Nick Collison hopes his last Late Night With Roy Williams is as memorable as his first.
“My freshman year it was my first time in Allen Fieldhouse in front of that many people, and I had to sing,” recalled Collison, KU’s 6-foot-9 senior forward from Iowa Falls, Iowa.
“It was a lot of fun. I was pretty nervous to do that because I really can’t sing,” added Collison, who performed a hard-rock number with former Jayhawks Jeff Carey and Eric Chenowith. “It still was a lot of fun, doing something I normally wouldn’t do.”
He’s done some other crazy things at Late Night a night when pretty much anything goes as KU’s players normally dance and act in skits as well as sing and play basketball.
“Actually I like playing more than anything,” Collison said of the midnight scrimmage. “Late Nights are not as funny maybe as they used to be, but it’s still a good time to get out there. I think they’ve been struggling to find new ideas. Hopefully they’ll have a better one this year.”
Last year’s Late Night Collison’s third and the 15th of the Roy Williams era had to be the worst in Late Night history.
A sound system brought in for the event was a total flop. KU coach Williams and those on the lower level pretty much couldn’t hear a word that was said during skits and dance numbers.
“To me, you can’t hear a blessed thing. It’s almost embarrassing,” Williams said after not being able to hear KU freshmen Aaron Miles, Michael Lee, Jeff Hawkins and Wayne Simien serenade their mothers. “I couldn’t hear anything. I felt for the kids. I felt for the girls (on women’s team), the guys. I mean it was so bad you could not hear. It took away a great deal of enjoyment for me. We’ve got to figure a way for it to be heard, or maybe 14 Late Nights is enough.”
Williams did hear Carey and Todd Kappelmann perform a Bon Jovi song and wish he hadn’t.
“I’ve got to talk to my players and convince them if you can’t sing, what you should do is lip-sync. I go back to Kenny Gregory as Michael Jackson and Nick Bradford as M.C. Hammer. They lip-synched. If you are not a great singer and the sound system is bad … maybe that’s two strikes against you right there.”
One thing is for sure: If the coach doesn’t want singing, there will be no singing at this year’s Late Night.
Carey likely will go down as the last to croon.
“It’s hard to say if I was any good. I really couldn’t hear myself,” Carey said of the song, “Wanted Dead or Alive.”
“I was hoping the crowd would get a little more involved. That’s all right. Not everybody likes Bon Jovi. I do.”
Of Kappelmann, he said: “I had to get him off total monotone. It was fun. Late Night is always fun.”
Other highlights from last year’s Late Night included an impersonation of Williams by guard Brett Ballard and a bunch of KU’s men’s and women’s players dancing to James Brown’s “Living In America.”
Late Night 2001 had a patriotic theme, coming so close to Sept. 11.
KU athletic director Al Bohl honored KU students for raising money for victims of the tragedy on the East Coast. And country singer Coley McCabe performed a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.
Also, Carey spoke the words “God Bless America” as a red, white and blue ribbon dropped from the rafters near the retired jerseys in the south rafters. The emblem remained in the fieldhouse all season.
The midnight scrimmage, meanwhile, was spirited.
Kirk Hinrich led the way with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He had five rebounds to go with two assists. Collison grabbed nine rebounds to go with seven points.
Wayne Simien debuted with six points and five boards, while Michael Lee airballed his first shot, then rallied to hit his next four tries. Aaron Miles had three assists and four rebounds while Keitih Langford tallied five points. Jeff Hawkins in his only appearance of the season before the fans hit a long jumper.
Here’s a look at some past Late Nights With Roy.
At the 2000 Late Night, Drew Gooden actually had one of the most humorous moments. In a skit, he and former Jayhawk guard John Crider sat in a canoe that traversed the Allen Fieldhouse floor.
“We were running away from some sharks or something,” Gooden said, recalling the moment. “The shark was a guy with a fin on a skateboard. They have us do some crazy stuff. We’re forced to do all that. It’s not like we say, ‘We’ll do this or we want to do that.’ It’s like, ‘Here’s your script. Here’s what you do.”’
Forward Carey, who showed up with a full, wavy head of hair instead of his customary crewcut, had teammates shave his head under the South goal. Kenny Gregory used an electric razor. Eric Chenowith and Luke Axtell were armed with scissors.
Late Night 2000 was a Williams lovefest as the fans thanked the coach for not taking the North Carolina basketball job that opened in July 2000.
“It was really nice. It reminded me of the reception I received here 13 years ago,” Williams said. “Maybe the crowd … it was their way of saying, ‘Thank you.’ I’ve always said coaching at Kansas is special.”
Chenowith and Carey played electric guitar as Collison sang vocals for the Limp Bizkit song, “Faith.” They were joined by a drummer in the KU band.
Williams and Kansas women’s coach Marian Washington danced with KU’s Crimson Girls and yell leaders at the 2000 Late Night, as they do every year.
“I’m happy to see kids happy,” Williams said, noting he’d pretty much agree to anything at KU’s hoops celebration.
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.
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 Lester 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 because of injury.
Gregory was the star of the basketball portion of the show, ramming home several windmill dunks during a warmup drill.
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 in a pre-scrimmage dunkathon. Also, Ryan 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.
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.
As if it wasn’t enough to dress in drag, Pollard, who still lives in Lawrence when he’s not playing for the Sacramento Kings, was part of the most poignant moment in Late Night history.
Pollard had KU coach Williams grab the microphone and instruct Pollard’s girlfriend, 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!”
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 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.
Future baseball Hall of Famer George Brett and golfer 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.
Brett took his coaching duties most seriously, getting in the face of KU’s Jerod Haase for forgetting to high-five him during introductions.
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 Vaughn, Pollard, B.J. Williams and Nick Proud, as well as Cal transfer Haase.
Greg Ostertag showed up in a Frankenstein 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.
The production number of the evening was Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
The place was packed, even though Late Night was televised, though the TV show drew poor reviews.
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.
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.
More than 13,000 fans showed to see the Jayhawks dance and scrimmage after a long Sunday of pro football, including a Chiefs’ home game against Detroit.
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.
In ’89, a $5 admission fee was charged to pay for two bands, who performed on a massive sound stage.
Mike Maddoz, RIck Calloway, Freeman West and Jeff Gueldner stole the show on a massive stage performing Robert Palmer songs.
“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 was a bit humbled seeing his mug on a T-shirt that read, “Later With Roy Williams.”
Williams’ first Late Night drew over 10,000 fans.
“The reception they gave me is still something probably as emotional as anything that’s happened to me,” Williams said of a long, loud standing ovation.
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.
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.
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.
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.