Kansas Men's Basketball Notes for the Nov. 14 Washburn Exhibition

Nov. 12, 2004

Tonight’s Game

Kansas enters its second exhibition game of 2004 playing host to Washburn. The Jayhawks are coming off a 115-70 win against Emporia State in its first exhibition contest on Nov. 7.

The Jayhawks (5-0 in exhibition in 2004) are under the direction of second-year coach Bill Self who guided KU to a 24-9 record last season and a tie for second place in the Big 12 race at 12-4. His 24 wins tied Dick Harp for the most victories by a KU head coach in his debut season.

KU returns four starters from last year’s team and is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Seniors Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Wayne Simien and sophomore J.R. Giddens are KU’s returning starters. Simien is a preseason AP All-America selection and Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. Langford was named to the preseason all-conference team as voted on by the coaches and media as well.

Washburn (0-1 exhibition) opened exhibition play with 81-72 loss at Purdue last Monday. The Ichabods are defending MIAA champs, posting a 27-5 record last season and return eight letterwinners – including two starters – from the 2003-04 squad. WU is coached by Bob Chipman, who begins his 27th season with the Ichabods with a 586-197 record.

About Washburn

Washburn is the defending Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion after going 27-5 last year, including a 15-3 league record. Ichabods opened exhibition play last Monday, falling at Purdue 81-72. WU trailed by as many as 14 points and pulled with in 73-69 with 2:59 left in the game on a jumper by Travis Robbins. Carl Landry’s rebound and putback seconds later for Purdue helped the Boilermakers pull away with the win. Robbins finished with a game-high 25 points for the Ichabods, while Karlton Mims and Jerad Head added 10 points apiece. Robbins sat out a good portion fo the second half in foul trouble.

The Series

Kansas leads the overall series with Washburn 31-3, which includes victories in the last five meetings. The series dates back to 1906 with KU’s longest winning streak at 15 games from 1929 to 1944. The two teams last met on Nov. 22, 2002, in an exhibition contest won by KU, 101-66, in Lawrence. This will be the second exhibition meeting between the Jayhawks and Ichabods. KU has won the last five meetings with WU dating back to 1944. The teams met twice in the 1990s and this will be the third meeting since 2000.

The Coaches

Kansas coach Bill Self (Oklahoma State, 1985) is in his second season at Kansas where he posted a 24-9 record in 2003-04 and finished tied for second in the Big 12 race at 12-4. KU advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year, falling to Georgia Tech in overtime, 79-71, last year. Self’s 24 wins tied Dick Harp for the most wins by a KU coach in his debut season with the Jayhawks. Self is in his 12th season overall where he is 231-114. He is facing Washburn for the first time. Prior to KU, Self led Illinois to two Big Ten titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Before Illinois, he guided Tulsa to two WAC championships in 1999 and 2000 and was The Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000. A four-time Naismith Coach of the Year Award finalist, Self began his coaching career at KU in 1985-86 and was an assistant at his alma mater – Oklahoma State – from 1986 until 1993. His first head coaching stint was at Oral Roberts where he guided the Golden Eagles to the NIT in 1996-97, their first postseason appearance since 1983-84.

Experimental Rules to be Used for the KU-Washburn Game

No you are not seeing double. The court for the Kansas-Washburn contest will have some new lines taped down as part of the experimental rules for certified games prior to Jan. 1, 2005. These experimental rules can be used in exhibition games prior to Jan. 1 as well. The changes include an experimental free throw lane that is 1 1/2 feet wider on each side, a three-point line that is extended to 20 feet, six inches and an arc drawn two feet from the cent of the basket to assist with charge/block calls.

Last Time Out

Kansas tipped off the 2004-05 season with a 115-70 win over Emporia State, Nov. 7 in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks opened the home exhibition season in front of a sellout crowd of 16,300. The win gave KU a perfect 5-0 record in exhibition play this year after going 4-0 on a Labor Day tour in British Columbia, Canada. Head coach Bill Self utilized most of the Jayhawk roster, playing 13 of the 14 available players. Sophomore J.R. Giddens exploded for 18 first half points on seven of eight shooting, including three from behind the arc. Giddens, who was one of five `Hawks to reach double figures, finished with a game-high 22 points. The Jayhawks’ four seniors combined for 47 points. Senior Wayne Simien connected on all seven of his shot attempts including two three pointers for 17 points, while Keith Langford added 15. Simien also recorded a game-high 10 rebounds. Michael Lee chipped in with 11 points and Aaron Miles added a game-high 12 assists. Freshman Russell Robinson had an impressive first home performance with 11 points off the bench.

Jayhawks get Early Start to 2004-05 Season Going 4-0 in Canada

This past Labor Day weekend, Kansas men’s basketball team won four exhibitions contests in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area. KU defeated the University of British Columbia 82-51 on Sept. 4, then swept two games Sept. 5 defeating Langara College 101-46 and University College of Fraser Valley 106-71. The Jayhawks concluded their tour with a 98-76 win against the Burnaby All-Stars. Kansas won its four games by an average of 35.8 points and had a rebound margin of +17.8 per game. Of the 13 players who played on the trip, 12 averaged 11 or more minutes per contest.

Jayhawks Enter 2004-05 No. 1 in Major Polls

Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls have tabbed Kansas at the top ranked team in the nation entering the 2004-05 season. This is the second time KU has been ranked No. 1 in the first of each poll. In the AP poll, one has to go back to the Wilt Chamberlain era as KU was No. 1 in the first 1956-57 poll (note: AP preseason polls did not start until 1961-62). In the coaches’ poll, the Jayhawks were No. 1 in the 1996-97 preseason poll and did not relinquish that spot until the final poll of the season when KU finished fifth.

More Poll Talk – Top 10 Ranking Common for KU

Kansas is Associated Press preseason Top 10 for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons. In that span, KU was preseason No. 2 four times — 1992-93, 1995-96, 1997-98 and 2002-03. This marks the third straight year Kansas enters the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll ranked in the top five – second in 2002-03 and fifth last season. The Jayhawks have appeared in the preseason Top 10 of the poll in nine of the last 10 years, including 2004-05’s No. 1 rating.

Simien Named Associated Press Preseason All-America

Kansas senior forward Wayne Simien was named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America team Tuesday. Simien earned AP third-team All-America honors last season. He is on numerous preseason All-America teams for 2004-05 and is the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year in both the coaches and media polls. Wake Forest’s Chris Paul received 55 votes from a national media panel to make the team along with four seniors: Lawrence Roberts of Mississippi State (50 votes), Simien (50), Julius Hodge of North Carolina State (41), and Hakim Warrick of Syracuse (33). The last Kansas Associated Press Preseason All-America selection was Kirk Hinrich entering the 2002-03 season.

Preseason Wooden Award and Naismith Award Watch Lists

For the second straight year, Jayhawk seniors Keith Langford and Wayne Simien are among 50 preseason candidates for the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, given to the nation’s top player. Last week the duo was named to the Naismith Award preseason watch list as well. KU boasts the NABC National Player of the Year two of the last three seasons in Drew Gooden (co-player with Duke’s Jason Williams) and Nick Collison. Gooden and Collison were also finalists for the 2002 and 2003 Wooden Award, respectively.

Kansas and Oklahoma State Preseason Big 12 Choices of League Coaches

Kansas and Oklahoma State are the preseason favorites to win the 2004-05 Big 12 Conference title in a vote of the league’s head coaches, the league announced last week. Both squads received six of 12 possible first-place votes, marking the first time in conference history two teams have shared the top spot in the coaches’ preseason poll. This marks the sixth time in the nine-year history of the Big 12 that Kansas has been selected as the preseason favorite. In three of the Jayhawks’ four conference titles – 1997, 1998, 2002 – KU was the coaches’ preseason pick.

Kansas Highlights Preseason Coaches All-Big 12 Team

Senior forward Wayne Simien has been named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year in a vote by the conference coaches, the league office announced last month. Simien and teammate Keith Langford were also members of the Preseason All-Big 12 Coaches Team. Additionally, senior guard Aaron Miles and sophomore guard J.R. Giddens were among the honorable mentioned as voted on by the league coaches. Simien was an All-Big 12 First Team choice last season en route to earning Associated Press All-America Third-Team accolades. He is the top returning scorer in the Big 12, averaging 17.8 ppg in 2003-04. The Leavenworth, Kan., native has 22 career double-doubles, including 11 last season. He has been named to the Preseason Wooden Award Top 50 for 2004-05. Langford was an All-Big 12 Second Team member last season as he led KU in scoring 12 times. The Fort Worth, Texas, native averaged 15.5 points per game for the Jayhawks. Joining Simien and Langford on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team were Iowa State sophomore guard Curtis Stinson and the Oklahoma State senior guard duo of John Lucas and Joey Graham. Simien was the only unanimous selection of the league coaches.

Kansas to Retire Five Jerseys in 2004-05

The University of Kansas will retire the jerseys of five former KU men’s basketball greats during the upcoming season as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Allen Fieldhouse. KU will honor Bill Bridges (F, 1959-61), Walter Wesley (C, 1964-66), Dave Robisch (F, 1969-71), Bud Stallworth (F, 1970-72) and Darnell Valentine (G, 1978-81) at individual games throughout the upcoming season. Bridges starts the jersey retirements at the December 9 game against TCU. Wesley will be honored on December 18 when KU hosts South Carolina. Valentine is next on January 29 against Texas, followed by Stallworth January 31 vs. Missouri and Robisch February 27 against Oklahoma State.

Kansas Celebrating 50 Years of Allen Fieldhouse

Recognized as one of the greatest venues in the nation for college basketball, Allen Fieldhouse is celebrating its 50th year of existence this season. Allen Fieldhouse was dedicated on March 1, 1955. The Jayhawks defeated Kansas State in the inaugural game that night, 77-66, before an overflow crowd of 17,228. Ceremonies for the anniversary of Allen Fieldhouse are being planned around the Jayhawks’ March 2, 2005 game against Kansas State. Named in honor of the renowned Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen, the Jayhawks’ head coach for 39 years, Allen Fieldhouse currently seats 16,300 fans. It is the second-largest basketball arena in the Big 12 Conference and the largest in the state of Kansas. The KU men’s team has posted a 551-101 record there (84.5 percent), which includes 14 undefeated home seasons. Between 1994 and December of 1998, the Jayhawks won 62 consecutive games in Allen Fieldhouse. Additionally, this will be the 32nd season for the KU women’s basketball team in Allen Fieldhouse.

Up Next

Kansas opens regular season action Nov. 19 when it plays host to two-time America East Conference champion Vermont. The Catamounts finished 22-7 last season and fell to eventual champion Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

2003-04 Notes to Digest

The 2003-04 Kansas Jayhawks overcame the loss of two NBA lottery picks and a coaching change to rack up 24 wins, finish in a tie for second place in the Big 12 and advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third straight season. Following are some highlights from the 2003-04 season:

–KU claimed at least 20 wins for the 15th straight season and at least 24 wins for the fifth straight year.

–The Jayhawks appeared in a school-record 15th straight NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year.

–Kansas collected at least 10 wins in league play for the 10th straight season.

–First-year coach Bill Self tied Dick Harp for the most wins by a KU coach in his debut season with the Jayhawks.

–KU won its 31st straight home-opener and its 13th consecutive conference-opener.

–The ‘Hawks went 8-0 in Big 12 home games, and the team enters this season with a 27-game win streak in home conference games.

–Kansas won its 21st straight Senior Day game.

–KU sold out all 14 of its home games to tie the school single-season average attendance record of 16,300. KU ranked eighth in the NCAA in attendance.

–The team won its 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament first-round game.

–Juniors Keith Langford and Wayne Simien each scored their 1,000th career points.

–Simien was named First-Team All-Big 12, marking the third straight year KU placed a player on that squad.

–Simien’s 569 points rank 23rd on KU’s single-season scoring list.

–Simien’s 167 free throws rank in seventh place on KU’s single-season free throws chart.–J.R. Giddens’ 74 three-pointers rank second on Kansas’ single-season freshman three-point list and tie for ninth on the Jayhawks’ overall single-season treys list.

–Aaron Miles’ 242 assists rank fifth on Kansas’ single-season assists chart.

–Miles’ 7.3 assists per game rank second on KU’s single-season assists per game list.