The University of Kansas men's and women's basketball teams will ceremoniously tip off their 2014-15 seasons at the 30th annual Late Night in the Phog Friday, Oct. 10, in Allen Fieldhouse.
The 2014 Late Night in the Phog, presented by Hy-Vee, will run from 6:30 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m. Admission is free and will remain a ticketless, first-come, first-served event; no re-entry passes will be distributed. Doors will open at 3 p.m., and children 12 and under will not be admitted without an accompanying adult. The Fieldhouse doors will be closed when the arena reaches capacity.
Kansas Athletics has announced it will take extra steps to ensure the fun and safety of all attending fans:
- KU and Lawrence Public Safety personnel will provide an increased presence.
- Kansas Athletics will open the Allen Fieldhouse entrances early if warranted by a large-enough crowd of fans waiting to enter.
- Kansas Athletics will increase its communication with fans throughout the day, using social media, conventional media and on-site communication.
- As on game nights, KU students will enter through their customary separate entrance on the northeast side of Allen Fieldhouse.
With school in session Oct. 10, university parking lots will be restricted by permit until 5 p.m., with the exception of Lot 90 located across Naismith Drive from Allen Fieldhouse; that lot will be available for public parking at no charge starting at noon. Public parking will also be available in the parking garage just north of Allen Fieldhouse for Late Night in the Phog after 5 p.m.; cost will be $5 per vehicle.
As is the tradition at Late Night, fans are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items, which Kansas Athletics will donate to "Just Food" of Douglas County. Just Food will also be outside Allen Fieldhouse taking cash donations for those not able to bring a food item.
Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will oversee the television production of Late Night, which will be seen live on the Jayhawk TV Network, including ESPN3. Nate Bukaty and former men's basketball guard Greg Gurley will serve as hosts. Additionally, 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City and KLWN Radio in Lawrence will provide coverage of the festivities.
KU Athletics: Everything you need to know about Late Night in the Phog
After years of campaigning by his sister, Barbara Lewis, and Philadelphia Tribune sportswriter Donald Hunt and others in his beloved hometown, basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain on Dec. 5 will finally be honored with two commemorative U.S. Postal Service postage stamps.
According to Linn’s Stamp News, the Chamberlain stamps will be “extra tall and not a standard commemorative stamp size,” which is fitting for the 7-foot-1 superstar.
…In announcing the Chamberlain stamps, U.S. Postal Service stamp services director Susan McGowan said the artwork will remain a secret until its Dec. 5 unveiling in Philadelphia. She teased stamp collectors with a mystery about which jersey Chamberlain will wear on the stamps, but indicated it will be one of his NBA teams: the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers or Los Angeles Lakers.
She did not mention a Kansas jersey as a possibility, although Jayhawks will no doubt hold out hope for an upset.
KU Alumni Assoc
“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
Big 12 / College News
Members of the NCAA Final Four Site Selection Committee and Phoenix bid organizers visited Tempe Beach Park on Tuesday. It's the proposed site of the NCAA's March Madness Music Festival.
The group was welcomed with open arms by a student cheer group and a Sun Devil pep band.
This is one of the final steps in the men's Final Four site selection process, with Phoenix among eight finalists. Our state would potentially host the tournament between 2017 and 2020.
Fox10Phoenix
Recruiting
This year, Self and the Jayhawks are seeking out another potential Mr. Georgia Basketball in Jaylen Brown. Brown has scheduled an official visit to Lawrence on Oct. 10
…Being from Georgia, Brown is considering the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, as well as UCLA for his college decision. One important aspect of Brown’s decision is the coaching staff. He said he is intrigued by Bill Self, Norm Roberts and the rest of the Jayhawk staff.
“Coach Self is really cool,” Brown told SNY.tv. “I hope to sit down with him to talk some basketball.”
However, Brown is not alone in this decision, and it isn’t based solely on basketball.
"Jaylen waiting until after his senior year is still on the table at this time,” his mother, Michelle Brown, told SNY.tv. “This is a very difficult decision, and I want Jaylen to be at peace with his choice and not be rushed. I also want him to feel comfortable that his choice covers where he can excel in both academics and athletics."
This is a new development out of Brown’s camp. Back in May, Brown went off for 48 points at the Adidas Gauntlet in Indianapolis. After his performance, he said he was getting tired of the recruiting process. He wanted to make a decision over the summer, but added a few schools to his list late.
UDK
Now that Emmanuel Mudiay has opted to play in the Chinese Basketball Association instead of SMU next season, it’s making top 2015 and 2016 prospects in high school basketball think about jumping to the pros instead of being a one-and-done college player.
With Mudiay making good money — more on that below — it’s understandable to see why the top high school players would be interested in getting potentially millions of dollars to their families for an extra year of professional basketball.
…The most interesting response came from 2015 prospect Jaylen Brown. The 6-foot-7 small forward from Georgia is No. 2 in the Rivals 2015 national rankings and said some things that reflected positively on Mudiay’s decision to Daniels. In other words, Brown seems open to the idea of going pro if the right offer came along.
“That was huge,” Brown told Daniels. “It’s starting a new culture.”
“A lot of guys are talking about if they could do that, they would,” Brown continued in the Scout report. “There are a lot of things coming up that could be on the table for some guys. Everybody is interested and everybody is watching to see how he’s going to do and how it’s going to work out.”
NBC Sports
A great many meetings during the visit take place over a meal. Familiarizing the prospect with campus is important, but the most important interaction often takes place at the coach’s house. Most head coaches will have the prospect and his family over for a dinner, and sometimes, he will have the entire team in attendance. Here, the parents get a chance to evaluate the relationship the coaching staff has with his team. Coaches use things like a video game competition contest to get everyone involved. Once, I even played charades at dinner on a visit. Most coaches prioritize family, and this is the time that the prospect can get a feel for family. Once again, it is the current players that take the lead. A player’s conversation with a parent regarding the environment around the program could help seal a commitment. It's one thing to hear it from the staff but another to hear it unsolicited from a player.
These same types of interactions could happen at a tailgate prior to a football game. These tailgates are usually out in the open in a prominent place on campus where the energy and passion for the institution is apparent. This can be an opportunity for the prospect and his parents to see the passion and ownership of the alumni and community.
ESPN Seth Greenberg: Coach’s role during an official visit ($)
Stephen Zimmerman, the 7-footer from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, won’t commit until the spring and won’t sign a National Letter of Intent at all, his mother told SNY.tv.
“It doesn’t protect the student-athlete, only the University,” Lori Zimmerman said by text.
…He has scheduled all five of his official visits starting with North Carolina on Oct. 3, Kansas on Oct. 10 for ‘Late Night in the Phog,’ Kentucky on Oct. 17 for ‘Big Blue Madness,’ UCLA on Oct. 24 and Arizona on Nov. 7.
Zags Blog
Fifty-three of the nation’s top high school aged basketball players will convene on the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the 6th annual USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team mini-camp on Oct. 4-5.
The training camp will be used to continue player evaluations and to get a start on preparations for several upcoming international competitions, including in 2015 the Nike Hoop Summit, 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, as well as for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship and 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
USA Basketball (Jaylen Brown, Malik Newman, Ivan Raab, Stephen Zimmerman, more)
Recruiting Calendar
My Late Night in the Phog videos, KU Alumni games videos, 2011-12 Border War videos, Legends of the Phog videos, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcjcjhawk