Kansas
Kansas Tips Off Basketball Season With 41st Annual Late Night in the Phog – University of Kansas
Late Night featured a dueling DJ set along with skits, competitions and scrimmages from both basketball teams.
The night started with a routine from the Kansas cheer team that featured remarkable flips and stunts to energize the crowd. Following the cheer team’s routine, the Kansas women’s basketball team was introduced to the energetic crowd. The women’s team then performed a dance routine that was choreographed by the Rock Chalk Dancers.
The women split into two teams for a 10-minute scrimmage between the crimson and blue teams. The blue team held the lead for most of the scrimmage with freshman guard Jaliya Davis leading the way going a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor with 10 points. The crimson team, led by senior guard Elle Evans who was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from three, used an 8-0 run with less than two minutes to play to keep the score close. In a tie game with 10 seconds to go, senior center Nadira Eltayeb nailed a mid range jumper, which was the deciding basket as crimson took the win, 24-22.
Fans were then treated to an excellent routine from the Rock Chalk Dancers that was followed by the Air Elite Dunk Team who showcased their high flying dunks to the packed Allen Fieldhouse crowd.
The Kansas men’s basketball team was then introduced and met the Rock Chalk Dancers on the court for a dance routine of their own. Men’s head coach Bill Self then took the court to address the Kansas fans.
“This team is fun. This team is fast. This team has a blend of youthful exuberance and some vets,” Self said about his new roster. “Last year’s team did okay, but okay at the University of Kansas is not good enough. This year’s team has a real chance if we like each other, if we play well together and if we’re unselfish.”
“But you know what else we need to be successful,” Self continued. “We need you, the fans who have allowed us to be so successful in this building for so many years.”
Self then hosted his annual $10,000 shot competition where two students received the opportunity to choose between a team staff member or former player to make a half court shot.
After a quick warmup, the men’s basketball scrimmage got underway in front of a crowd eager to see this year’s roster for the first time.
The men’s scrimmage was another tight contest as neither team blue nor team crimson could pull away. With five minutes to go, team crimson pulled ahead by four, but team blue came back down the court and freshman guard Corbin Allen nailed a three-pointer to get team blue within one.
After a defensive stop, team blue quickly went back down the court and senior guard Nginyu Ngala threw a lob to freshman guard Kohl Rosario to put team blue up 19-18. Team crimson wasn’t going away as freshman guard Darryn Peterson and redshirt junior guard Wilder Evers each threw down dunks of their own to put team crimson ahead for good. In the end, team crimson walked away with a 27-23 win. Team blue was led by Rosario who scored five points and went 2-for-4 from the field. The crimson team was lead by Peterson who went 6-for-12 from the floor and put up 12 points.
After the show, students were invited to go onto the court and enjoy a dueling DJ set to celebrate the start of the upcoming basketball season.