Rivalry Renewed: Tickets on sale now for KU-MU alumni game later this month

By Matt Tait     Jul 2, 2018

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Rivalry Renewed is the name given to the July 28 alumni scrimmage for charity between for KU and Mizzou basketball greats.

OK, now that some of the players expected to play in the game are starting to promote it, the showdown between Kansas and Missouri looks like it’s actually going to take place.

Former KU shooting guard Tyrel Reed last weekend promoted the game on his Facebook page, saying, “Make sure to come check out the best rivalry in CBB being played this summer in KC,” and he even included a fancy graphic, which may or may not feature some of the players playing in the game along with him.

So that means it’s time for Kansas fans to dust off that old anti-Mizzou poster and get ready to watch a handful of former KU greats go toe-to-toe with their Missouri counterparts in a scrimmage for charity later this month.

Thanks to the wild popularity and success of last year’s Border War revival that helped provide financial relief for hurricane victims, another KU-MU reunion is in the works for 2018.

This one, dubbed “Rivalry Renewed,” is slated for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff on July 28 at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, Mo., a 5,800-seat multi-purpose venue that is also home to the Kansas City Mavericks hockey team.

“Rivalry Renewed is keeping the rivalry alive after the players have moved on from college,” the website boasts.

Event organizer Steve Gardner offered a little more insight into the reason for the game, via email Monday night. And it’s clear that the whole idea is as much about helping young people as it is about renewing the rivalry.

“We are donating 10 percent of the GA ticket sales to charity, 20 percent of the VIP tickets to charity and also doing a 50/50 raffle to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of KC during the game,” Gardner explained. “Additionally, we have a silent auction going at the VIP event. We are hoping to raise an additional chunk for the charities (The Rush Forward Foundation, KC Boys & Girls Clubs, This Too Shall Pass).”

The whole goal, other than to rekindle the now-defunct rivalry, is to raise $20,000-$25,000 for those three charities and more.

Instead of featuring the current KU and MU rosters like last year’s game at Sprint Center, which raised more than $2 million, the plan is to bring some big-time alums back for a Border War alumni game that will benefit young people across Kansas City through the Rush Forward Foundation (former Missouri great Kareem Rush is president) and the Boys & Girls Club.

The names on the list, for both sides, should help draw a crowd. The following players are the names Gardner has confirmed for the game.

For Kansas: Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Nick Bradford, Jeff Hawkins, Drew Gooden, Travis Releford, Brady Morningstar, Cole Aldrich, Tyrel Reed, Darrell Arthur. Gardner said he was still waiting on a decision from Sherron Collins, as well.

For Mizzou: Keyon Dooling, Johnnie Parker, Thomas Gardner, Ricky Paulding, Clarence Gilbert, Jarrett Sutton, Micheal Dixon Jr., Leo Lyons. Gardner is also awaiting word from Marcus Denmon, Kim English, Arthur Johnson and Josh Kroenke.

The exact details of the game are a little light as of now. Various media reports indicate that brothers Kareem and former Jayhawk legend Brandon Rush, were helping put the event together by both organizing the action and getting former KU and MU players to participate.

[Tickets are on sale now at RivalryRenewed.com][1] for $38 per ticket. Doors open at 6 p.m.

There also is a VIP ticket option available on the site for $129, which includes 1 premium seat to watch the game, 1 invitation to the VIP player party at Harrah’s North Kansas City on July 27 and 1 Rivalry Renewed T-shirt.

[1]: https://rivalryrenewed.com/

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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.