Gary Bedore’s Big 12 hoops notebook

By Gary Bedore     Oct 24, 2008

? University of Oklahoma superstar Blake Griffin noticed something shiny on Cole Aldrich’s right ring finger.

He walked over to Kansas University’s sophomore center to check it out.

“Blake said he was going to get one himself this year,” Aldrich, Kansas University’s sophomore center, said of the 2008 national title ring he wore proudly at Big 12 Media Day in downtown OKC.

“I said, ‘Well, you’ve got a chance. It’s going to take a lot,'” Aldrich added.

Texas guard A.J. Abrams noticed the same sparkle on Sherron Collins’ left hand.

“He said, ‘Are you trying to make us all look bad?’ He was joking,” KU junior guard Collins said. “A lot of guys (from league teams) came up to me. They just wanted to see it and gave their congratulations.”

The Jayhawks weren’t boasting by wearing their title rings to Media Day.

“We take great pride in what we did last year. We wanted to come out and show the media. It’s Media Day … for all those who don’t get to see it, we brought it out today,” Aldrich said. “It gets a lot of attention which is fun.”

“I think at an important event like this it should be worn,” Collins said. “I’m going to wear it to every important thing.”

Say it isn’t so, Lute

KU coach Bill Self expressed shock when told Lute Olson apparently was stepping down at Arizona.

“Wow,” Self said of ESPN’s report. “That’d be disappointing. We all heard how rejuvenated he was. I hope it’s not true.”

KU will meet Arizona on Dec. 23 in Tucson.

Turg proud of alma mater

Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon, who graduated from KU, expressed pride in the Jayhawks’ winning it all last year.

“Of course I was partial to them last year when they won it. It was great. It was tremendous,” Turgeon said.

“And it lets the rest of us know that we can get it done. If you look through all the things the Big 12 has done in the last few years, I think we’ve had the second-most teams in the Final Four, maybe the most over the last five or six years. But when you have a national champion, I do think it gives you more credibility which might help us as the season goes on and on Selection Sunday.”

Appleton still out

Self hopes injured guard Tyrone Appleton (hip flexor injury) can practice within a week.

“I think of all the guys it’s probably as frustrating to him and us as anybody. He’s a guy we thought would be ahead because he played juco ball. He’s actually behind now. He’ll catch up. But it will take some time,” Self said.

Martin lauds Self, Barnes

K-State coach Frank Martin enjoyed his first season as a head coach in the Big 12.

“Any time you have a conference where your feature coaches are Bill Self and Rick Barnes (Texas), those guys have proven that they’ve won league titles and been to NCAA Tournaments coaching at all the other leagues. They are here, and they’ve shown how good they are by the way their programs are performing, not over a year, but X number of years,” Martin said.

“Kansas winning it last year was something that this league deserved because we had more Final Four teams over the last 10 years than any other conference.”

Early to rise

Martin was first coach at the podium at 8 a.m. Thursday.

“When Mike Beasley doesn’t play for you, you end up being the first person up at 8 a.m. and everyone’s half asleep because no one has anything to ask you anymore,” he cracked.

PREV POST

Kansas women remain upbeat at Media Days

NEXT POST

31011Gary Bedore’s Big 12 hoops notebook