It’s official.
As reported Sunday, former Kansas University men’s basketball center Wilt Chamberlain will have his jersey No. 13 retired during a halftime ceremony at the Kansas-Kansas State basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Allen Fieldhouse.
KU athletics director Bob Frederick confirmed Monday Chamberlain has agreed to return for the ceremony.
Chamberlain, who grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in the Los Angeles area, has invited former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joe Ruklick to attend the ceremony.
Ruklick played center for Northwestern during both players’ college debuts at Allen Fieldhouse. Chamberlain scored 52 points and grabbed 31 rebounds and Ruklick had 22 points in KU’s 87-69 victory over the Wildcats on Dec. 3, 1956.
“I felt like a junior high kid trying to play against somebody in the NBA,” Ruklick told the Journal-World after that game.
Ruklick had an assist on Chamberlain’s final basket the night Wilt scored 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
Reunion update: Chamberlain won’t return for KU’s 100 year of basketball reunion on Feb. 7-8.
So far, 250 former KU players and coaches have indicated they will be back. Included are coaches Ted Owens, Larry Brown and John Calipari, along with coaching legends Dean Smith and Ralph Miller.
Among the returning players are Danny Manning, Clyde Lovellette, Walt Wesley, Dave Robisch, B.H. Born, Ray Evans, Rex Walters, Greg Ostertag, Mark Randall and Greg Dreiling. Current NBA players Jacque Vaughn and Scot Pollard haven’t finalized their plans, yet.
Plenty of tickets (all priced $3) are available for the KU legends game on Feb. 7 at Allen Fieldhouse.
Pugh won’t play against Buffs: T.J. Pugh, who has missed KU’s last seven games because of a stress fracture in his right foot, won’t play Wednesday against Colorado. Tip is 7:05 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse.
KU coach Roy Williams said Pugh will be re-examined by doctors on Thursday. He believes Pugh will be cleared to practice Thursday.
“If that’s the case it would take another week or 10 days for him to come in and play for us,” Williams said. That means the earliest Pugh would return would be for next Wednesday’s game at Texas A&M.
Chiefs’ loss saddens coach: A good friend of Marty Schottenheimer, KU coach Williams says he was “ruined” after watching Kansas City’s NFL playoff loss to Denver on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I was ruined because I’m a Chiefs’ fan, but more a Marty Schottenheimer fan,” Williams said. “I really feel for him, yet he is a strong person. He knows he did a heck of a good job. Not anybody in this town, state or area expected that team to have this kind of record.
“But it’s a problem in society. Everybody wants to only look at your last game in pro football and college basketball. Pro football and college basketball are the only sports where it’s one loss and you are out.”
Fake free throw: Williams on Lester Earl’s phantom free throw late in Saturday’s win over Nebraska. Fearing an airball, Earl did not release the ball and players from both teams poured into the lane.
“I kept waiting for the guy to rush out with a bucket full of confetti,” Williams said, referring to a Harlem Globetrotters skit.
New meaning for Chickenhawk: At times, Williams uses a lineup of five players 6-foot-7 and under. He’s nicknamed the fivesome the “Chickenhawks.” Williams was surprised to learn K-State fans have used that as a derogatory term to describe the Jayhawks.
“I guess I haven’t been here long enough to have them yell it at me,” Williams said.