decision to stay,” Williams said Monday on his Hawk Talk radio show.
“Before the season started this year I said I’d do the same thing and between now and then we weren’t going to talk about it.
“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it so we’ll wait until the end of the year and I’ll look through and get as much information as I can and try to help him make a wise decision. Whatever that decision may be is what we think is best for the individual and go from there. It hasn’t changed. It’s the way we decided to start the season and is what we’re doing right now.”
Everybody’s looking for signs, some fans believing Gooden’s blowing kisses to the KU fans in Boulder, Colo., and soaking up the atmosphere after the KU-CU game was a sign he won’t be in Boulder again.
Others who want Gooden to stay might be intrigued by his comment last Friday.
Asked about Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA, Gooden said: “I hope he sticks around a couple more years.”
Gooden, of course, has one year of eligibility remaining at KU.
Talk of Gooden being a possible lottery pick in the 2002 Draft has surfaced. OU coach Kelvin Sampson said before the KU-OU game Gooden was a sure lottery pick if he comes out after this season. A pair of NBA sources told the Journal-World on Monday that Gooden indeed looks like a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
“It should be the furthest thing from his mind and everybody else’s mind,” Williams said, “except agents who crawl out from rocks.”
