Former KU guard Jeremy Case eager to relive memories of 2008 national title

By Matt Tait     Jun 5, 2017

Nick Krug
Jeremy Case delivers his senior speech in this March 2008 file photo.

Former Kansas basketball player Jeremy Case, who these days spends his time working as the video coordinator on Bill Self’s coaching staff, took time during the first official day of Self’s summer basketball camps on Monday to reflect on something he had thought a lot about during the past several years — KU’s 2008 national championship.

Case, a senior reserve on that team, remembered all of the little details of that championship run, from losses and lessons learned in the seasons leading up to it, to the Jayhawks’ run through the tournament and, of course, the feeling of winning it all with a remarkable comeback against Memphis in the title game.

While those memories don’t figure to leave him or his teammates anytime soon, Case said he was very much looking forward to this week’s pseudo-reunion, which will coincide with both Self’s camps and Thursday’s ninth annual Rock Chalk Roundball Classic at Free State High.

“Actually, I had kind of thought about it before Brian (Hanni, Roundball Classic organizer) even brought it to my attention,” Case said of the idea for a reunion. “We were talking about summer camp and guys coming back and I was like, ‘Man, it’s about to be 10 years since we won the championship,’ so I was like, ‘I want to try to get as many guys as I can to come back for the camp game.'”

Mission accomplished. They won’t all be returning to Lawrence this week — Hanni said Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur were not coming and Case said Russell Robinson was still trying to get a flight out of New York as of Sunday night — but, from staff members and walk-ons to starters and top scorers, there will be a heavy dose of Jayhawk champions in town this week.

“I haven’t talked to a lot of the guys as often as I should,” Case said. “But when I call ’em, they pick right up…. We have that connection and we’ll always have that. It still kind of seems like it was yesterday. It’s one of those memories that’s still really strong and it’s probably going to stay strong in your mind for eternity.”

As for the specifics of what jumps out at him when he thinks about that run, Case pointed to the hard work, “the blood, sweat and tears” that were required to reach the top.

For Case, getting to the top marked not only an achievement of a lifetime but also the end of his college career. Even that, he said, added an element of putting the finishing touches on a career that featured fewer appearances and minutes than he expected when he signed with the Jayhawks.

“It was probably not as I pictured it when I first got here,” Case admitted. “But, looking back, I don’t have any regrets. Ending with a national championship, would I trade that for a whole lot more playing time? Probably not. I think that’s an experience that a lot of people don’t get to experience.”

Case was uncertain whether he would play in Wednesday’s camp scrimmage or the Roundball Classic. A recent leg injury has his status up in the air. But he does still play often, and various members of the KU coaching staff and manager crew confirmed that, as was the case 10 years ago, Case can still shoot it.

Regardless of whether he gets the opportunity to show that this week or not remains to be seen. But Case is hoping it won’t be the last time his 2008 team gets together during the course of the 2017-18 Kansas basketball season.

“I’m not sure, but I would think it would be,” said Case of whether the 10-year reunion will be a theme of the upcoming season. “Obviously, starting off like this and getting as many guys as we can from that team right at the beginning, I think we can definitely build off that. Hopefully we do.”

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.