I had the great fortune and lifetime dream of writing the Where Are They Now? profiles on former KU athletes from 1999-2003 for Jayhawk Insider. I’m very grateful for my editor Lauretta McMillen for giving me this opportunity. I interviewed around 60 former Jayhawks, from legends like B.H. Born, Otto Schnellbacher and George Mrkonic to childhood heroes like Tony Guy, Dale Greenlee, Emmett Edwards and Roger Morningstar. All of these players left an indelible mark on KU athletics.
And then there was walk-on T.J. Whatley, who played for KU from 1992-96 and scored a total of 56 points in 127 minutes during his career, which included a trip to New Orleans for the 1993 Final Four.
I could always identify with walk-ons like Whatley. I was a seldom-used reserve on my South Junior High basketball team, which won the league championship in 1981 during my ninth-grade year. Like Whatley (except for one game), I only got in the game during blowouts in the final minutes, when my coaches Ron Garvin and assistant Jim Nye would huddle up real quickly and make the decision to put in me and a few other bench players.
I always got fired up when Garvin called my name off the bench, bringing the ball upcourt as the point guard, initiating the offense, playing tough defense and just playing 100 percent in limited minutes.
But my real games basically came in practice, when I helped our starters get better by pushing them in sprints, drills, and in our offensive and defensive sets. I took pride in how hard I played in practice, just like Whatley and other KU walk-ons did.
Whatley even got the thrill of practicing with future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce and KU coach Roy Williams actually substituted Whatley in for Pierce during the first half of one close game against Colorado his senior year in Allen Fieldhouse, just to “prove a point” to Pierce.
“He didn’t tell me to do any scoring or anything. He just told me to work my butt off, and that’s what I did,” Whatley told me in March 2001. “... It just happened so quickly that I didn’t really get a chance to think about it until halftime. Then, I kind of sat back and realized what went on. It surprised me, but it was a good surprise.”
This former walk-on, who earned a scholarship for one year (junior season), will always remember the resounding chants during the final minutes of blowouts in the Phog: “We want Whatley! We want Whatley!”
While the South Junior High fans never chanted my name like that, it was still a huge thrill to get into seven games that championship season, where I scored my only point of my career in the championship game against Northern Hills at West Junior High, on a free throw in the closing minutes. I felt it was only appropriate that my only point come on a free throw since I prided myself on being one of the best free throw shooters on the team in practice.
And I can proudly say I was the consummate team player, just like Whatley was. I was the only player on our SJH team not to attempt a field goal the entire season. I just didn’t care about shooting and scoring. That wasn’t my job as point guard. And plus, my dad told me that season that the best way to impress my coaches was to pass the ball; my dad said that everyone likes to score, to separate myself from my teammates by making the extra pass.
While I heeded my dad’s advice, I don’t think I ever impressed my coaches too much, since I rarely played. Still, it was a great experience playing junior high basketball and I look back fondly over my career.
Just like Whatley does at KU. Heck, when I interviewed him in 2001, he said he was in Blockbuster Video in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, when somebody recognized him.
“He called me by my name and said he was a big KU fan,” Whatley said. “It’s pretty neat. ... I wouldn’t trade it (KU days) for the world. It’s something that will really be in my memories forever.”
...
T.J. Whatley starred at Glen Rose High School in Arkansas, holding school records for career scoring and rebounding. Whatley, who earned several academic honors, was a two-time conference MVP in basketball. He also played football and baseball and ran track for the Beavers, earning all-conference and all-county honors in football.
The 6-4 guard declined offers from small schools to attend KU as a walk-on.
As for his most embarrassing moment in sports? Courtesy of the KU Media Guide.
During a fifth-grade football game, Whatley begged his coach to let him attempt a field goal. After the coach agreed, Whatley kicked the oval into the center’s back.
Here is my Where Are They Now? story on Whatley in March 2001 for Jayhawk Insider.
...
The magical words and resounding cheers will echo in T.J. Whatley’s mind forever.
“We want Whatley! We want Whatley!”
For Whatley, this was a familiar chorus call heard in the waning minutes of many home KU blowout wins during his career (1992-96). And he says the Allen Fieldhouse chant never got old.
“At first, I was a little embarrassed by it,” the former KU walk-on said recently from his home in Jacksonville, Fla. “I didn’t realize that many people actually knew my name, much less to start chanting my name like that. Every time they’d do it, it was just awesome.”
Whatley will never forget one instance his freshman year when the Allen Fieldhouse faithful began the chant.
“I was sitting by Adonis (Jordan),” Whatley said. “He was like, ‘Man, you better start stretching out.’ I got a kick out of that because he was really rooting for me to do well. Everybody roots for everybody and they wanted to see me do well. I was kind of a poor man’s varsity basketball player, I guess you could say, kind of a crowd representative because I was a walk-on. Maybe I was helping some others live out their dreams, too. I really enjoyed it.”
The 6-4 guard never enjoyed it more than the dreamy night against Colorado his senior year on Feb. 14, 1996. With KU struggling in the first half and down a few points, coach Roy Williams looked to his bench and inserted Whatley for freshman sensation Paul Pierce. Whatley responded with a quick layup off a Kansas steal. Allen Fieldhouse was deafening, as KU eventually regained momentum and pulled away in the second half.
“I guess he (Williams) wanted to prove a point,” Whatley said about the substitution. “He didn’t tell me to do any scoring or anything. He just told me to work my butt off, and that’s what I did. ... It just happened so quickly that I didn’t really get a chance to think about it until halftime. Then, I kind of sat back and realized what went on. It surprised me, but it was a good surprise.”
Whatley, a project engineer for Black and Veatch, still treasures his days at Mount Oread and being part of such a rich basketball tradition. He admits, though, that he thought of transferring to a smaller school late in his sophomore year in hopes of receiving more playing time. After discussing the situation with Williams, the Glen Rose, Ark., native decided to continue living his dream at Kansas.
“One, I could get a great education at KU,” Whatley said. “If I got a degree with the University of Kansas on my diploma, that really meant something. And it was just so much fun hanging around the guys. We got to do so much stuff together. It ended up being the best thing for me.”
Whatley said another source of motivation was “getting to play against the No. 1 team in the nation, practically, each day in practice” and guarding guys like Rex Walters, Steve Woodberry, and Paul Pierce.
“It was a lot of fun,” Whatley said. “It made me a heck of a lot better player. I was 10 times better after four years than I was coming in. ... Paul, he’s on his way to a Hall of Fame career. I can say I might have blocked his shot once or twice in practice. He got the best of me the majority of the time, but every now and then, I’d slip up on him and get a steal or something. That’s a good story for my grandkids.”
In addition to scrimmaging and “being around basically 12, 13 brothers,” Whatley relished the invaluable opportunity of learning from a master coach and great human being like Williams.
“The big thing about coach is he is the most professional man I’ve ever met in my life,” Whatley said. “He’s a great teacher as to how to act off the court in a professional setting in dealing with other people. That’s helped me tremendously as far as my professional career. Personally, he works so hard. ...To have some of that rub off on me, I’ve taken that attitude into a lot of things I’ve done. I don’t like letting people outwork me to get something.”
After graduating from KU in 1997 with a degree in civil engineering, Whatley began his professional career working at Black and Veatch in Kansas City. However, he and his wife were soon lured to the warmer climate of Florida. Whatley, who transferred to Black and Veatch in Jacksonville, Fla., in January 2000, loves the beach and working as a project engineer for such a respected company.
“It’s very interesting to actually design something and then go out there and actually see it being built,” Whatley said. “Everybody needs waste water treatment. Everybody needs water from a water plant. The work we do really benefits the community as a whole, so that’s real satisfying.”
Even though he’s over a thousand miles from Kansas, Whatley can’t help but be reminded of his days on the Hill. Why, just a few weeks ago, he was renting a movie in Blockbuster Video when somebody recognized him.
“He called me by my name and said he was a big KU fan,” Whatley said. “It’s pretty neat. ... I wouldn’t trade it (KU days) for the world. It’s something that will really be in my memories forever.”
A Closer Look at T.J. Whatley:
Years at KU: 1992-96
Career Notables: Made first five shots of college career...Member of 1993 Final Four team...Career-high seven points vs. K-State in the Big Eight Tournament on March 10, 1995.
Family: Wife, Dabney.
Education: 1997. B.S. Civil Engineering
Since Leaving KU: Whatley worked as a civil engineer for Black and Veatch in Kansas City before transferring to a branch in Jacksonville, Fla., in January 2000.
Currently: Whatley is a project engineer for Black and Veatch in Jacksonville.
Hobbies: Golf, basketball, fishing.
Favorite Memories: Scoring a career-high seven points vs. K-State in the Big 8 Tournament as a junior. “It was real funny. I don’t know what got into me, but I just kept shooting the ball and they kept going in. It was a lot of fun with the Kemper crowd.”... 1993 Final Four. “I’m still a freshman coming out of little bitty Glen Rose, Arkansas, getting to go to the Final Four in the Superdome in New Orleans. I was just in awe the whole time. Coming out of the hotel, there would be thousands of people packing the streets.”
On the Jayhawks Today: “They’re doing well. It sounds like coach is getting them whipped into shape, so hopefully they’ll put together a pretty good run and make some noise in the tournament.”
More from T.J. Whatley from the KU 1995-96 Media Guide
Favorite Food: my mother’s crescents
Least favorite food: chocolate ice cream
Favorite movie: In the name of the Father
Favorite Book: The Celebrant
Favorite Musician: AC/DC
Favorite class at KU: Calculus II
The person I admire the most: My Dad
Person in history I’d like to converse the most: Albert Einstein
Favorite Sports Hero: Larry Bird
The Best Athlete I have played against is: Donnie Boyce
Team I would like to see added to the schedule: Arkansas
Who is your best friend from another college team: Vincent Bradford (Arkansas football)
Ten years from now, I hope to be: A civil engineer
If could I could change the world today, I would: Tax the rich
If I were president of the NCAA for a day, I would: Make more scholarships available
When I have time to relax, I: Take long drives in the country
The toughest thing ab out being an athlete is: Time management
When people first meet me, they think: I’m a shy person
If I had one million dollars, I would: Pay off my tuition
My advice to kids is: Work hard at everything
To get psyched up for a game, I: Listen to music (AC/DC)
My biggest thrill in sports was: Playing a lot vs. UMKC in Kemper Arena
Not may people know this about me, but: I’m afraid of heights
I can’t imagine going a week without: Taking several daytime naps
Last Summer I: Attended Arkansas Little-Rock and worked
I chose my jersey number because: 7 is lucky: 14 is twice as lucky
No comments:
Post a Comment