One of the great pleasures of journalism is depicting people via their own words.
The following array of quotations aims to provide a frank, sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant look at the most significant events in Kansas sports over the course of the last year, in the words of those who experienced them.
Many more nearly made the cut — Bill Self’s “chicken finger sandwich” after a loss in Ames, KSHSAA’s thumbs-down emoji in July — but these are the most memorable quotes that reside at the intersection of relevance and resonance.
The top quotes of 2023
“I’ve always told him, ‘I can’t play you defensively anymore, but I’m still going to be able to out-shoot you — always.'”
— Yvonne Adams, Feb. 16, mother of KU basketball forward KJ, on their mother-son battles on the court.
The mothers of KJ Adams, Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson, who were all venerable collegiate players in their days, shaped their sons’ basketball upbringings in numerous ways; Adams said his mother helped him learn how to weather the ups and downs of the game.
Yvonne Adams died on Nov. 17 after a long battle with cancer. Her memory prompted numerous tributes from in and outside the KU basketball community, and inspired KJ to even greater success — more on that later.
Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) hangs his head as he and the coaching staff leave the court following the Jayhawks’ 72-71 loss to Arkansas on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo by Nick Krug
“We persevered through a lot, no matter what was going on; we stayed true to who we are and true to our family, our culture that we’ve built through the many years that I’ve seen. This is one of the tightest groups I’ve ever been around. No matter what the outcome is, you know, I love these guys, I loved this year and I will remember this forever.”
— KU forward Jalen Wilson, March 18, following the Jayhawks’ loss to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Playing without its head coach as he recovered from a heart procedure, KU suffered a heartbreaking 72-71 defeat to the Razorbacks in Des Moines, Iowa, bringing its title defense to a close. Wilson finished as a consensus All-American and the national small forward of the year, then went to the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Draft over the summer.
“My daughter is addicted to Kansas women’s basketball. Please tell the players the impact they have on youth.”
— A former Emporia State player under Brandon Schneider, March 28, in a text to now-KU women’s basketball coach Schneider as the Jayhawks mounted their run in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
After the sting of missing the NCAA Tournament wore off, KU regrouped and embraced the challenge of the WNIT. The Jayhawks steamrolled one foe after another and increasingly filled more of Allen Fieldhouse as their unlikely postseason charge continued.
“Lucky for you guys, our season tickets for next year are on sale now.”
— KU guard Chandler Prater, April 1, addressing the crowd following the Jayhawks’ 66-59 WNIT championship victory over Columbia, and making an attempt to perpetuate interest in her team.
Besides taking home a trophy for a tournament they never envisioned participating in, and reaching 25 wins in a season for the first time in 26 years, the Jayhawks also drew 11,701 fans to Allen Fieldhouse for the final. Prater saw an opportunity to convert that into some longer-term support for the team. (Ironically, she ended up transferring to Oklahoma State during the offseason.)
Kansas junior Jalon Daniels practices at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
“We want to get you foundationally in a really good place and then we’re going to make you frickin’ bulletproof.”
— KU football strength coach Matt Gildersleeve, April 21, to quarterback Jalon Daniels as he worked his way back from injury.
Daniels’ elite play keyed KU’s 5-0 start in 2022, but he suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for four games. Gildersleeve and the Jayhawks’ coaching staff spent some of the offseason strategizing about how to reduce potential hits for Daniels while also leveraging the athleticism that makes him so potent.
But like Prater’s, this quote ended up moot, as recurring back tightness limited Daniels to three games during the 2023 regular season. The training staff and coaches will face another similar challenge in getting him ready for 2024.
S’Mya Nichols, center, works out with Kansas women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider. She moved in at KU on June 3.
“I walk to my apartment, I have my own key and everything, I come to Allen whenever I want, get shots up. It’s a different feeling, it’s like ‘Finally, I’m here.'”
— KU freshman guard S’Mya Nichols, June 12, to the Journal-World upon arriving in Lawrence to begin her college career.
KU began recruiting Nichols, an Overland Park native, when it was mired in a string of losing seasons. But while Nichols grew into one of the top prospects in the country, a five-star by some services, the Jayhawks also returned to success with an NCAA Tournament berth in 2022 and an NIT title in 2023, and the two ultimately came together. Unsurprisingly, Nichols has been making an immediate impact in her freshman year.
Gradey Dick poses for a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 13th overall by the Toronto Raptors during the NBA draft, Thursday, June 22, 2023, in New York.
“I was disappointed he didn’t have the matching pants.”
— KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self, June 23, cracking wise about Gradey Dick’s red-sequined red-carpet outfit at the NBA Draft.
In what he characterized as a tribute to Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” Dick got all dressed up for the draft, which saw him get selected as a lottery pick by the red-hued Toronto Raptors (“I guess I knew it,” he said). Dick had impressed pro scouts not with his fashion sense, but with his top-notch shooting, during his lone year in Lawrence.
“You come here, they look at you, they kind of just giggle, laugh, like ‘You guys aren’t really going to be a contender,'” Neal said. “And now there’s more respect.”
— KU running back Devin Neal, July 12, on how the Jayhawks had been treated at Big 12 Conference media days in 2022 compared to 2023.
The Jayhawks missed the 2021 event altogether due to inclement weather, then when they made it down to Arlington, Texas, for the 2022 edition, felt like they weren’t getting taken seriously. After making its first bowl game in 14 years, though, KU went back into AT&T Stadium with plenty of confidence.
“I’m glad I didn’t do all my research.”
— KU football coach Lance Leipold, Sept. 23, on his thoughts upon learning that the Jayhawks hadn’t gone 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for over a century.
Leipold took the coaching job anyway, of course, in 2021, and they accomplished that milestone again under him in 2022 and 2023, capping it off with the 38-27 victory over BYU after which the coach made that quip.
“We waited 14 years to get our second one. I’d like to think two years sounds a hell of a lot better.”
— Self, Oct. 6, at Late Night in the Phog on the prospect of hanging another championship banner in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Hall of Fame coach previously led KU to titles in 2008 and 2022 and, with key starters back in Adams, Dajuan Harris Jr. and Kevin McCullar Jr., a highly touted transfer in Hunter Dickinson and several key freshmen, felt good about his chances of another.
Kansas coach Bill Self speaks to the media during the NCAA college Big 12 men’s basketball media day Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.
“Now it’s time to go for the throat.”
— Self, again, Oct. 18, at Big 12 media days on the Jayhawks’ renewed strength on the recruiting trail following the Independent Accountability Resolution Process decision.
Self was measured in his remarks in early October when he first addressed the media after the IARP handed down minor punishments to KU in its long-running NCAA sanctions case. At Big 12 media days, though, he seemed confident and invigorated as he promised that the Jayhawks would continue competing for the top players in the country.
“OU and Texas are leaving the conference, it’s going to be wide open in the future, and why not Kansas?”
— Former USC quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Matt Leinart, Oct. 27, on the occasion of “Big Noon Kickoff”‘s visit to Lawrence for the KU-Oklahoma game.
Leinart’s optimism for the KU program, and its standing in the future Big 12, was validated even further a day later when the Jayhawks upset then-No. 6 Oklahoma in one of the most monumental victories in recent program history.
“So you want something to talk about? Talk about this: I’m not done yet and I’m not going anywhere. Rock Chalk.”
— KU quarterback Daniels, Nov. 16, in a video posted on social media, silencing rumors about his future in Lawrence after he missed most of the season due to injury.
Daniels’ frequent and occasionally unexpected absences during the 2023 season prompted extensive speculation about whether he would return to KU in 2024, eventually necessitating this more formal announcement. He should have two years of eligibility left to play.
“I’d used up all the vernacular, I guess, within volleyball and all this. And I said, hey, let’s make it ‘let’s host.'”
— KU volleyball coach Ray Bechard, Nov. 27, on choosing his new computer password while setting a goal for his team along the way.
The Jayhawks worked in the offseason toward that goal, and it paid off in the fall as they went 23-5 in the regular season and did indeed clinch a hosting spot for the NCAA Tournament as one of the top 16 seeds in the country. They beat Omaha on Nov. 30 but lost a five-set heartbreaker to Penn State the next day.
“I just did it for my mom. Everything I do right now is for her. It’s just her watching over me and her helping me with this.”
— Adams, Dec. 1, in a postgame interview with ESPN following the Jayhawks’ 69-65 victory over UConn.
KJ Adams lost his mother Yvonne three days before KU was set to play in the Maui Invitational in Honolulu and didn’t miss a game. Then, on Dec. 1, slated to fly back home to Texas for Yvonne’s funeral the following morning, Adams put on a command performance for a packed Allen Fieldhouse against UConn with 18 points and five rebounds. As an emotional Self put it in the locker room after the victory, “This game belonged to one person.”
Kansas forward K.J. Adams Jr. (24) pumps his fist after a Jayhawk bucket against UConn during the second half on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug
Chance Parker/Journal-World photo
Damon Young / Kansas Athletics
AP Photo/John Minchillo
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
