Thad Allender/Journal-World PhotoKansas University men’s basketball players held their annual youth clinic Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“It’s mostly for them. They watch us on TV a lot. They don’t really get to see us up close and personal,” KU senior Keith Langford said of the 400 youths. “It’s an opportunity for them to really see some of the guys they look up to.”
Freshman Sasha Kaun said: “It was great working with little kids, having fun, sharing some knowledge with them. It was great giving them a chance to be around us.”
KU coach Bill Self said the clinic, which included basic instruction and an autograph session, was fun for the Jayhawks.
“Our players certainly have personality. The guys that enjoy it the most are the older guys that have been doing it two to three years,” Self said. “I think they feel good about themselves when they do something like this.”
Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo
Jared Soares/Journal-World PhotoMarisa Mondt loves playing basketball and loves Kansas University basketball.
Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse, the 26-year-old Salina woman and about 100 other Kansas Special Olympians got a chance to practice their basketball prowess with the KU men’s basketball team.
“I’m a big fan,” Mondt said.
This was the 20th year KU has conducted a basketball clinic for Special Olympians.
“We’ve enjoyed a historically outstanding relationship,” said Tim Rehder, vice president for sports competition with Kansas Special Olympics. Special Olympics is a sports training and competition program for people with mental disabilities.
Jared Soares/Journal-World PhotoThe Special Olympians playing basketball range in age from 8 to those in their 40s, Rehder said.
Chuck Crawford, 43, a Special Olympian from Ottawa, said he liked playing all sports, but was hoping to learn some Jayhawk basketball tips.
KU players and coaches enjoyed passing on those tips, they said. Forward Jeff Graves, a KU senior, said the Special Olympians were giving him a workout.
“These guys are giving 110 percent out here,” Graves said. “It’s good to see that.”
Forward Bryant Nash, also a senior, agreed.
Jared Soares/Journal-World Photo“To work with people like this — it’s a real special thing,” he said.
Coach Bill Self thinks his players get more out of the interaction than the Special Olympians.
“It’s a big deal for them and it’s a big deal for us,” Self said. “It puts things into perspective.”
Players also signed autographs for the Special Olympians and others who were present.
“I think that our guys need to understand that every time they step out onto the floor, everything they do, they represent something far bigger than themselves,” Self said.
Parents of the Special Olympians also enjoyed the event. Dan Hensley, Olathe, watched his 27-year-old son play.
“This is a chance for him to get away and have some fun,” Dan Hensley said of his son.
Kansas Special Olympics has scheduled a state championship basketball tournament on the third weekend in March in Hays.
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