Late Night always full of surprises

By Gary Bedore     Oct 10, 2014

Nick Krug
Kansas head coach Bill Self rides out onto James Naismith court on a custom-made motorcycle with imagery from the 2008 National Championship during Late Night in the Phog on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Situated a row or two behind the Kansas University basketball bench, Cliff Alexander had one of the best seats in the house for last year’s Late Night in the Phog in Allen Fieldhouse.

“It was crazy — 16,000 people in here going crazy. I loved it. That’s actually what kind of got me to come here,” KU’s 6-foot-8, 240-pound freshman forward from Chicago said with a smile.

“It’s not a game, but it gets you. It gets you,” Alexander added.

Tonight, he gets to dance, maybe act in a skit as well as scrimmage at the 30th-annual Late Night, set for a 6:30 p.m. start in Allen. Doors open at 3 p.m. Admission is free. Fans are asked to bring a nonperishable food item for area shelters.

“I think I’ll have the chills. I’m a little amped up for it,” Alexander said with a big smile.

Tonight, five high school seniors — Rivals.com’s No. 2-rated Jaylen Brown, 6-7, Wheeler High, Marietta, Georgia; No. 10 Stephen Zimmerman, 7-foot, Bishop Gorman High, Las Vegas; No. 14 Carlton Bragg, 6-9, Villa Angela St. Joseph High, Cleveland; No. 18 Brandon Ingram, 6-8, Kinston (North Carolina) High and No. 19 Tyler Dorsey, 6-4, Maranatha High, Pasadena, California — will be joined by 11 prep juniors, sophomores and freshmen making unofficial visits.

But the real stars of the show will be the current KU players, who are ready for some fun following summer weightlifting and pickup games, Boot Camp conditioning and other drills since the start of school in August.

“I can’t wait for it,” said sophomore guard Conner Frankamp. “I remember last year before I came out to dance I probably was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life. Hopefully this year the nerves will calm down a little bit. We’re all looking forward to it.

“For these young guys, it’ll be crazy for them and crazy for the older guys, too, I’m sure,” Frankamp added. “Not many places in the country have as many fans as we do here. It’s very exciting for us.”

Junior forward Perry Ellis said the returnees haven’t spent a lot of time talking to newcomers Alexander, Devonté Graham, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Josh Pollard about what’s in store tonight.

“They pretty much know,” Ellis said. “Some of ’em came to Late Night on their (recruiting) visits. They know we’ll be dancing. You’ve got to dance and get out of your comfort zone. I mean they are looking forward to it. We’ve been working on it.

“I’m pretty sure everybody will be nervous, even me a little bit. It shows you care. Everybody gets a little nervous, but it’ll be fun. The key thing is to have fun, that’s the key,” Ellis added.

One guy who actually might not be nervous is freshman guard Oubre, who appears to be a natural extrovert.

“I was here last Late Night. I watched the team get down. I watched the team have fun,” said 6-7 New Orleans native Oubre. “It brings out the characters and everything. I’m ready to give the fans what they’ve been waiting on, dancing, dunking, doing whatever they want. We got it. We’re bringing it.”

KU coach Bill Self had a hard time coming up with his favorite Late Night moment in his first 11 years as Jayhawk coach.

“Certainly not a basketball moment,” he said of what’s usually a sloppy scrimmage. “I think the thing that is so cool to me is we obviously draw well during the season. This is a free event and so many people come to the event who don’t have an opportunity during the regular season. I think that brings a new energy to the night.

“It’s awfully humbling and exciting when our guys walk out there or even when I walk out there to have 16,000 people waiting on you. That’s a pretty special feeling.”

For more on the recruits attending Late Night, read an article that appeared in Thursday’s Journal-World at the Web address http://ljw.bz/1oUbRtG

Notes: KU officials will open doors early if warranted by a large enough crowd of fans waiting to enter. … Highlights and live footage of the Royals-Orioles playoff game will be played on the video board during breaks in the Late Night schedule. The 2008 NCAA title game and pre-game Royals footage will entertain fans on the videoboard. … KU’s new distributed antenna system is expected to provide a more efficient management of wireless capacity in heavily trafficed areas of the fieldhouse. … Undrafted center Tarik Black of KU scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while playing 26 minutes in Houston’s 113-93 victory over Memphis in an NBA exhibition on Thursday.

KU tapped first in poll: KU on Thursday was picked to win its 11th straight Big 12 title in a vote of league coaches. KU received six first-place votes and 78 points overall; Texas three first-place votes and 74 points; Oklahoma one first-place vote and 67 points. Kansas State was fourth (53), followed by Iowa State (51), Baylor and West Virginia (36), Oklahoma State (27), TCU (15) and Texas Tech (13). Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

“I’ve seen this year where there are five teams in many of the preseason Top 25s so obviously the league is going to be loaded,” Self said. “Whoever wins this league will definitely earn it. Nobody’s going to back into anything. With Texas, Iowa State, K-State and Oklahoma, those are all teams predicted to be ranked. I personally think Iowa State, Oklahoma State will be a handful. Baylor is always good. I don’t mean to leave anybody out because they’re all good. The league will be as good as last year I truly believe.”

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