CLASSIC JAYHAWK VICTORY

Super Mario Chalmers

helped the Jayhawks come back from a 9-point disadvantage to  tie the score and then go on to an overtime victory over Memphis.

It was a great game, neither team gave up, they both fought bravely to the end.  Roy Williams showed up wearing his Jayhawk jersey and spoke at halftime.

There are other things more important than sport, and I’ll turn to other topics later.  But I’m not going to let that spoil the fun for now.

The picture above is my niece Melissa.  A couple months ago the Jayhawks opened their fieldhouse on a Sunday afternoon to the Special Olympics kids; and the players and coach volunteered their time to teach the kids some skills and play basketball with them.

Melissa new how the season would end up!

My Bonnie Jayhawks

Jayhawk Sasha Kahn

and one of his biggest fans

I took a nap Saturday afternoon so I would be fresh for church in the morning. Then I set my alarm for about 1:30 am and got up to watch the big game online. Round one of the Final Four. I saw the last two minutes of the Memphis-UCLA game. Since we lived in Memphis for 10 years, I was glad to see them trounce the Trojans. But the game I was interested in was up next: The Jayhawks of Kansas vs. the Tar Heels of North Carolina.

The announcers, at the close of the game, said there had been three periods instead of the normal two. For the first 14 minutes or so the Jayhawks fairly demolished the Tar Heels, establishing a lead of 40 to 12, completely shutting down the opposition’s offense. Then before the buzzer sounded Roy Williams regrouped his troops and they regained much of the lost ground. They continued their comeback for several minutes after the halftime break pulling to within 4 points. Then finally the Jayhawks remembered why they had come and finished with a solid victory.

I’ve been educating the local folks here in Buckie on who and what the Jayhawks are, including the pre-civil war history.

I’m not one to gloat over my enemies destruction. Five years ago most Kansans turned against their beloved coach Roy Williams, who had pledged to finish out his career in Kansas, when he took an offer to return to his native North Carolina. But we have now grown to love Bill Self. I’m not one to gloat–still the victory was especially sweet. (If I were writing that epic poem, I’d find room for William HimSel and Roy O the Williams Clan; and lament how what Missouri Fire could not accomplish, Carolina gold hath wrought–and how treacherous Roy got his just deserts.)

My kids are glad Memphis made it this far; in a sense they can claim the champion either way. But there preference is for the Jayhawks. I’ll have to take another nap this afternoon.