Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoCall it a simple exhibition game against Emporia State if you want, but on Sunday night Jayhawk fans were ready for any excuse to watch their men’s basketball team swing into action in Allen Fieldhouse.
For Karson Thompson, it was his first ever KU basketball game.
“It’s quite a drive from Garden City,” the KU freshman said before the game as he walked along the fieldhouse concourse. “I’m just excited to get a chance to watch them. Hopefully it’ll be impressive.”
Accompanying Thompson was Andrew Payne, a Garden City sophomore. Payne recalled watching the Jayhawks make it into the Final Four last season and said he was confident they’d do it again.
“I think they have the experience and confidence that goes with playing another year,” Payne said.
KU went into the game rated No. 1 in the USA Today/ESPN poll. Deserved or not, the ranking made some fans a bit nervous.
“I like it better when they start a little lower and work their way up,” said Dennis Constance, Lawrence.
Larry Thach wasn’t concerned about the high ranking so early in the season, however.
“I think it was expected,” said Thach, of Burton. “They are probably as good as their ranking.”
Perry Becker, Valley Center, agreed. The key to the season, he said, is staying healthy.
“If Wayne Simien gets hurt again it will be felt by all of them,” Becker said.
For some students, the game was a chance to forget about homework and having to return to class today. Danielle Herman spent her afternoon finishing a research paper so she could go to the game. She said she was still excited about how far the Jayhawks went earlier this year in the NCAA Tournament.
“I want to see how far they can go this year,” Herman said.
Not everyone who was at the game, however, was in a good mood. Long-time season ticket holder Lyle Giersch, along with his wife, Lou, were sitting in seats 20-some rows higher and into a corner from their former seats. They lost their old seats because of a new system that allocates seats based on monetary contributions to KU and the Williams Fund.
“We’ve been loyal fans for years and now all of a sudden we’re not good enough anymore,” said Giersch, a board member of the Topeka Jayhawk Club who has purchased season tickets for nearly 25 years. “We’re up here in the nosebleed section.”
Giersch was especially critical of KU Athletic Director Lew Perkins.
“He should go back east to Connecticut,” Giersch said from his seat about three rows from the top of the stands. “He’s pulling down a salary that’s way out of line and I think he should get out of here.”
Giersch also said he lost his spot in the parking garage. He said he doubted that he’d try to buy season tickets next year.
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