Scott McClurgTonight’s Jimmy V. Classic is about much, much more than high-level college basketball.
The twinbill — which pits Kansas University against Saint Joseph’s at 6 p.m. CST and Boston College versus Michigan State at 8:30 at Madison Square Garden — doubles as a fund-raiser for the “V Foundation,” an organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer.
The games will be televised on ESPN (Sunflower Broadband Channel 33).
“Awareness to this cause is so important. We’re proud and honored to be part of it,” KU coach Bill Self said of the Jayhawks’ participation in the 11th annual one-day hoopfest.
“This is much bigger than a basketball game,” Self added.
Scott McClurgThe V Foundation, which was instituted by the late Jim Valvano, has raised over $50 million total — including over $10 million last year. Tonight marks the third straight year the Classic is played on the big stage of the Garden.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us to have the V Foundation broadcast across the country and make awareness of our fight against cancer,” said Nick Valvano, brother of Jim, the former Iona and North Carolina State coach who died of cancer April 28, 1993, at the age of 47. “We’re very, very grateful for the coaches who help us to achieve this.”
Self, plus St. Joe’s boss Phil Martelli, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Boston College’s Al Skinner would prefer winning tonight while contributing to a good cause.
Self realizes it’ll be a difficult task — St. Joe’s is 3-1 after beating Lafayette, Fairfield and Drexel and losing at Davidson.
“They are great shooters. Their three starting perimeter players are collectively shooting (about) 50 percent from three,” Self said.
Guards Dwayne Lee, Abdulai Jalloh and Chet Stachitas have made 24 of 51 threes for 47 percent. Stachitas, Jalloh, Ahmad Nivins and Lee have combined to hit 61 of 66 free throws for 92.4 percent. The Hawks have made 49.8 percent of their shots and 45.5 percent of their threes and are outrebounding foes by 11 a game.
“They can really shoot the ball,” Self said. “We need to be sound and keep them off the line. They are killing people off the glass. They’ve got a good team. They will definitely come to play.”
St. Joe’s will have revenge on its mind. KU clobbered the Hawks, 91-51, on Nov. 23 at Allen Fieldhouse.
“It was the game right after the Vermont game where we didn’t play very well,” Self said of a seven-point home victory over the Catamounts. “When we played them, they weren’t whole. They didn’t have Carroll. They are much more together, now. We played great that night. It will not be that type of game again, I can guarantee you.”
Indeed, St. Joe’s best player, Matt Carroll, who has graduated, was injured and did not play last season at Allen. Also, Dave Mallon missed the contest because of a foot injury. Returning guards Stachitas and Lee combined for eight of 28 shooting in that blowout loss to KU.
“We took three guys to that game and lost by 55,” 11th-year St. Joe’s coach Martelli quipped. “He (Self) was kind to do that to us. He could have picked any score he wanted (with) the team we took out there.
“The thing about Bill Self,” Martelli added, “he teaches an aggressive style of basketball. I’ve always been impressed with Bill’s philosophy. They do the same things at Tulsa, at Illinois, at Kansas. It all looks the same. Only the names change on the uniforms.
“I watched Kansas on TV against Nevada. I thought (C.J) Giles, (Sasha) Kaun, even (Brandon) Rush looked so much bigger than the guys we’ll put on the floor. It will be a great test for us.”
And for Kansas, which needs to pass a big test after losing to Arizona, Arkansas and Nevada. The Jayhawks have beaten Idaho State, Chaminade and Western Illinois.
“We need to go do something that’s hard to do,” Self said. “It would be a great way to start that on Tuesday. We need to go play well in New York. That to me would be something really good.”
KU returns to meet California at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
