KU Men's Basketball Reps Travel to Greensburg, Kansas, to Surprise Tornado Stricken Town

April 30, 2008

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<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>GREENSBURG, Kan. – A contingent of Kansas Athletics administrators and student-athletes paid a pleasant surprise to the town of Greensburg, Kan., Wednesday morning. Greensburg is rebuilding from a devastating tornado which hit May 4, 2007.

Coordinated through the CBS Early Show and the University, KU director of Athletics Lew Perkins along with team members and coaches from the 2008 KU men’s basketball national championship squad visited Greensburg.

Kansas assistant coach Danny Manning, team videographer Brett Ballard, staff photographer Jeff Jacobsen, along with 2008 seniors Jeremy Case, Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun made the trip to Greensburg. The group toured the devastated and rebuilding areas and were welcomed into a packed gym in which they posed for photos, signed autographs and passed out national championship t-shirts and jerseys.

This past season, the Greensburg High School boys basketball team was a rallying cry for the devastated town, as due to the tornado, it had to play all of its games on the road yet qualified for the state championship tournament.

The CBS Early Show has been originating from Greensburg all week and on Wednesday had KU features with KU professor Dan Rockhill about the public arts center that the University’s Studio 804 is building and the surprise appearance by the Kansas Athletics contingent at a packed Greensburg gym.