Bill Cowgill had a lot to think about Monday as he embarked on his daily jog on Miami Beach.
“I live a mile and a half from the beach. I like to run when I can. Yesterday, when I was running on the boardwalk, I was thinking, ‘I’m going to miss the water and the beach … especially in January and February,”‘ said Cowgill, men’s basketball trainer at the University of Miami the past four seasons who Monday was named to a similar post at Kansas University.
He’s trading the warm winter weather of Miami for some sizzling nights in Allen Fieldhouse, one of the most electric venues for hoops in the country.
“Growing up in Indiana, I grew up with basketball. I know this is as good as it gets,” Cowgill, a 1994 Ball State University graduate, said of KU basketball. “It’s hard not to follow Kansas basketball if you are a fan of the game.
“I know about the great tradition, the phenomenal fans. I say it’s almost similar … it’s like the football following down here. From what I’ve heard and seen and read it’s obviously even greater there in Lawrence with basketball.
“I can’t explain how excited I am to get back in the Midwest to become a Jayhawk and be part of coach (Bill) Self’s staff and the athletic department,” Cowgill said. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity.”
Cowgill said he enjoyed working for both Leonard Hamilton and Perry Clark at Miami. He has also worked as a trainer at Notre Dame, St. Joseph’s and Arkansas. Hamilton, a former Oklahoma State coach, is a close friend of KU’s Self, an OSU graduate.
“Going to the Sweet 16 my first year was great,” Cowgill said. “Seeing a new arena built here was great, but the biggest satisfaction for me was watching the kids come in as freshmen and mature. The tight family atmosphere has kept me in the basketball world and it is obviously great at Kansas.”
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Giddens pots 25: Kansas signee J.R. Giddens exploded for a team-high 25 points in Global Games Select’s 105-92 victory Monday over Puerto Rico at the Global Games in Dallas. He hit eight of 13 shots, including four of five threes. He made five of 13 free throws and had nine rebounds.
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Guard to visit KU: Kyle Lowry, a 5-11 high school senior point guard from Philadelphia, says he will make a campus visit to Kansas next October.
“I hope to visit Kansas during the weekend of Midnight Madness. I really love the school, the exposure and the Big 12 Conference. Everything about Kansas is great,” Lowry told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com. The Cardinal Dougherty High player is also considering UConn, Pitt, Syracuse and Xavier.