Claremore Daily Progress

Sports

October 14, 2012

'Late Night in the Phog'

Kansas tips off basketball season

ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas' "Late Night in the Phog'' featured all its normal pageantry with smoke, video montages and skits. About halfway through, however, some technical difficulty threatened to slow down the evening when the lights faded and the women's team scrimmage was paused.

According to the campus fire marshal, someone at the scorer's table hit the wrong switch instead of a buzzer. The women's team soldiered on and continued to score under the emergency lights and played out the final 1:20.

Amid the fog and drone of plastic noisemakers, Kansas unveiled new Big 12 championship and Final Four banners which makes 55 and 14, respectively. A near-capacity crowd welcomed the 2012-13 men's and women's basketball teams for their first practice.

Although this is the opening event for the season, Kansas took time to celebrate last season's accomplishments that included a Sweet 16 appearance for the women, an NCAA championship game appearance for the men and an Olympic gold medal for Diamond Dixon of the track team.

"Even though rosters change at Kansas, expectations don't,'' coach Bill Self said to the crowd.

This year that is especially true for the Jayhawks who bring in seven freshmen and two redshirts. Despite their youth, they were unanimously voted to win the Big 12 this season. Starters Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford and Jeff Withey return, but the team is missing two NBA players in Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. With Self at the helm for his 10th season, there is always a positive buzz to start the season.

The team was welcomed to the court by thunderous cheers as three groups performed dance routines including the freshmen threatening to toss Self's son Tyler into the crowd.

The lights faded, Allen Fieldhouse filled with fog and Aerosmith's "Dream On'' sent a hallowed silenced over the crowd for the yearly pump-up video. The team and the crowd relived familiar highlights like the final game of the Kansas-Missouri rivalry. In the darkness, the veils were pulled of the new banners and yet another video followed the journey to the championship game.

The excitement and confidence were high as the players stepped onto the court one by one. With the skits finished, and the smoke rising, the fans got their first look at this season's team.

Warmups turned into the usual dunk contest, but once the scrimmage started, the Jayhawks got to work with three of the first four baskets by freshmen. But less than 6 minutes in, redshirt freshman Ben McLemore gave the crowd what they came for with a two-handed dunk. More theatrics followed before the end of the evening.

Kansas showed teasers for two upcoming projects: an ESPN 30-for-30 episode called, "No Place Like Home'' about the acquisition of the original rules of basketball, and a film called "The Jayhawkers'' about Wilt Chamberlain's time at Kansas.

On Oct. 30, the Jayhawks will have their first exhibition game against Emporia State and then open the season against Michigan State on Nov. 13.



 

Text Only
Sports
  • DSC_0047web.jpg Verdigris’ Hanslovan commits to ORU

    One of the biggest decisions of her upcoming senior year is finally behind Verdigris High School soccer standout Caitlyn Hanslovan.
    The four-year letterwinner and three-time Class 4A state champion forward announced Tuesday that she will commit to playing NCAA Division I soccer at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

    May 22, 2013 2 Photos

  • DSC_0209web.jpg RSU's Loy earns third-straight Academic All American honor

    Rogers State senior outfielder Katrina Loy was named to the Capital One Academic All-America College Division Softball Third Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • DSC_0202web.jpg Area players earn All-Region baseball awards

    The awards keep piling up for Verdigris High School graduate Blake Battenfield.
    After being named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Large East team earlier this week, Battenfield and numerous other players from Rogers County earned OCA All-Region accolades.
    Battenfield was joined by his teammate, Ryan Hurd, who was a senior outfielder/shortstop for the three-time Class 3A state champion Verdigris Cardinals.

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • NEO softball season ends in Utah

    Sophomore pitcher Maggie Ham struck out 12 batters to lead the No. 1 seed Butler (Kan.) Community College Grizzlies to a 5-2 victory over No. 4 seed Northeastern A&M College Friday afternoon in a loser's bracket elimination game of the NJCAA Women's Division 1 National Softball Tournament at the Canyons Complex.

    May 24, 2013

  • OBU sends 41 to NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships

    Forty-one Oklahoma Baptist track and field athletes make the trek to Marion, Ind., next week for the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

    May 24, 2013

  • Megan Byford lands Tulsa women's basketball coaching job

    Tulsa Head Women's Basketball Coach Matilda Mossman announced today the appointment of Megan Byford as an assistant coach for the Golden Hurricane. Byford comes to Tulsa from the Oklahoma State coaching staff.

    May 24, 2013

  • Tulsa's Manning adds walk-on from Wichita

    The University of Tulsa Head Coach Danny Manning announced the addition of preferred walk-on Riley Kemmer for the 2013-14 season.

    May 24, 2013

  • Danny Manning Basketball Camp set for June 3-6

    There is still time to register for Danny Manning Basketball Summer Day Camp and Parent-Child Camp. The Day Camp runs from June 3-6, and the Parent-Child Camp takes place June 14-15, both at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on the campus of The University of Tulsa.

    May 24, 2013

  • Tulsa's Teeters shatters school record in 100-meter dash

    Freshman John Teeters shattered the Tulsa school record in the 100-meter dash en route to qualifying for the semifinals during the first day of the NCAA West Prelims at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

    May 24, 2013

  • SLC TOURNEY: ORU's Bowen dominates Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

    Drew Bowen carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning and added to his storied postseason résumé as third-seeded Oral Roberts University knocked off second-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6-1, on Thursday afternoon at the 2013 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament.

    May 24, 2013