The Final 2!

Here are the Final 2 coaches for the 2008 NCAA championship. Bill Self (in glasses) and John Calipari. Both at one time were assistant coaches for Larry Brown at KU.

The media swarms around Sherron Collins in the locker room. Tall man in background is Mark Ewing (former KWCH sportscaster) now of WIBW, Topeka and on the floor in the striped shirt is Dave Phillips of KAKE-TV, Wichita. How do these kids keep their concentration on the game?

Darnell Jackson, Russell Robinson, and Brandon Rush at a press conference Sunday.

The Big game is on tonight at 8: 21. Of course CBS will have a rundown on how each team made it into the Final. I have already listened to the ESPN team of Bobby Knight and Dickie V. They thought the KU expelled a lot of energy against UNC and that they would probably be tired against Memphis. I think the Jayhawks are so charged that they are running on adrenalin. This may carry them into a championship.

Memphis has hovered in the polls between 1 and 2 all season long only losing to Tennessee. So Memphis has a pretty good record. I think that all the sport pundits are impressed that Memphis put UCLA way. Actually I think they are more impressed about that win than the thrashing that KU gave UNC in the second game.

As I have said all season long and especially down this long stretch that KU has to keep that energy level high. Don't choke, or get nervous. As Coach Self has said "keep that swagger" up. They just need to play especially smart tonight. No fouls, watch the turnovers, keep completely focused. And I know that's got to be hard to do after that win over UNC. This one is for the all the "marbles." This what they have worked for all season to win the National Championship. The kids have a lot of weight on their shoulders. This KU team has a lot to be proud of win or lose. But I just bet that they want to taste victory because it is within reach.

This is Memphis' first trip to the championship game since 1973 (I remember that year well!! I graduated from HS that year). They have never won a National Championship at all. This team will want this victory as well. It's just a matter to see who is the "hungriest," for the victory.

KU's last appearance in the final 2 was under Roy Williams in 2003. The last championship they won was with Larry Brown and the team was dubbed "Danny and the Miracles," back in 1988 (another great year in my life!). Is KU hungry enough tonight?

Coach Self and Danny Manning will prepare the team to the best of their abilities. We will have to watch Memphis' guards as they can score inside the paint and out in the perimeter.

It will be a close game and hopefully the 'Hawks can come up victorious. I hope that Darnell Jackson gets his wish for Coach Self tonight, and in a great way! Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!

Go KU!

KU playing for the National Title!

Bill Self and the Jayhawks victorious over UNC !!

Darnell Jackson playing with a lot of spirit!! Tyler Hansbrough looks very scared!

Bill Self and Roy Williams having a laugh. Look who got the last laugh!!

Mario Chalmers loving the moment!

WOW!! What a game! This game between UNC and KU seemed like the National Championship. This was the matchup to watch. ESPN kept touting their media darling, UNC and Tyler Hansbrough. The announcers went on and on about Hansbrough and how he is Player of the Year, to ad nauseum!! I was SICK to hear about Hansbrough this and that.

It was great to see KU shut UNC and Hansbrough down! UNC was shell shocked when KU led them by 28 points at one point. UNC would run but so would KU. I don't think they knew that KU was that good. UNC might have been dominate in the ACC but KU is deep in a lot of great players.

All this season UNC was rated number 1 in the polls and they were even the number 1 seed in the overall tournament. It was great to see them go down.

I listened to the post game conference and naturally UNC was down. But KU has been down too, twice (how could we forget Bradley and Bucknell, no one will let that go). Now it's KU's turn to have a "feel good" season.

Congrats to Bill Self, the coaching staff and the players for bringing the highest level in basketball to Kansas. It has been a great ride. And it's not over yet. We have to face Memphis (John Calapari's team) on Monday for the National Title. Let's just bask in this victory for a little while. Then get back to work on Memphis!

Rock Chalk Jayhawks!! :)

Pre-game practice Pictures

Coach Bill Self working out with his team at pre-game practice on Friday. He is in his first Final 4! This is KU's 13th Final 4.

Brandon Rush practicing. He has great form.

"And then there were four," says the sign in back. Brandon Rush passing by awaiting fans.

KU at center court together. "Jayhawks!" Go team!!

Some Final 4 Facts about the coaches:

UNC---Roy Williams, is the old man of the coaches at 57. He was born in North Carolina. He played on the JV squad at UNC (1968--69). He was an assistant under Dean Smith at UNC (1978-88) and coached 15 years at the University of Kansas. Head coach of UNC since 2003.

UCLA--Ben Howland, is 51. He was born in Oregon. He is a graduate of Weber State (1979). He was a graduate assistant at Gonzaga (1981-82), Head coach at Northern Arizona (1994-99), Head Coach at University of Pittsburgh (1999-2003), and Head coach of UCLA since 2003.

Memphis--John Calipari is 49. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He played at Clarion State (1980-82) and at University of North Carolina, Wilmington (1978--1980). In 1982-85 he was an assistant with Larry Brown at KU; (1985-88), at Pittsburgh; (1988--96) Massachusetts; (1996-99) New Jersey Nets; 1999-2000, Philadelphia '76's (assistant). Has been with Memphis since 2000.

KU--Bill Self, the youngest coach at 45. He was born in Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and played from 1981--1985. In 1985-86, he was an assistant under Larry Brown at KU. 1986--1993, an Assistant at OSU; 1993-97, Head coach Oral Roberts; 1997-2000, Tulsa; 2000-2003, Illinois. Has been with KU since 2003.

Rodrick Stewart...

During a practice this afternoon, Rodrick Stewart who filled in for Sherron Collins earlier this season, was practicing. He went up for a slam dunk but slipped and layed in agony under the basket. (I saw the video of this courtesy of the KC Star). He yelled to Coach and pointed to his knee. Apparently there was a wet spot on the floor and Stewart hit it. The prognosis was not good! He broke his knee-cap!! Can you imagine!? On the eve of the big game, this amazingly athletic/ fifth year senior will be unable to play. All he will be able to do is watch the game. This will not be easy for an athlete, who has trained to be at this level, only to have it taken away by an accident.

I feel so sorry for Rodrick Stewart. He hasn't had an easy season. He has had to undergo personal tragedy. And now this has happend to him. I know he must have been looking forward in being on the court and playing in a Final 4 game. When the team gets back from San Antonio he will be having surgery.

This is terribly sad news for Rod. I just hope the team can win one for him (and themselves tomorrow). Get well Rod. I enjoyed watching you play for KU and will miss you tomorrow.

The Eve of the Final 4

"Twas the Eve before the Final 4 when all through the house not a creature was cheering for UNC. All KU fans were nestled in front of their big screen tv's with vision of hoops that KU might win over UNC.

Children with their KU Final 4 t-shirts and I in my '88 championship shirt cheer on the 'Hawks while listening to Bob and Chris.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear but the coach of KU, Bill Self, as he steps on the court and he whistled and called them by name,

Now Brandon! now Russell! now Darnell and Mario! on Darrell! On Sasha and Sherron! To the top of the court! to the back of the backboard! Sink the ball! Guard the shots! No more turnovers or fouls! Now run down the court quickly and steal the ball!!

He called his plays quickly and precise! Victory was in the making over Ol' Roy and the Tarheel Blue.
(my apologies to Clement Moore).
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Yes we are all geared up for the game tomorrow!! The big 1988 game was played 20 years ago today. Where were you? I was in Wichita celebrating my then boyfriend's 30 something birthday. That was the year L and I were married. Bill Self was an assistant at Oklahoma State and Roy Williams an assistant at UNC. Danny Manning and Chris Piper were both on the Larry Brown's KU team.

20 years ago...According to the Final 4 program in 1988, "Kansas lost five players during the season to injury, academic ineligibility or for behavioral problems."

20 years later...KU's academic standards are high. Some of the players have had injuries, illnesses, but for the most part KU is healthy. I haven't heard of any behavioral problems for quite a while.

20 years ago...Danny Manning, Chris Piper, and Kevin Prichard were on the team. The first game they played against was a Duke team, with a young junior guard from Washington by the name of Quin Snyder.

20 years later...Danny is an assistant coach with KU; Chris Piper, among his regular job at Championship Sportswear, is on the KU play-by-play staff; and Kevin Prichard is the GM for the Portland Trailblazers. Quin Snyder is now a coach in the D league in Texas.
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After Roy Williams left for UNC, a lot of the fans were bitter (that's me included). It was like "just wait until KU plays UNC." A revenge match!! It will be like KU playing against Mizzou. We should look at Roy as just another coach, like we do Frank Martin at KSU. But I think it's because we want to "prove" that our new coach, Bill Self is better than our old coach. It's like when you've been dumped by an ex-boyfriend (ex-girlfriend) you want to tell them "see we don't need you," we've got the best. But instead, as Bill Self put it it is more like a "backhanded compliment," toward Williams. Instead we should just leave the past in the past and move forward. UNC is just another team. We should have the mind-set of the KU basketball team. All except, Jeremy Case never had him for a coach. It's just that Williams left us KU faithful with a bitter taste. And what better way to get rid of it is to win the game tomorrow.

It'll be a battle between teams and not coaches. That's what I keep telling myself.
Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!

The 5th grade Science Fair

I just got back from J's science fair at the elementary school. *Kids with their project. **Adults who helped them. ***Adults who went a little overboard. ******Adults who did the project and took the credit too!

*J a quiz on a box with the college teams and mascots.

*A.S. a menu of food with the lights lighting up.

*S. W. a telegraph

*Ashley a box with a light

* Sam an electric bell

*E.D. a battery project (not sure)

*Bailey a barn (very cute)

*Lexie a simple motor

*Ashlan, Shelby, Samantha, Paris, Oakley, Eric, Bryce---all boxes with different quizzes and lights (mostly made out of wood)

*Lane (the campus of K-State)---BOOOO!! with lights lighting up different places on campus

**Travis--a baseball diamond with lights! (maybe he had a little help, but nothing too overboard).

* Jack a simple motor

*Alphonse a directional project and paper clip

**Brandace a little motor project...I can see the parents helping on this (but again not overboard)
***Julia a fire engine with a ear splitting piercing alarm (dad is a fireman).

******Adrianne a complete farmstead with a barn, house, horses, windmill. Then they had music that was the sound of "Green Acres." Can we ask, have we been to the Kansas Exploration Place museum at Wichita? The little mini town exhibit with the sound and lights...it was comparable to that!

Adrianne's picture will be in the local paper along with her mom and dad. Nothing like a family project!! Did I mention that this is a KID'S science fair??

The other kids notice this and don't like it. I agree, I don't like it either. Don't help your kids too much. Let them be the ones who achieve. You've already had your chance. (JMHO!)

Ramblings...

I made birthday chocolate chip cookies yesterday. I changed up the recipe by using a recipe from the show "Good Eats," on the Food network. It was sort of like it. I didn't have baking powder so I tried following it closely. They turned out really great!! J liked them better than the other recipe.
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You can only do so much for your kids. I see the activities that my kids are in, or not in. I wish that I could help them both in accomplishing the best. But sometimes your abilities or lack their of, are not your kids. You have to let them be themselves and not a "mini you." Sure, some of their abilities are way beyond what mine were (in the areas of math) but other abilities they aren't as strong. It's a discovery/learning process. They have to find out what they are really great in and capitalize on those abilities. And just maybe they can make their own way. But as a parent I must step back and let them learn. Sure I can persuade them/coach them to try to doing the right thing and set a good example for them. Hopefully they can pick up on this. I think in a lot of ways they have picked up on how we are.
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Quiz for the church---How many fire extinguishers does the church own and where are they located? I found 3 today and know where they are located. I contacted the S.C. Johnson Company yesterday about Plug-ins. They informed me that the plug-ins are perfectly safe and any bad press about how they are fire hazards is purely a hoax. Did you know that having appliances plugged in when not in use is a fire hazard? Think about it.
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The big game is on Saturday night at 7:45 PM...KU vs. UNC (or as the fans call it Bill Self vs. Roy Williams). We call it KU vs. UNCle Roy. There is a kid in J's class who said that Roy was his uncle...yeah, right Seth. I rather liked what Coach Self said about people (like me) who are bitter that Roy left. He said that people liked the way that he coached at KU so that says something for him. I mulled that statement in my mind. I REALLY like the way the Bill Self coaches the Jayhawks. I am GLAD that Roy left. Bill Self is one of KU's greatest coaches. I am sure glad to have him at KU. I hope that Bill's team can and will beat UNCle Roy's team. Again, it's a focus thing. I think that the players need to bring their A game on Saturday; quit playing nervous, as they appeared to look against Davidson; watch the turnovers, fouls, and free throw shooting. Guard great (which they did do against Davidson), drill some 3 pointers and watch that Tyler Hansbrough (remember KU the kid is from Mizzouri). It will be some game. I really hope the best for the Hawks. Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!