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Kansas fans will pack Allen Fieldhouse Friday for the premiere of "Late Night in the Phog," the University of Kansas' celebration of the start of basketball practices.
The men's and women's basketball teams will perform skits, and the men's team will hold a brief scrimmage at midnight.
The event marks
coach Bill Self's first experience at Late Night as the team's coach.
"It's weird because I was a part of Roy's last one and Bill's first,"
said Kansas junior Keith Langford.
The event placed ninth in Sports Illustrated on Campus' "100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate." Langford said it ranked so high because of the deep tradition and history of the university. Ticketmaster
"Many schools have tried it, but you can't top the original," Langford said.
To add to the tradition of the event, the 1988 men's basketball national championship team will be honored at the event.
"We thought Late Night would be the perfect time. Not only do we get to showcase the team to help tip-off this basketball season, but it's also the only time a lot of those guys can make it back," Self said.
This spring marks the 15th anniversary of the title.
"With all the great tradition and history of this program, the 1988 team accomplished what only one other team in KU history did -- win an NCAA title," Self said. "I couldn't be more excited to have them come back and be recognized by KU and all our great fans.
KANSAS BASKETBALL NOTES
Fans thumbing through the Oct. 13 edition of Sports Illustrated might have been surprised to see Kansas basketball's newest verbal commitments in the magazine. New York guard Russell Robinson appears in an ad for Starter. Ticketmaster
The black and white ad, which appears on page 43 of the magazine, features Robinson decked out in Starter sweats with the slogan "Earn Your Spot."
Don't worry Kansas fans, the ad does not jeopardize Robinson's eligibility. According to NCAA, the rule is under bylaw 12.5.1.3, Continuation of Modeling and Other Nonathleticly Related Promotional Activities after Enrollment.
The rule states that a player can endorse or model while not enrolled at the university. Once enrolled, the player can model if the modeling does not demonstrate the player's ability.
"It doesn't happen a lot because people don't think it can," said Kay Hawes, associate director of public relations for the NCAA. "It's a frequently misunderstood rule."