LAWRENCE, Kan. — Tidbits, anecdotes and weird facts as the Jayhawks prepare for their first Final Four under Bill Self:
– Tyrel Reed’s sister, Lacie, is the basketball team’s student manager. As you can imagine, he receives a fair amount of flack for it from his teammates. And oh yeah, she also does her brother’s laundry.
– While we’re on the subject, Mario Chalmers also gets teased some. But the team gets on Chalmers’ case because of his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Chalmers said teammates have asked him if he poaches bears in his free time.
– Chalmers’ dad, Ronnie, is the program’s director of basketball operations. The whole Chalmers family moved to Lawrence after Mario committed. When they lived in Alaska, Ronnie coached former Duke standout Trajan Langdon in high school.
– It must be some kind of requirement that all Kansas basketball players must have a T-Mobile Sidekick as their cell phone. From walk-on Brad Witherspoon to Brandon Rush, it seems they all walk around using these handy devices.
– Ask one of the players what the turning point of their season was and they’ll tell you it was a players-only meeting at local sports bar Henry T’s. A day after an embarrassing 61-60 loss to Oklahoma State, the players met at the bar to voice their frustrations. They haven’t lost since.
– At that meeting, Sherron Collins couldn’t chow down on wings or a cheeseburger like his teammates. He ordered the turkey club. During the season, Collins has to watch everything he eats because he puts on weight on so easily.
– Brandon Rush, of course, comes from basketball lineage. His brother JaRon played at UCLA and his other brother Kareem played for Kansas’ archrival, Missouri. Kareem, who now is a member of the Indiana Pacers, supports Kansas now because of Brandon. Missouri fans aren’t happy about this.
– Sometimes, Darrell Arthur dons basketball sneakers with all of his teammate’s autographs on them. Arthur said he planned to give the pair to his mother as a gift until he found out that the players only received a limited number of shoes all year.
– Russell Robinson is a neat freak. In his apartment, everything is perfectly arranged and organized.
– To say Darnell Jackson’s ride at Kansas has been a rough one would be an understatement. Earlier this year, Jackson lost a cousin when she was shot at a nightclub. Also during his tenure in Lawrence, Jackson’s grandmother was killed in a car wreck, his mother was severely injured in the same one and his uncle was beaten to death with a hammer. His perseverance and emergence as a starter has been the most feel good story surrounding the Jayhawks this year.
– ESPN and other media outlets have reported that none of Roy Williams’ players remain on the Kansas roster. That’s not true. Williams’ last remaining recruit, Jeremy Case, is a senior this year and has scored six points in the tournament.
– At the beginning of the season, Sasha Kaun grew his hair out for months and Bill Self referred to him as “Screech” from Saved By The Bell. Kaun has since cut his locks.
– Cole Aldrich loves Halloween. On the holiday, Aldrich discussed his affinity for trick-or-treating and ‘scary masks’.
– Freshman walk-on Connor Teahan fills a role every team must have: the heartthrob. Teahan became a fan favorite because of his sharp-shooting abilities – to start the season he scored 26 points in 23 minutes. But listening to the Allen Fieldhouse crowd erupt when he comes in, it’s clear his followers are predominantly female.