Kansas TBONES Longhorns

KUAD Box Score, Recap, Quotes, Notes, Video


LJW Video and Audio pressers and post-game interviews


ESPN Recap, Video


ESPN Photos


UDK Photos


KC Star Photos


LJW Photos Game


LJW Photos Gameday


KUAD Game Photos


KUAD Photos Gameday


TCJ Photos


Dick Vitale's Team of the Week: Kansas

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2/16/13, 7:37 PM
Who's the most famous person to ask Mario Chalmers about The Shot? "It has to be Obama," Chalmers said. #kubball
https://twitter.com/rustindodd


2/16/13, 7:54 PM
There was a good 2 minutes of non stop screaming between the alma mater and Rock Chalk Chant. Pretty cool moment in AFH #KUbball
https://twitter.com/udk_bball


2/16/13, 8:36 PM
Best Chalmers sign in AFH: He came for the tradition and became a legend #KUbball
https://twitter.com/udk_bball


2/16/13, 9:05 PM
Mario Chalmers' jersey now hangs from rafters at Allen. He's the only 1 of 27 honored players who never made 1st team all-conf.
https://twitter.com/blairkerkhoff


2/16/13, 9:54 PM
My man Ben #rockchalk
https://twitter.com/jojo_embiid


2/16/13, 9:57 PM
Ben McLemore at 20 just looked like MJ at 20. #AirMcLemore
https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs


2/16/13, 10:01 PM
Students chanting "We want Randle" and "Come to Kansas" in the final minutes. It's pretty quiet in here, so it was pretty audible.
https://twitter.com/rustindodd


2/16/13, 10:41 PM
Postgame Press Conf: Elijah claims Justin Wesley is responsible for the "Harlem Shake" video…"he kinda forced it on us" #kubball
https://twitter.com/kugameday


2/16/13, 11:04 PM
Self on KU's Harlem Shake vid: 'They wanted me to dance. And that wasn’t gonna happen. If I would have known I could wear a chicken head…'
https://twitter.com/rustindodd


2/16/13, 11:07 PM
OU hoops coach Sherri Coale came to KU mens game 2nite.She had never been to mens game at Phog, wanted to experience.
https://twitter.com/sportsiren (Holly Rowe)


2/16/13, 11:05 PM
@T_Self11 great floater
https://twitter.com/mcdm34 (Christian Moody)


2/17/13, 9:07 AM
Nice win last night Jayhawks! Keep it going! Rock Chalk baby!
https://twitter.com/robriggle


2/17/13, 10:54 AM
Interesting dynamic at Kansas City Airport. A lot more Kansas fans (judging by their gear) flying back to Dallas than Texas, Baylor fans.
https://twitter.com/chuckcarltondmn

Jeff Withey blocked two shots versus Texas and passed former Longhorn Chris Mihm as all-time blocks leader in Big 12 history.

Withey, who entered the game one shy of Mihm’s total of 264, now has 265 rejections. Mihm played at Texas from 1998-2000.

“It definitely means something to me,” said Withey, who blocked Jonathan Holmes once in the first half and once in the second. “I put a lot of hard work into getting it. I have a lot more games to play. Hopefully I can put some distance on it and make sure it doesn’t get touched for 20 years or so.”
LJW


Big 12 Co-Player of the Week (2/11-2/17)

Jeff Withey, Kansas, C, Sr., 7-0, 235, San Diego, Calif./Horizon
Withey posted 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as the Jayhawks recorded wins over K-State and Texas.  The senior center shot 47.6 percent from the field and made 80 percent of his free throws while blocking seven shots and grabbing three steals.  He had double-doubles in both games, finishing with 17 points and 10 boards versus the Wildcats and following with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UT.  It was his eighth and ninth double-doubles of the year.  Withey also became the Big 12 career leader in blocked shots with his 265th rejection.
Big 12 Conference

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We interrupt this blog for more Rock Chalk Shake Hawk!

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Somewhat shy around the media, even in this, his senior year, the man with the expansive afro was in a jolly mood after Saturday’s 73-47 home rout of Texas. It marked the Jayhawks’ second straight victory after three consecutive defeats.

Young gladly discussed his role in production of KU’s “Harlem Shake” video, which was filmed in KU’s locker room Friday, and since being posted on YouTube has had more than 450,000 views.

“Oh my gosh. I got prepared for that video. I think I bought almost everybody’s costumes,” Young said of wacky costumes and props, such as guitars and hats that can be seen at http://bit.ly/VoAkOK

“When they told me we were going to do it,” Young added of organizer Justin Wesley, “I watched a couple (Harlem Shake) videos. I’d never seen it before. I said, ‘If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to go all-out. We can’t just do a little half version of it. We’ve got to do it the best we can.’”

The Jayhawks’ version of the Shake includes a starring role from coach Bill Self, who begins the video by writing the words “Harlem Shake” on the chalkboard.

“I have no idea,” Self said, asked how filming dance videos helps a team. “The guys told me Thursday, ‘Coach, we need you in the locker room at 2 o’clock.’ They wanted me to dance, and that wasn’t going to happen.

“Of course, if I knew I could wear a chicken head (like Ben McLemore in video) and nobody knew who I was, I might have done it. I didn’t know what the Harlem Shake was. They asked me to do whatever I did, which I’m sure added a lot of value,” Self added with a laugh.

“I do think it kind of shows team unity, and the other thing (is), I think our fans like seeing that our guys are real. I think that’s as much as anything it does for us.”

…The Jayhawks this past weekend received a jolt of energy from past Jayhawks on hand for the Texas game. They included NBA players Mario Chalmers, Marcus and Markieff Morris, Thomas Robinson, Tyshawn Taylor, Nick Collison and Xavier Henry, as well as Jeff Graves, Mario Little, Conner Teahan, Brady Morningstar, Jeff Hawkins and Wayne Simien.

“They text us every now and then,” senior center Jeff Withey said. “The older guys don’t give us a pep talk or anything. We know what we’ve got to do, but it’s definitely good to have them back. They are our old teammates. You want to perform for those guys.”

Seeing them, “gives you a good feeling that shoots through your body,” noted senior Elijah Johnson. “In the locker room, you can’t deny it.”

Noted senior Young: “They let us know we’ve got to come out and do what Kansas does. They did it before us. It’s our time now. It’s more a support thing. They didn’t put pressure on us. At the end of the day, we’re all Kansas.”

Self loves when former players return to town for games.

“These are kids they grew up with,” Self said. “Thomas ... he was a roommate with (Johnson) for three years, and Tyshawn kind of mentored him. The twins, Mario Little, Brady … all of them care about these kids. I text Tyshawn the other day after he had 12 (points for NBA’s Brooklyn Nets). He texts me back. I said, ‘We’ve got to get Elijah going.’ He said, ‘I know, coach. I’m talking to him.’ These guys stay in contact. I think having those guys back will help him a little bit.”
LJW


“I’m not big on social networking or nothing like that, but that was all Justin Wesley,” point guard Elijah Johnson said. “At first I wasn’t big on doing it. I think everybody kind of felt the same way. But when Justin forced us to do it, it turned into us having so much energy yesterday, and then we went into practice and it kind of carried over.”

No one is crediting the Harlem Shake for Saturday’s 73-47 victory against Texas, but it did represent an attitude shift for the Jayhawks. Without realizing it, KU had become a pretty serious team, a team that had gotten used to winning in joyless fashion.

After a three-game losing streak and some thorough self-examination, the Jayhawks realized how much weight they'd been carrying.

“At one point in time we were playing for everybody but ourselves,” Johnson said. “Time was passing so fast, and we didn’t realize that we … we were having fun, but we weren’t having the kind of fun that we wanted to have.”

The Jayhawks say they are a looser team now, just in time for what might be the biggest game of their regular season. KU travels to Oklahoma State on Wednesday for a first-place showdown against the only team to win at Allen Fieldhouse this year, and the outcome could go a long way toward deciding the Big 12 race.

“I don’t really try to predict too far in the future, but I think everybody in this room knows there’s not too much to say,” Johnson said. “It’s more so about what we’ve got to do, and that’s all we’re thinking about.”
TCJ

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For many fans, the highlight of the night was seeing Chalmers’ No. 15 jersey unveiled in the rafters. Chalmers, the hero of KU’s 2008 national title game and the author of a shot now memorialized in a mural outside the KU locker room, soaked in the adoration during a halftime ceremony.

“Man, it feels good to be back in the Fieldhouse,” he said.

Once the ceremony was complete, KU fans watched another No. 15 — Elijah Johnson — show signs of emerging from a miserable slump.

Kansas retires jerseys, not numbers — Bud Stallworth and Jo Jo White also wore 15 — so Johnson won’t have to make a midseason switch. It might not have been a bad idea, though, considering Johnson had tried almost everything else to rediscover his shooting touch.

The No. 15 jersey probably fits a little better after Saturday. Johnson scored the first seven points for KU in the second half, all coming on drives to the basket, and finished with 12 on 5-for-10 shooting. Travis Releford and Jeff Withey led the Jayhawks with 15 each, which was more than enough offense to subdue the cold-shooting Longhorns.

"When you’re having fun, you don’t have to know nothing," said Johnson, who dished four assists with only one turnover. "You’ve just got to go out there and play. That’s what we’re doing right now. Everybody is just playing. Nobody’s thinking. Everybody is just going after what they think belongs to them."

The Longhorns had their point guard back, but you wouldn’t have known it from watching them Saturday. Even with Myck Kabongo on the floor, playing his second game since returning from suspension, Texas shot 21.8 percent from the field and mustered only 15 first-half points, a season low.

"You can't coach making shots," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "Guys have to make it."
TCJ


When the Miami Heat took a trip to the White House after winning their championship in 2012, Barack Obama made sure to find Mario Chalmers.

He didn’t seek Chalmers out to talk about his efforts in the Heat’s championship, either. The president wanted to mention the “miracle shot” that has become synonymous with Kansas basketball in the five years since 2008.

“We went to visit the White House and he said something,” Chalmers said. “That’s a great feeling. I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”

However, Chalmers wasn’t in Lawrence to talk about his time with the Miami Heat. Chalmers was at Allen Fieldhouse to watch his jersey earn a permanent place in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters. His No. 15 jersey is now sandwiched between Wayne Simien’s jersey and broadcaster Max Falkenstien’s banner.

Chalmers’ 2008 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award qualifies Chalmers’ jersey to hang among the 26 other KU basketball players who have had their jerseys retired.

“That was one of my dreams growing up,” Chalmers said. “Leaving my mark on whatever school I went to. It happened to be Kansas.”
TCJ



He thanked his parents, KU’s coaches and fans. He singled out former teammate Jeff Hawkins.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here today,” Chalmers told the crowd. “My freshman year was one of the hardest times for me. Me and coach (Bill) Self didn’t get along. I wanted to transfer. I think it would have been one of the worst decisions I ever made. Jeff picked me up from my dorm room and told me he went through the same thing. There’s no greater feeling to play in the fieldhouse in front of 16,300.”
LJW


There’s a montage of some of the greatest moments in the history of Kansas basketball that is played before every game at Allen Fieldhouse, and almost without fail, the loudest ovation comes at the moment when Mario Chalmers hits “the shot.”

Never has the ovation been louder than it was Saturday night.

Chalmers was on hand for the No. 14 Jayhawks’ game against Texas to have his jersey retired at halftime. But perhaps the biggest smile that was brought to his face came before the opening tip, when the montage played on the video boards hanging over the court.

“The shot,” of course, refers to his buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime in the 2008 national title game, which the Jayhawks eventually won over Memphis for their fifth championship.

“I’d say in the hundreds,” Chalmers said, when asked how many times he’s seen the clip of him hitting the fade-away jump shot. “Yesterday was the first time in a couple of years.”

…Chalmers only averaged a shade over 12 points during his three-year career in Lawrence, but he dished out more than 400 assists, had nearly 100 steals each year and became the guy at the end of games who craved the ball for the final shot.

That was the case in the national title game against Memphis.

In one of the enduring images of Kansas basketball, Chalmers came off a screen at the top of the key, pulled up for a 3-pointer and let it rip just as the game clock expired. It was on line the whole way, going through the net and sending the Jayhawks on to a 75-68 victory.

Kansas coach Bill Self called Chalmers, the first player he’s recruited to have his jersey retired, one of the best “clutch” players that he’s ever coached.

“Oh yeah, we thought he’d be great,” Self said earlier in the week. “We knew Mario would be special. It took him a while to get on track, get used to me and vice versa, but after we got to know each other a bit, he was on his way.”

Chalmers made it to his old stomping grounds in time to watch practice and speak to the team on Friday, and was honored at a reception later in the evening.

“It’s something you always hope for,” he said. “That was one of my dreams growing up, to leave my mark on whatever school I chose to go to, and it just happened to be Kansas.”

Chalmers was asked whether winning the NBA title with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Co. last season trumped winning his national title at Kansas, and he unleashed that trademark smile that made him one of the most beloved players the school has ever known.

“To have that moment recognized in Kansas history,” he said, “it means a lot to me.”
AP

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The ball is frozen in midflight. The clock reads 3.6 seconds. And Mario Chalmers’ right wrist is captured in perfect form, a follow through that could wind up in the Smithsonian some day.

In the background, on an April night in San Antonio, a thousand faces stand and stare, weary and hopeful, waiting for the ball to drop.

Bill Self says he’s watched this play more than you have. Maybe a thousand times by now. The Shot made Self a national championship coach, and Chalmers a KU hero, freeing a state and fan base from two decades of NCAA Tournament demons.

“It still gives me goose bumps to see it,” Self says now.

But the man who made the shot, a smooth little guard from Alaska, has never been much for reflection or history or lore. That’s never been Mario Chalmers’ way.

In the moments after Chalmers swished the most famous three-pointer in KU history, and the Jayhawks won their third NCAA title with a historic comeback against Memphis, the scene inside the Alamodome was pure chaos. KU center Sasha Kaun had screamed in joy, and guard Russell Robinson sat on the back of a golf cart and cried. But Chalmers, after doing a little dance, simply went to hug his mother, Almarie.

A few minutes later, when Chalmers had found his way to the postgame news conference, his answers were clipped and emotionless, just like always. Finally, someone asked Chalmers whether he recognized the historical significance of what he had just done.

“I mean, it was a big shot for me,” Mario would say.

Nearly five years after making The Shot, Chalmers was back in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday night to have his jersey retired, the first player from the 2008 championship team to receive the honor. In so many ways, that night in San Antonio changed his life.
KC Star

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ESPN analyst Jay Bilas also tells a story of an almost-visit to Allen Fieldhouse. Bilas, a highly regarded prospect from Rolling Hills, Calif., was recruited by Owens and had the Jayhawks among four teams he considered before signing with Duke.

“At the time, I was down to Duke, Iowa, Syracuse and Kansas,” Bilas said. “Coach K called me and said, ‘Where are you in your decision?’ I said I’m leaning toward Duke, and he said, ‘What does that mean, you’re leaning toward Duke? Percentages, where are you?’

“I don’t remember what percentages I gave, but I gave some percentages, and Kansas was at the end of it, the lowest percentage. He said, ‘Is Kansas really in this? You need to be honest with everybody.’ So I called coach Owens and said I was sick and couldn’t come. That was the scope of my honesty at the time.”

DAVIS ROCKS ALL BY HIMSELF: Rece Davis couldn’t help himself.

As he was taping a segment for ESPN’s College GameDay, Davis gazed across the empty bleachers in Allen Fieldhouse and did what so many KU fans had done before him.

He seized the opportunity of not having anybody get mad for cheering for a team and sang the “Rock, Chalk” chant.

“A building is usually a building, but this is different,” Davis said. “You sort of walk in and feel as if you’re stepping into a little piece of basketball history.”

Davis and the entire ESPN GameDay crew filmed live from Lawrence at 9 a.m. Saturday morning in front of a sizeable Fieldhouse crowd.

KU fans camped out early Friday evening to get in line for the GameDay festivities.

Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps, Jalen Rose and Davis all hosted the show from James Naismith Court.

As for Davis, doing the chant himself isn’t what he would consider to be the “best,” but it was close enough.

“It wasn’t as good as when everybody’s in there doing it,” Davis said. “But at least I got to do it.”
TCJ

At The Wheel

http://twitter.com/TheRealTPlum/status/302847288978587648/photo/1

The snow began falling on the campers sometime before 10 p.m. on Friday night. A small group of KU basketball fans and students had congregated outside Allen Fieldhouse, building a mini tent city and waiting for morning.

It was the unofficial beginning of a game day at Kansas, a full slate that included the live recording of ESPN’s “College GameDay” in the morning. The cameras started rolling inside Allen Fieldhouse at 9 a.m. with an hour-long show on ESPNU — before the main broadcast began at 10 on ESPN.

…Best nostalgia moment: Self joined the set for a brief discussion, and he reminded Rose that Self had been an assistant at Oklahoma State when the second-seeded Cowboys lost 75-72 to Rose’s Fab Five Michigan squad in the 1992 Sweet 16. Rose had admitted that he didn’t play defense back then, and Self countered by saying that’s why Oklahoma State had gone after him.

...Honorable mention: Rose also reminded the audience that he played against KU during his career. One of the first former KU players that he remembered? Guard Calvin Rayford.

…Best Paul Pierce impersonator: The broadcast ended with the traditional half-court shot, and the kid who took it sure looked familiar. Turns out, it was Paul Pierce II, a third cousin of the former Kansas star. He had good form, but he couldn’t get any shots to go down.

...Best segment: ESPN aired a feature on KU strength-and-conditioning coordinator Andrea Hudy, who was recently selected National College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The segment focused, in part, on her work with KU senior center Jeff Withey, who learned a hard lesson when he arrived at Kansas as a skinny freshman.

“You’re not working hard unless you throw up,” Withey said.
KC Star

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The game was over when....

http://twitter.com/MikeIllig/status/302961775740071937/photo/1

Here at Allen Fieldhouse, equal parts basketball arena, museum and shrine to Kansas basketball, the Jayhawks made history and celebrated it Saturday night.

Jeff Withey, the 14th-ranked Jayhawks’ senior center, passed former Longhorn Chris Mihm to become the Big 12’s career leader in blocked shots during a 73-47 Kansas victory in front of 16,300, the 194th straight sellout at Allen Fieldhouse.

…Fans cheered loudly for Chalmers and other former Jayhawks who returned to campus during their break from the NBA during all-star weekend.

Freshman Connor Lammert, who scored nine points for the Longhorns, said the fans were impressive but added, “I think after a while we got used to it. At the end of the day, it came down to the 10 guys on the floor.”

…The game against Kansas was so out of hand that Tyler Self, the coach’s freshman son who is a walk-on, made a driving shot with a minute remaining, his second basket this season. Barnes found some humor in that.

“I told Bill the most disappointing thing was he tried to run the score up with his son,” Barnes said.
Austin Statesman

Julius Randle, ranked second by Rivals behind only Andrew Wiggins in the Class of 2013 among high school basketball players, had a seat behind the Kansas University bench Saturday night. He was treated to an evening that highlighted the past and reminded the audience that the present, somehow, never strays far from the glorious days of yesteryear.

Freed from a funk that included a three-game losing streak, Kansas is back to doing what it usually does under Bill Self now, Roy Williams and Larry Brown before him. In a word, dominating.

Randle watched Kansas destroy Texas, 73-47, one of the other schools on his short list, along with Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina State and Oklahoma.

Not only that, he watched it sitting among seven active NBA players who played their home games in front of adoring capacity crowds, sometimes including fans who were in the building in the morning watching the ESPN “GameDay” crew do its thing, as was the case Saturday.

Mario Chalmers, Nick Collison, Xavier Henry, Marcus and Markieff Morris, Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor all sat near Randle.

Well before tipoff, students chanted “We want Randle! We want Randle!”

...Randle also was treated to a slice of how Kansas treats its stars from the past when he witnessed the unfurling of Chalmers’ No. 15 jersey, stationed high on the south wall between those of Wayne Simien (23) and Max Falkenstien (60), both of whom also were in attendance.

Kansas had Texas doubled up, 70-35, late in the game, and the recruiting chant again erupted: “We want Randle! We want Randle!” Sitting next to his mother and wearing a red sweatshirt and huge grin, Randle thanked the students with a wave. They responded with another chant: “Come to Kansas! Come to Kansas!”

The celebrity list on this electric evening extended beyond those who made their names playing basketball. PGA Tour pro Gary Woodland, who drives a golf ball the way Ben McLemore dunks a basketball, took in the game. Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services since 2009 and Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2008, looked to be having a blast.

Randle and the rest of the crowd caught a glimpse of how much fun the Kansas players have in the locker room, doing the Harlem Shake, captured by a video on which McLemore also looks the most talented. (“With the first pick of the 2013 NBA Draft ... select Ben McLemore.")

...If Randle doesn’t choose Kansas, it won’t be for lack of effort on the part of anyone emotionally invested in the program. He would be joining a recruiting class ranked second without him. Small guards Conner Frankamp and Frank Mason, wings Wayne Selden and Brannen Greene and 7-foot center Joel Embiid make up a class that has everything but a power forward.

Randle certainly couldn’t hurt his NBA Draft portfolio by learning to play the sort of team defense KU played in harassing Texas into a .218 overall shooting percentage and a .095 three-point mark on a night the Longhorns had shot-clock violations on back-to-back possessions. And as McLemore showed in executing a 360-degree dunk, Randle also would be coming to a place where freedom of expression isn’t discouraged.
LJW Keegan

https://twitter.com/DannyBruning/status/302856827144642562/photo/1

When it comes to Kansas basketball, it’s never too early to think about next season and the recruiting class that Bill Self is trying to assemble.

All eyes from KU fans were on Julius Randle, who was in Lawrence on his official visit for KU. Randle, of Plano, Texas, is ranked as the No. 2 player in the country by Rivals, No. 3 by ESPN, and No. 4 by Scout.com.

KU students chanted, “We want Randle,” to get the top recruit’s attention, and Randle stood up to acknowledge the fans’ lustful cheering.
TCJ


Hearing that Ben McLemore is serving as one of the rush chairs for top recruit Julius Randle this weekend.
https://twitter.com/rustindodd


Julius Randle Blog recapping the Kansas visit coming later this week... Stay tuned.
https://twitter.com/JayJayUSATODAY


10:25 a.m. - Feb 18, 2013
Headed home !! Time to focus on getting state now
https://twitter.com/J30_RANDLE