KU Men’s Hoops Hosts Sixth Annual Ladies Night Out
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Approximately 450 women, including many cancer survivors, got a taste of what it is to be a Jayhawk at the sixth annual “Ladies Night Out” hosted by the Kansas men’s basketball team. The yearly sold out event benefits Jayhawks for a Cure with all proceeds donated to Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) and the KU Cancer Center in an effort to fund cancer research.
The evening started with the group gathering in historic Allen Fieldhouse where the ladies saw videos about the rich history of Kansas men’s basketball, the second winningest program in NCAA Division I history, including an all-time best 58 conference regular-season championships and the last 11 Big 12 straight beginning in 2005. KU head coach Bill Self then had each student-athlete introduce himself and then Self introduced the men’s basketball staff.
A highlight of the introductions was a question and answer session with the attendees and the student-athletes. Questions included favorite KU games for the seniors and superstitions. When freshman forward Cheick Diallo spoke to the group, Self had the Kayes, Mali, Africa native answer why he came to Kansas in French and his native dialect of Bambara, much to the delight of the crowd. Diallo can speak three languages fluently.
“This event is sold out every year,” Self said. “It’s fun. The players and coaches enjoy it and we hope the ladies do as well, because it is for a great cause.”
Following introductions, Self, the players and staff then broke into individual stations where the ladies were taught strength and conditioning training with associate athletics director Andrea Hudy, and a Q&A session from assistant coach Kurtis Townsend and Director of Student-Athlete Development Fred Quartlebaum. Those in attendance toured the men’s basketball locker room and had ample opportunities to shoot photos and gather autographs from the Jayhawks and staff.
“This is awesome,” KU junior forward Landen Lucas said. “It shows great support for a great cause. It’s fun for us. It gets us away after practice and have fun with these ladies.”
Ladies Night Out is one of several Jayhawks for the Cure events that takes place throughout the 2014-15 athletic year as part of a campus-wide initiative to bring awareness to cancer research. Student-athletes, coaches and staff work together with the university and the community of Lawrence to raise funds for cancer research at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the KU Cancer Center.
Sponsors for the 2015 Ladies Night Out included Lawrence Memorial Hospital and 23rd Street Brewery.
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