There have been all kinds of memorable moments at all kinds of Late Nights over the years, but very few were like Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
The teams scrimmaged, the fans cheered and the atmosphere was wild and crazy, befitting of a season tipoff party.
But at 8:10 p.m., the moment that everyone at Late Night in the Phog was waiting for arrived. A new national championship banner officially went up inside Allen Fieldhouse. Technically, it was the third banner to be unveiled on Friday night. They also sent up another Big 12 title banner and the 2022 Final Four banner.
But the one everyone wanted to see — white with blue letters, measuring 9 feet wide by 13 feet tall — was uncovered in the north rafters, high above the student section, to a rousing ovation and some big emotions from a whole bunch of people.
View a gallery of images from the 38th-annual Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse.
“You come here to try and do that and being able to actually see that come to fruition was very special,” former Jayhawk Mitch Lightfoot said after seeing the banner drop and collecting his championship ring.
Added KU coach Bill Self of the banner unveiling: "That was the coolest part of the night to me. There's few people and few programs that get a chance to experience what these guys have done. Even though there's a winner every year, there's not many programs that have had the success that we've had over time. Getting one (national title) was special, but during every introduction for the last 12 or 13 years, I've watched Mario (Chalmers) make that shot. It'll be nice to have that shot in the introductory video but (not be) the one that caps it. Because we'll certainly have something else we can go to now."
Lightfoot was one of four former players — Jalen Coleman-Lands, Chris Teahan and Remy Martin — who returned for the night, with Christian Braun, Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack sending videos to play on the video board. They were joined by several members of the 2008 national title team in a joint ceremony on the court that honored KU’s two most recent national championship teams.
“It’s unreal,” Lightfoot said. “The brotherhood of it and those guys being friends with me is kind of crazy. To think how far I’ve come in my basketball journey to be here is so special and something I’ll never forget.”
The event officially got going just before 6 p.m., when Lightfoot and Teahan appeared on stage to welcome the crowd to Late Night after a countdown clock featuring images from last season hit zero on the video board.
It wasn’t until midway through the event that Kansas coach Bill Self first appeared, but he made it crystal clear what the night was about.
“Before we turn the page (to another season), let’s honor the start of the season, let’s honor the people that came here before us and let’s have a hell of a good time,” Self said. “And I hope Shaq puts on a great show.”
About 90 minutes later, Shaquille O’Neal, the man they call DJ Diesel, did just that, appropriately starting his 45-minute set with a portion of “We Are The Champions” before rocking the arena to close the night.
Before the banner and ring ceremonies, the KU women’s and men’s team were introduced to the crowd, about an hour apart, with pyrotechnics and a booming introduction on the stage. Many of the women came out carrying the flags of their home countries. In addition to having 11 players back from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, Brandon Schneider’s team features six international players.
Schneider, who is entering his eighth season at KU, addressed the crowd while wearing the No. 47 KU football jersey of Lonnie Phelps. While on stage, Schneider set the bar high for his 2022-23 team before their scrimmage.
“They are climbers,” he said. “And they’re going to do big things this season. They will be in the Top 20. They will contend for a Big 12 title. And, come this March, they will be prepared to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.”
Sanna Strom (7 points), Holly Kersgieter (6) and Zakiyah Franklin and Chandler Prater (5 apiece) led the white team past the blue team in the women’s scrimmage. Mia Vuksic led the blue squad with eight points in the 27-14 loss.
The men’s team first took the floor at 6:51 p.m., and its first official act as defending champs was an intense game of Simon Says versus one of the two event hosts, who claimed to be a world champion Simon Says player. After eliminating half of the squad, the host crowned Jalen Wilson, Bobby Pettiford, Joe Yesufu, Kyle Cuffe Jr., KJ Adams, Michael Jankovich and freshman walk-on Wilder Evers as world champions on a night dedicated to celebrating the team’s recent national championship.
That paved the way for the player introductions, scrimmage and remarks by Self, who proclaimed Lawrence, Kansas, as “the place to be.”
Self’s speech, which was longer than normal, paid tribute to the event and the start of the 2022-23 season. As is customary, Self also lost a little money, giving up $10,000 apiece to two KU students during the half-court shot contest.
The first student, Prairie Village sophomore Emma Ryan, picked Mario Chalmers to shoot her shot. After two warm-up tries and a mulligan, Chalmers — the hero of the 2008 title game — drained his fourth shot, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Next up, KU junior Yalone Woodruff, of Henderson, Kentucky, chose to shoot the shot himself. On his third try, he drilled it. That one sent both the current Jayhawks and the crowd into a frenzy, as they rushed him to celebrate.
It’s events and memories like those — and a mountain of a man like Shaq rocking that crowd — that make each Late Night in the Phog unique.
Of course, the scrimmages are fun, too. In the men’s game, redshirt junior Jalen Wilson went the entire game without attempting a 3-point shot and then buried two in the final minute, including the game winner with 4.6 seconds to play.
"I think it ended exactly the way it should end," Self said. "You have your best returning player make a shot at his last Late Night."
That shot pushed the white team to a 32-31 win over the blue team. Wilson led the white squad with eight points, while KJ Adams Jr. added seven and Dajuan Harris and Ernest Udeh Jr. added six apiece.
Senior walk-on Michael Jankovich led the blue team with nine points — on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range — and Cam Martin and Zuby Ejiofor added six apiece, as well.
The blue team, which also featured freshman Gradey Dick and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. led 22-15 at one point, but Harris’ four assists and Wilson’s late heroics helped the white team pull out the victory.
“We love seeing you all here; I missed you all so much,” Wilson told the crowd at the end of the player portion of the night. “We appreciate you all coming here (and) none of this would be possible without the support and love from you all, every single day. There’s always going to be ups and downs in the season, but what always stays up is you all. You all support us no matter what and we wouldn’t have none of this without you. We’re all winners, we’re all champions, this is all bigger than us, man. Thank you. We love you all.”
Kansas coach Bill Self on Late Night, a new banner & another Fieldhouse party by KUsports.com
Kansas coach Bill Self on Late Night, a new banner & another Fieldhouse party by KUsports.com
KU newcomer Kevin McCullar Jr. on his first Late Night in the Phog by KUsports.com
KU newcomer Kevin McCullar Jr. on his first Late Night in the Phog by KUsports.com
Former KU forward Mitch Lightfoot on returning to see the banner & collect his title ring by KUsports.com
Former KU forward Mitch Lightfoot on returning to see the banner & collect his title ring by KUsports.com
We should retire those two Helms banners. Once you understand how bogus the Helms Bakery Foundation was and that it was just a guy and his bakery owner buddy awarding retroactive NC awards before 1943, it really does not mean anything.
I am sure Endacott was special.
Did anyone reach out to Endacott before he passed in 1997?
Settle down Comrade, mask up and rejoice in the new Banner.
Rodney you may have a point, but, there are all kinds of points. AP and Coaches polls.....what do they mean? Based upon polls, IMO, based upon the polls, KU deserves a #1 banner for 2020. Maybe we should just change the Banners to #1 Helms National Champions. IDK, but I have no problem with the way that it is right now. <br>The first NCAA Basketball tournament had just 8 teams....all picked by opinion. Then it was 16, and now 64. All entrants determined by poll and opinion. And if you want to talk NCAA Football, even still, but for years and years it was pretty much mostly determined by poll. Maybe they should take down all those football banners!<br><br> What about other reasons to hang or pull down banners as well. There is not doubt that Wooden was a great coach, and UCLA had the best teams and players, both starters, and bench, but in many opinion they hang 10 banners because they could afford to pay the very best players that were playing against amateurs. Maybe they should pull their banners? Now we have NIL. How will it affect things? Some would say that teams that won when the tournament only had 8 or 16 teams deserve an asterisk. How many times after picking 64 teams has a team seeded higher than number 4 won the tournament? Or going back to the days of Helm, how many times would have a number 5 seeded team or higher would won those tournament had they had 64 teams? In the end, it's all Shades of Gray and it only means what you make it mean, IMO, what 2020 means to me, during Covid, KU should be hanging a 2020 banner for those players as well. RCJHKU!
Sae, always good for a laugh. Man I wish we could meet in person.
Brian, all your points are pretty weak.
2 guys, really just one Bill, decided a few decades after the fact that we were the best team. They did not listen, nor attend any games those two years, there was no Helms foundation, of course no tv. He looked at old clippings that he could find and just decided. They lived in LA, and decided in 1943, that in 1922/23 we were the best.
I thought 1922/23 said Helms at one time even.
Opinion? Now a days voters at least watch some of the games or highlights. There are many not just one voting, and in most sports, you have to win a bracketed tournament to be a champion. Even in rowing.
I am with you on UCLA. but they did win them.
Helm was the bakery guy, since he paid for any bills it was called the Helm(s) sic foundation.
Does Lightfoot have any eligibility left? How old is he...32? Just kiddin', great to have him back in the Fieldhouse!
All this time I thought he had unlimited eligibility, like Perry Ellis!
Never take down a natty banner. Adds to the mystique and history of the program even if you don’t consider it worthy.
2 guys in a bar 20 years after the fact just decided we were the best. Talk about fake news.
Question: Do any other NCAA schools claim their Helms titles?
Who cares? Rip those down yesterday. They are for insecure people, just like FOX news.