Kansas University’s men’s basketball players will be laboring in Canada over Labor Day weekend.
“All indications are we will be going, and (plans) will be finalized this week,” KU coach Bill Self said Monday of a proposed “foreign tour” Sept. 3-6 to Vancouver, British Columbia.
The tour, allowable once every four years in accordance with NCAA rules, will include up to four exhibition games against Canadian college teams.
The Jayhawks would practice 10 days leading up to the trip.
“When our schedule was first discussed, we were definitely going to New York,” Self said, referring to the season-opening Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic in early November at Madison Square Garden.
“But the judge has never ruled (on rescinding 2-and-4 rule, which prohibits KU from playing in exempt tourneys until 2005). Based on that, we’ve looked at the tour as an alternative.”
As it stands now, unless the judge acts quickly, KU’s exhibition games in Canada will mark the squad’s only appearances outside of Allen Fieldhouse until after the New Year.
KU will play nationally televised nonconference games at Kentucky (Jan. 9) and Villanova (Jan. 22). The rest of the nonconference games will be played at home.
“In a perfect world, we’d have gone to New York,” Self said. “This is the way it’s played out. It’s the only time Kentucky and Villanova could take the games and play (on national TV.) We felt those games were definitely worthy of that.”
KU, which is looking to fill two home dates, will play exhibitions against Emporia State (Nov. 7) and Washburn (Nov. 14). The regular-season home slate features Vermont (Nov. 19), Saint Joseph’s (Nov. 23), South Carolina (Dec. 18) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 1). The TCU and Nevada games will be played in November or December.
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Manning on TV show: Monday marked the 16th anniversary of Danny Manning being tapped No. 1 in the NBA Draft.
For the occasion, he was a guest on Fox’s “The Best Damn Sports Show, Period.”
“I think it hurts the game to a certain extent,” Manning said, asked about seven high schoolers being taken in the first round of the 2004 draft. “I think it pushes out a solid veteran player. I think veteran players make the league. I don’t care if it’s baseball, football, wrestling, I think it’s important to have veterans — guys who are professional, know how to conduct themselves, prepare for practice and games, also share and help one another out.”
Manning, KU’s director of student/athlete development last season, is expected to take over Ben Miller’s duties as director of basketball operations. Miller has started working as an assistant at SW Missouri State.
“We’re probably not looking at hiring from outside. Danny will be able to man that position as well as his duties from last year,” Self said.
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Green commits: Gerald Green, a 6-foot-8 prep senior-to-be from Houston, has committed orally to Oklahoma State, rivals.com reports.
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Collison OK: Ex-Jayhawk Nick Collison, who had a pair of shoulder surgeries this past year, has been cleared to play.