Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotoKansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self thinks his freshmen will be the most excited about the Jayhawks’ trip to Canada this weekend.
KU senior point guard Aaron Miles doesn’t necessarily agree.
“We’re excited also, but at the same time we’re hungry,” Miles said of the veterans. “It’s our last year. As a youngster you kind of think, ‘I’m hungry.’ But you also know you have a couple more years left. The seniors’ time is running out.”
For a senior class (Miles, Keith Langford, Michael Lee, and Wayne Simien) that nearly has 100 victories, two conference titles, two Final Fours and an Elite Eight appearance, just one thing is missing — the NCAA championship.
“That’s what we always want,” Miles said.
Last year at this time the Jayhawks talked about the motivation a stinging loss to Syracuse in the 2003 championship game gave them, but Miles suggested last year’s season-ending defeat to Georgia Tech almost was as sour.
“We wish we could have played right after we lost,” said Miles, who scored 11 points and dished out eight assists, but struggled to slow Tech’s Jarrett Jack — who tallied 29 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals — in KU’s 79-71 overtime loss.
“Things happen for a reason. We lost that game, but we didn’t lose that lesson.”
That lesson will be reinforced during four games in the Vancouver area, yet that’s only a portion of the total trip package.
“A big part of it is for the freshman,” said Miles, a Portland, Ore., native who has averaged 8.4 points and 6.8 assists a game for his career. “For the newcomers to understand how hard you have to work in practice, to see how coach coaches, and how some of the plays work in the system.”
There will not be a lot of time for sightseeing, though the Jayhawks may play the role of tourists after Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against University of British Columbia.
“It’s going to be a special time,” said Miles, whose 738 career assists have him on pace to shatter Jacque Vaughn’s school record of 804. “Just to have the opportunity to start the season early and go away for a few days with our team is going to be fun.”
The first two games will be played at UBC’s War Memorial Gym, which seats 3,000. The Fraser Valley game will be played at Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, and the Simon Fraser game at East Gym in Burnaby. Both arenas have a capacity of 1,500. KU has sold about 300 tickets for each game.
KU will pay for its own transportation and lodging. The NCAA allows foreign tours once every four years.
Julian Wright, 6-8, 215 pounds from Chicago, has added KU to his list and will meet with Self on Sept. 9. He also is considering DePaul, Arizona and Illinois.
“Kansas is back on my list,” Wright told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com. “I felt that I might have rushed my recruitment early on, so I want to make sure that I consider all of my options. My mother has been talking to coach Self and we have decided to have him in for an in-home visit.”
Assistant sports editor Gary Bedore contributed to this story.
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