Anaheim, Calif. ? Gusty winds characterized by one local as a “severe Santa Ana” struck Southern California Friday. Palm fronds fluttered to the ground. Ceramic flower pots toppled and cracked. People had to brace themselves during gusts.
And it all happened only hours after Nick Collison had blown away Duke like a Kansas gale.
Friday in Anaheim, Collison was bigger than Mickey Mouse. Well, maybe not in Disneyland, but at least at Arrowhead Pond, where he was surrounded by cameras and tape recorders for about a half hour before the Jayhawks began preparing for tonight’s NCAA West Regional final against Arizona.
Collison’s yeoman 33-point, 19-rebound outing in KU’s 69-65 victory Thursday over Duke made the 6-foot-9 senior a media magnet.
So, Nick, someone asked, how are you feeling? Are you sore?
“No, I feel good,” he replied with three or four microphones in his face and a camera light illuminating the dark curtained cubicle. “I didn’t get much sleep. I’m not sore. I’m sure I’ll be able to go 40 minutes again.”
With the small talk out of the way, most of the gaggle of scribes and throats wanted to know about Collison growing up in Iowa Falls, Iowa (pop. 5,500) and having a father who was a high school basketball coach.
“I was the ball boy or water boy when I was 8,” Collison told them. “Then I wanted to be cool and sit in the crowd with my friends.”
And then Collison began playing for his dad, Dave, and Iowa Falls began winning and winning. During one stretch, Iowa Falls High won 101 of 102 games.
Did his dad put any extra pressure on him?
“By the time I was in high school, I had a pretty good attitude and was self-motivated,” Collison replied, “so I didn’t get much pressure from him.”
Today, Collison added with a grin, his dad continues to coach him, much to his mother’s chagrin.
“My mom thinks he’s bothering me, so she tells him to shut up,” he said. “But he doesn’t really bother me. I mean, he’ll never be able to just watch a game.”
Another media-type asked if Collison ever had played against Kirk Hinrich, who came to Kansas from Sioux City, Iowa, the same time Collison did.
“No, his school was too big and too far away,” Collison replied.
Have Iowa people ever forgiven him and Hinrich?
“Probably not,” he said, grinning. “I’m sure they still don’t like us, but I actually don’t like a lot of them after being booed four years at Iowa State.”
Now the questions came at him rapid-fire.
What did he think about the reputation West Coast teams have for playing soft?
“Arizona is definitely not a soft team,” he said. “We had that reputation once, too, and I think it’s false. That’s something the media seems to pick up on.”
What did he think Arizona would do to defend him?
“They’ll pack it in, and I’ll just have to pick my spots and be aggressive.”
What about the January game in Lawrence that Arizona won, 91-74?
“Everybody was disappointed and pretty much embarrassed.”
What does KU have to do to beat Arizona?
“We’ll play loose and see what happens. Nobody’s picking us to win, and that’s a good position to be in.”
Momentarily, the subject shifted to Collison’s future. Not many players of his caliber return for their senior seasons, yet he did and isn’t sorry.
“I was never in a hurry to get out of school,” he said. “I think Drew (Gooden) struggled like crazy last year because he liked it so much. We have fun playing here. And I didn’t know if I was ready to make that step into the real world.”
In late June, Collison will step into that world at the NBA draft.
“Hopefully, they don’t see me as being over the hill at 22,” Collison said. “It can be a risk, and I don’t blame kids for leaving. It’s a dream when you’re 9 years old.”
About that time, Janay Leddy from the KU media relations office poked her head through the cubicle curtain and informed Collison it was time for practice. He didn’t have to be told twice.
Collison quickly stood and walked down the hallway toward what could have been the last practice of his college career.
