All hail the champs! Please allow Citizen Brand to take a moment to revel in my alma mater's success on the hardwoods this past weekend.
The Kansas Jayhawks won their third NCAA national championship in men's basketball with victories over North Carolina and Memphis. It had been 20 years since my 'Hawks brought home the hardware and it was a sweet feeling indeed. For those of you who may have been in a fog on Monday night - those of us who love being in the "Phog" will always remember where we were when "The Shot" swished through the net of San Antonio's Alamodome.
In 110 years of Jayhawk basketball, there has perhaps been no shot of greater importance or timing than the three pointer that guard Mario Chalmers made with 2.1 seconds left in the game. It capped off a furious rally by the 'Hawks who found themselves nine points down with 2:12 on the clock. They had led most of the evening until Memphis took control in the mid to late second half. But this 2008 group of 'Hawks have demonstrated all year an ability to reach down and find whatever is needed to get the job done.
Mario hit the three forcing an overtime. Memphis went into shock. The Jayhawks scored the first six points of the extra stanza and the rest is history. KU wins its third NCAA title tying it with Duke and leaving it just one title behind North Carolina. It took Coach Bill Self just five seasons to win his first national championship at Kansas. It won't be his last. And it won't be his last at Kansas. Despite a media frenzy building out of Stillwater, Oklahoma from T. Boone Pickens' PR machine, I do not believe Self will leave Kansas for his alma mater, Oklahoma State. Kansas has a few rich alums too. Expect this media driven story to end soon and OSU will have to find a new head coach elsewhere.
I am unabashed in my love for the University of Kansas. It's a great university with a proud tradition of academic and athletic excellence. The 2008 men's basketball team added a new chapter to this continuing story. Their record of 37-3 is the most wins ever by a Jayhawk squad and they are national champions. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!
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