Recalling former KU standout forward Alonzo Jamison

In my June 29, 2019 blog,  https://davidgarfieldshoopheaven.blogspot.com/search?q=Alonzo+Jamison, I wrote about former KU standout forward Alonzo Jamison and included my Where Are They Now? story I wrote on him in 2002 for Jayhawk Insider.

Now, I include some more information on “Zo” from our great interview, starting with his recruitment to Kansas.

After a standout high school career at Valley High School in Santa Ana, Calif., and junior college career at Rancho Santiago in Santa Ana, Jamison signed a scholarship with KU in May 1988 after originally signing with Oregon State.

Jamison, a quick and muscular 6-6. 225-pound forward, became one of the best defensive players in coach Roy Williams’ 15 years at KU and actually in KU history. A true defensive stopper, he posted career averages of 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.1 steals in 22.8 minutes per game. Jamison shot a scorching 58.0 percent from the field and 56.4 percent at the free throw line. He was the consummate team player, a fan favorite, and endeared himself to Williams and the coaching staff.

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“I signed with Oregon State, and they were one of the last universities in the nation to actually start school. I was under probation, actually. They were still going over my transcript, and making sure I had the requirements. I actually didn’t, and that’s why I went back to Rancho Santiago Junior College for a year. No, KU didn’t recruit me until the year later I was in junior college. Under Prop 48, I had passed, but just some of my core cirriculum courses didn’t transfer. I signed in ‘88, when they won it all. After a while, coach Williams had told me he would recruit me again if I wanted to go back to junior college another year. I decided it would be a lot better if I went in that one year and sat a year and learned the system and try to help the team out the year after.

“I was the last Larry Brown recruit. There’s no hard feelings there. It was just one of those things where I didn’t know what was the scenario. I had reporters telling me he was leaving without hearing from the school at all. I signed in May and he left a month and a half later (to become San Antonio Spurs head coach). Your mind runs the whole gamut. I had the chance to go back to junior college another year and be recruited again or go to different colleges. But it was one of those things, as soon as I came to KU, it was about two weeks after they won it (national title). I saw the campus and met the people. Actually, Scooter Barry and Milt Newton were my hosts. I knew that was the place I wanted to be. I didn’t know (I’d have to sit out a year until coach Williams told me and said he “would recruit him again”). That’s when I knew he was genuine and really on a level that you don’t see that often in Division I. I thought I was going to step in and play the next year; that was the last time when I sent the papers off, the former administration had told me they received the papers. That was the last thing I heard from them, until coach Williams came in and told me what was going on.”

“Actually, baseball was (my favorite sport). That was the first sport I ever played;  it will always be near and dear to my heart. I was playing (basketball) on the varsity when I was a sophomore. I sort of took that in stride and said, ‘Hey, I can get something out of this.’ Dr. J, Darryl Dawkins (were my heroes growing up). That’s about it. Magic (Johnson) was until--he was the one that came back in (after injury from the Lakers) and I was the one that got cut. You were (my hero) but you just took six digits out of my pocket.”

On his career game against Arkansas in the Elite Eight in 1991 in Charlotte, N.C., when he scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds while named the Southeast Regional Most Outstanding Player:

”To tell you the truth, I don’t remember a lot,” Jamison said. “I was more in a zone. People get in a zone and they don’t think about what you’re doing. You just react. I just felt the rim was a little big bigger that what everybody else was looking at. (We were) the underdog. (We were) down by 12 (at halftime), and we won by 12. (I remember) Sean Tunstall’s 3-pointer when Oliver Miller was laying on the floor. We went up by four or five, and never looked back after that.  It was a team game then.”

On being at the Final Four in Indianapolis:

 I was in awe still,” Jamison recalled. “The regional finals were big, but it wasn’t as big obviously as the Final Four. There’s a lot more hoopla and a lot more media and a lot more interviews that you have to give. I think that took a lot away from us. You can’t be prepared for those things.”  (I was) 1 for 10 against Duke (in the national championship game). I was off that game. That was not a very good sign for me. Roy was pulling for Vegas (against Duke in the Final Four). Duke was one of those teams that scared you. (I was) rooting for Duke, not wanting to play Vegas, (a) squad that could beat 40 percent of NBA teams.”

On the 1991 team’s run to the Final Four and how it came on strong at the end of season:

“We lost 3 of last 6 games (before the NCAA’s),” he said. ”I think we started believing in what coach was saying. We believed in what was going on out there. We knew if we lost, our season was over.”

On Williams’ comment once when he said that Jamison and Steve Woodberry were the two best defensive players he ever coached: 

”Steve was a great player. To even be associated with that is special. He’s had a lot of of good defensive players. He’s had a lot of good players period. To even be mentioned in that type of context is kind of special. I had it in my mind that it was one of those things that I almost go out there and do what I need to do to shut this person down. It was more of a team game. Anybody could score. At least that was my mentality. It was one of those things where it takes a very special person to go out and shut somebody down.” 

On ranking in the top 10 in career steals at KU with 175. Jamison also ranks tied for second with Nick Bradford and Russell Robinson for most steals in a game (eight twice against Marquette in 1990 and Pepperdine in 1992). Jamison, who led KU in steals in 1991 and 1992, is a also tied for fifth in KU annals with Darnell Jackson with highest career field goal percentage (58.0).

“I was just there to help the team win,” Jamison said. "All the accolades afterwards, that’s great, but having that 1990-91 team go to the Final Four when there’s only maybe four or five teams that actually did that in the history of KU basketball, that’s special in itself,” he said.

On coach Roy Williams’ comment in 1992 at the awards banquet that he would give the shirt off his back to Jamison:

”It’s one of those things that is still in my mind. He’s a very special person,” Jamison said. “For somebody to believe in me and my skills when he didn’t even know me to tell me he would recruit me again out of loyalty not only from him but for the university, coach is probably one of my best friends.”

“It was rocky (at first),” he added about their relationship. “All friendships are going to have a rocky stage. Ours was at the beginning. I’m just glad he saw something in me that he liked, and we just persevered.” 

On one of his favorite memories as a Jayhawk:

“Beating Oklahoma State my junior and senior year at home (against) Byron Houston, Big Country (Bryant Reeves). (It was a) tight score with three minutes left (his senior year on March 2, 1992 during a 77-64 KU victory). That was the loudest I’ve ever heard it in the fieldhouse.”

On sitting at KU for a year and a half after being declared academically ineligible:

”At that time, it was just another obstacle in my way. Perseverance was the thing that was on my mind. Going to junior college that one year and overcoming that hurdle and getting signed by a Division I team, that was another hurdle. And then finding out I was academically ineligible, just a couple different hurdles I had to overcome. I sat out an extra semester. My GPA was half-point low. That’s when I finally knew I was going to have to buckle down and do my job. It sort of prepared me for life. Nobody really cares. After you play ball, you’re a has-been. You got to make your own way in life. Nobody’s going to do it for you.”

On playing for KU and why he didn’t drive to the hoop very much?

“I’m glad I had the opportunity to play. I wish I would have had the green light like Paul (Pierce), Adonis (Jordan), Rex (Walters),” Jamison said. “(Mark) Randall and (Mike) Maddox, stayed inside, not a lot of driving we could have done. In high school, I always posted up, taking my game out to the wing (at KU) is what I really liked. I think I had a quick first step.”

On whether he should have shot more at KU? He averaged only 6.6 field goal attempts per game.

“Some people have said that. Hindsight is 20-20. You never know what could have happened if I was the one that shot so much,” Jamison said. "My percentage might have been down, or we would have not went as far as we went maybe in the Final Four or wouldn’t have been a number one seed my senior year. I can’t say what if I would have did this or what if I did that. If I would have did that, it would have driven me crazy.” 

On his versatility in playing small forward and power forward:

“I think I was the first one to actually play more than one position. You’d have to ask coach Williams that.” 

 On thinking if he could play in the NBA and a national broadcaster’s comment during his college career that he could see Jamison having a 10-year pro career:

“I did at one time, but after senior year (when I went to) camps, it’s completely different from what college was,” Jamison said. “I was so instilled with the team atmosphere and team game in college, I couldn’t take myself out of that realm and put it towards the individual one-on-one type of game. Defensively, I could. But offensively, I just couldn’t do that. I think that was my biggest downfall.

“(I was) not really thinking about it at that time,” he added about the NBA while he was in college. “I really didn’t. I just wanted to get done with what I was doing then and not really worrying about what was going to happen.” 

On his NBA tryouts and playing overseas:

“ (I was) undrafted (and spent) rookie camp with Denver, veterans camp with Lakers, cut when Magic came back,” Jamison said. "I had tendon surgery on left knee after Lakers. I ruptured my Achilles two years after that. (I played) overseas in Sweden for six months, a couple of games in France. I had surgery again (when I ruptured Achilles) and hung it up after that. It was pretty difficult at the time. It was one of those things where my body was falling apart pretty good so there wasn’t a lot I could do about it. The mind was willing, but the body wasn’t. ... The professional level is completely different than the college level. For college, your playing for pride of the school. Professionally, it’s a business.”

Alonzo, thanks for the memories. I loved watching you play!

Steve Woodberry left his mark at Kansas and in overseas basketball

I had a great Where are they Now? interview with former KU standout Steve Woodberry in February 2000 at Mr. Goodcents in Lawrence. Steve, who was back in Lawrence after playing professionally overseas rehabbing his knee and working at Retirement Management Company, talked to me fondly over his lunch break about his KU career and his professional career in Australia.

Then a young woman recognized Steve and asked him if he played for KU. Steve was very kind and said he did. They had a very nice conversation.

“It’s a good feeling to have,” Steve told me. “When they come up and talk to you, you can tell that you left a mark, along with the other players around you.”

Woodberry, who Roy Williams once said was the best defensive player he ever coached at Kansas, reveled in his KU experience.

“It was too short,” he said. “Four years was too short. It was a great four years.”

Woodberry arrived at KU after a heralded career at Wichita South High School under head coach Steve Eck. The Kansas Naismith Player of the Year in 1990, Woodberry averaged 20.5 points and 10 rebounds per game that senior season with single-game highs of 31 points and 15 boards. He led WSHS to two state championships and three straight conference titles while the Titans only lost three games during his career.

Woodberry, whose most admired athlete is Michael Jordan, improved each year of his KU career, averaging 3.0 points his freshman season, 7.2 points as a sophomore, 10.1 points his junior season, and then a team-high 15.5 points as a senior.

He boasts career averages of 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 23.6 minutes per game (138 games), while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 79.1 percent at the free throw line, and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. Woodberry shot a scorching 87.9 percent at the charity stripe during the 1992-93 Final Four season (No. 3 all time for single season in KU annals), where he was regarded as the best sixth man in the land.

Woodberry’s KU teams went a sparkling 110-28, where he played in two Final Fours (1991 and 1993), won three Big Eight regular-season titles, one conference tournament championship and one Preseason NIT title.

After graduating from KU with an economics degree, Woodberry embarked on a highly successful 11-year career overseas. He played in Switzerland in 1995 before enjoying a six-year career in Australia. He was the league’s MVP with the Brisbane Bullets in 1999 and an all-league selection in 1998 and ‘99. Woodberry then played two seasons in Lithuania, winning a championship in 2001 and voted the league’s Import player of the Year, before playing in Greece, Sweden and Finland.

Woodberry, who retired in 2005, then embarked on a coaching career, serving as an assistant at Missouri State from 2006-12, where he was part of five winning seasons, including three 20-win campaigns and three postseason berths. The Bears played in the NIT twice (2007, 2011) and won the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2010.

In 2012, he joined KU legend Danny Manning as his assistant Tulsa, where he coached for two years. Woodberry was instrumental to Tulsa in winning the 2013-14 Conference USA regular season and tournament titles--the program’s first league title since 2003. Tulsa played in the postseason both years, earning a a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, its first NCAA berth in 11 seasons.

The former KU standout guard then moved to Wake Forest, where he’s continued as Manning’s assistant coach. Woodberry helped lead Wake to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, where the Deacs ranked in the top-10 nationally in offensive efficiency. Wake set school records with 268 three-pointers and 77.8 percent at the free throw line, averaging 82.8 points per game. 

Steve and his wife, Bianca, have three children -- sons Shaylen and Sherron and daughter Sanaa'. He also has two other children, Steven and Kaylen.

Here is my Where are they Now? interview with Woodberry from 2000. Steve, I truly appreciate your kindness and the time you gave me.

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Every now and then, Steve Woodberry will turn on the TV and see a fellow Wichita native, Adrian Griffin, starting at small forward for the Boston Celtics. Woodberry, who played against Griffin in high school (Woodberry starred for Wichita South while Griffin, two years younger, played at Wichita East) and briefly in the CBA, can’t help but beam with pride.

“I’m happy for him,” Woodberry said this recent afternoon at a Lawrence restaurant during his lunch break from RMC (Retirement Management Company). “I’m glad he’s doing well, because there’s not very many guys from Wichita — if any — besides Adrian Griffin in the NBA. ... He does a great job for them.”

While Griffin toiled in the CBA (he played in college at Seton Hall) before getting a shot at the NBA, Woodberry has spent the majority of his time after college playing basketball overseas in Australia. The former Kansas basketball star has been one of the top players in the league for six seasons, and was even named MVP last year (27.0 ppg) despite an injury-riddled campaign.  

Woodberry said he has no regrets about not pursuing a CBA career after college, where he would have received more exposure from NBA scouts.

“I don’t recommend anyone going to play in the CBA,” said Woodberry, who actually played 30 games in the league for Quad Cities in 1997. “If you’re willing to stick it out, that’s fine. But what happens if you don’t make it? He’s (Griffin) an exception to the rule. All it takes is one person to like you. What happens if the coach doesn’t like you? I thought it was better for me to go overseas. You make more money overseas than you do with the CBA anyway.  I wanted to make the money,” Woodberry said, laughing.

After undergoing three knee surgeries in eight months, Woodberry is currently taking a year off from basketball, rehabbing his knee, and working in Lawrence (he’s been living here since November). An economics major, Woodberry is enjoying getting invaluable working experience at RMC, where he’s involved in accounts payable.

Woodberry, who plans on playing basketball three to five more years and then possibly joining the coaching ranks, is fortunate to currently have the opportunity to keep close tabs on the Jayhawks and watch his former coach, Roy Williams, conduct practices. Williams once gave Woodberry the ultimate compliment, saying that he was the best defensive player he’s ever coached at KU.

“That meant a lot,” Woodberry said. “I don’t think many players today take pride in defense.  Nowadays, it’s whose got the best crossover, who can jump the highest and shoot the most. I think him saying that really says a lot about me and how much pride I took playing on both ends of the floor.”

Woodberry admits he compensated for his lack of athletic gifts by learning shortcuts and watching other great defensive players like Alonzo Jamison. With scorers like Mark Randall, Rex Walters and Adonis Jordan, Woodberry wasn’t asked to shoot much his first three years in college  He thrived in the role as Super Sub, and was generally regarded as the best sixth man in the country in 1993.

“It’s good when you can come in and play the point, two and three,” Woodberry said. “I gave us what we needed. ... I took a back seat to be unselfish and make sure other guys got involved.  I thought there was more to my game than just scoring. I enjoyed playing defense, rebounding, getting steals. I’m glad I came here and did it that way.”

Woodberry wound up leading the team in scoring his senior year in 1994 (15.5 ppg) and silently carved his way into the KU record books. He tied the school record for most games played in the NCAA tournament (16), and ranks among the all-time Jayhawk leaders in assists, steals, and three point field goals.  

Of course, Woodberry will never forget going to two Final Fours (1991 and 1993) and hitting game-winning shots throughout his career, including buzzer beaters against K-State in 1992 and Oklahoma State in 1994. Woodberry, who calls the three-pointer against the Cowboys one of the biggest shots of his life, said he lives for those moments.

“Most people are scared,” said Woodberry, whose also hit a couple of game-winners in Australia.  “But why not? Either you miss it or you make it. What’s going to happen? Nobody’s going to kill you. You step up to the challenge and see if you can meet it. Michael Jordan, as many as he’s made, how many did he miss? No one remembers that.”

And how would he like to be remembered?

“To me, everything was about winning,” Woodberry said (he won two state championships in high school). “I’d just like to be remembered as a winner. I did everything I could to help us win.”

And while Woodberry would certainly love to be playing in the NBA with Griffin and former KU teammates Walters, Jacque Vaughn and Greg Ostertag (the Milwaukee Bucks actually asked Woodberry to work out this summer, but he was unable due to his knee injury), he’s perfectly content continuing to play basketball overseas or anywhere but the CBA.

“People are doing worse things,” Woodberry said, smiling. “Basketball is fun. You get paid to do it two hours a day.”

A Closer Look at Steve Woodberry:

Years at KU: 1990-94

Career Notables:  Member of 1991 and 1993 Final Four teams... No. 19 leading scorer in KU history...Among KU all-time leaders in three-point field goals, assists, steals, and games played...  Second team All-Big Eight in 1993 and ‘94.

Education: B.G.S. Economics, 1996

Family: Woodberry has two children (Steven, 2, and Kaylen, 7)

Since Leaving KU: After being cut by Larry Brown’s Indiana Pacers in 1994, Woodberry spent the next six seasons playing overseas in Australia. He also had a brief stint in the CBA (30 games with Quad Cities) in 1997.

Currently: Woodberry is living in Lawrence while rehabbing his knee and working for Retirement Management Company.

Favorite KU Memories: “How close-knit everyone is. We’re lifelong friends.” … Going to the Final Four as a freshman in 1991. “Mark Randall was the star, but everybody did their role and played together. That was a special year.” 

On the Jayhawks Today: “He’s (Roy Williams) getting a lot more talent than what we had back then. ...This team can go as far as any other team, but they have to play together.”

Former Jayhawk B.J. Williams made his mark as a defensive standout

B.J. Williams was one of the best defenders of the Roy Williams era, considered a defensive stopper off the bench. He had very quick feet and could play great post defense and also guard impressively on the perimeter. Roy Williams often had B.J. sub for superstar Raef LaFrentz late in games for his defense since he had much quicker feet than the future No. 3 pick in the 1998 NBA Draft.

Williams starred at Wichita South High School, leading South to the state title his senior year in 1993 (25-0 and outscored foes by an average of 37 points per game) while also named the Kansas 6A Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas. A two-time consensus all-state selection, Williams averaged 16.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game his senior year while shooting a scorching 69 percent from the field.

Williams’ high school teams combined for a 90-6 record during his four-year career, while the 6-8 forward finished his prep career with 1,163 points, the No. 3 all-time scorer behind Ricky Ross (former Jayhawk) and Val Barnes.

Blessed with a 32-inch vertical leap, Williams overcame asthma as a youth.

From the 1995-96 KU Media Guide

Favorite Book: “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.”

Favorite KU class: “Sociology.”

Person in history I would like to converse with: “My first ancestor.”

Favorite sports hero: “Magic Johnson.”

Best player I have played against: “Richard Scott.”

If I were president of the NCAA for a day, I would: “Allow players to get paid.”

If I had one million dollars, I would: “Buy my family a new house.”

My advice to kids is: “Keep your priorities straight.”

To get psyched up for a game, I: “Listen to music and think about where I come from.”

My biggest thrill in sports was: “Beating UConn by 29 points last season.”

Years from now, I’ll still laugh about the time: “Greg Ostertag ran over his foot with his own van.”

From the 1996-97 Media Guide

Best movie I’ve ever seen: “The Color Purple.”

Best book I’ve ever read: “Pride and Prejudice.”

Favorite class at KU: “Colonial Latin American History.”

Person in history I would like to converse with: “Frederick Douglass.”

When I played basketball as a kid, I pretended to be: “Julius Erving.”

The best athlete I’ve played against: “Ray Allen.”

Ten years from now, I hope to be: “Celebrating the 10th anniversary of KU’s NCAA title.”

My biggest thrill in sports was: “Beating Oklahoma State for the conference title.”

The toughest thing about being an athlete is: “Determining who your real friends are.”

If were the head coach for a a day, I would: “Start all the walk-ons.”

If had one million dollars, I would: “Give one million people one dollar.”

Years from now, I’ll still laugh about the time: “I had to run sprints because I laughed at a teammate.”

My prized possession is: “My daughter Jaiden.”

The impressive thing about coach Williams is: “His willingness to stand behind you.”

Williams spoke to me in 2003 about his early childhood basketball memories and his recruitment to Kansas.

“I think I started playing on my first team when I was 5. I wasn’t very good. Not at all. I didn’t even make the all-star team. I remember that. It was with the Salvation Army Biddy Basketball. When I was 7, my next-door neighbor was always playing. He wasn’t very good, but he was older than me. He had a basketball goal, so I’d go over there and shoot and play at his house. I was always playing with the older kids. When you play with older kids, they beat you up and you get better. I noticed when I got up there, I wasn’t tall by any means. I was still short. I was a short kid. Just playing, just continuously playing. He was always trying to make his junior high team and high school team. He never made the team, but he was always outside practicing playing, so I’d go over there with him. His name was Jeff Cunningham, and he was about five years older than me.

“I was recruited by UCLA, University of Cal Santa Barbara, Stanford, Oklahoma State, KU, K-State. There was Nebraska. There were quite a few. There was Alabama, who I liked. I only took one visit. I visited KU and that was it. I chose KU over Alabama and St. Louis. I just knew Steve (Woodberry, fellow Wichita South High graduate) went there (KU), and he enjoyed it a lot. He talked about it quite a bit. With Steve talking, I had more of an insight on a coach than I would if I had visited someplace else. I knew Steve growing up as a kid and everything, and I respected his opinion I think more than I would any of these other coaches telling me what you want to hear. I rather hear from a friend how a coach really is. He had some good things to say about the coaching staff, and he had some bad things to say about them. I respected him. That was a deciding factor, just the atmosphere and the players. I met Richard (Scott) through Steve, and they told me a lot about the school. Steve was three years older than me. He played Biddy Basketball, too, as a kid. I was always in the lower age bracket. Coach (Steve, longtime coach at Wichita South) Eck was a big part of me knowing him, I think.”

Here is the Where Are They Now? story I wrote on Williams in 2003 for Jayhawk Insider.

By David Garfield

B.J. Williams admits he was a little overwhelmed and shocked when he first arrived at Kansas for his freshman basketball season in 1993.  

A heralded product from Wichita South High School, Williams quickly found out how much more athletic and physical the college game was. It was here in Allen Fieldhouse where the skinny 6-8, 200-pound Williams got a hands-on Basketball 101 lesson from rugged 6-7, 235 pound senior forward Richard Scott every day in practice.  

“I’ve never faced a player tougher than him since I played against him,” Williams said. “He probably helped me out the most. That helped me concentrate on my defense, because I never wanted Richard to score. He was a good friend of mine, and we always hung out. But I hated for him him to score. He would always talk a little trash, especially at the first of the year, he and Steve Woodberry would. That motivated me, I guess, to focus more of my attention on stopping Richard.”

 

With Scott’s and, of course, coach Roy Williams’ teachings, Williams eventually blossomed into a defensive standout for Kansas. He now ranks No. 11 all time at KU in career blocked shots (112). Not too bad for a player who averaged just 15.5 minutes per game during his Jayhawk career (1993-97). With great scorers on board like Scott, Raef LaFrentz, Paul Pierce and Billy Thomas, Williams looked for other ways to make a name for himself. 

 

“I took it upon myself to mold myself into a defensive player, where I could impact a game without making a basket or making a great assist,” Williams said. “I got a high after blocking a shot or playing good defense. ... We all took pride in our defense more so than our offense. One of our rules was always defense takes care of your offense.”

And Williams loved his supporting role coming off the bench and backing up stars Scott and LaFrentz at power forward. An athletic player, Williams also had the quickness to guard opposing team’s small forwards.  

“I think I actually had it better than them (Scott and LaFrentz),” Williams said. “We always had a scouting report on a player, but you never really know what they can do and what their abilities are until you actually see them. I actually had more of an advantage than Richard and Raef did because I got to see the players go up and down a couple of times before I would come in and see how they’re moving and how they’re posting up, or how they’re getting the ball or what kinds of screens they’re setting. So when I would come in, I always had a mindset knowing how he’s going to try and get open. I enjoyed it.”

Indeed, he did. Williams also relished playing on winning teams. KU went an astounding 115-21 during Williams’ career, including three conference championships, three Sweet 16 appearances, and one trip to the Elite Eight. The 1996-97 team was extremely talented. With LaFrentz and Pierce leading the way during Williams’ senior campaign, KU went 34-2. The quest for a national championship, though, fell short with a loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16.

“I really thought, especially my senior year, that we had the team that was good enough to win it all,” Williams said. “I still think that we let coach Williams down a little bit. ... I watched them Monday (NCAA championship between KU and Syracuse) and I wanted so bad for him to get his first one (title). I still think in the back of my mind that we were the team that should have done it.”

The former Jayhawk (career averages of 3.7 ppg and 3.4 rpg) felt blessed with the opportunity to play for coach Williams.

“He’s a great guy,” Williams said. “He’s very much like a father figure while you’re at school and sometimes even when you’re out of school. He’s easy to talk to. He’s very personable.”

Williams also cherished teaming up with guys like Vaughn, Pierce, LaFrentz and Pollard — names which now adorn NBA rosters.

“It’s a family,” Williams said. “People look at them as superstars making lots of money — celebrities. But I still see them as people that I can talk to. Just friends.”

Within this prized family, each player had their own niche off the court. So what was Williams’  specialty?

“I was always the guy that was talking,” he said, “and it didn’t matter who you were or what you did, I was going to say something about what you were wearing, what you were doing, or how you were acting or what you looked like. That was just what I did. Sometimes it got me in trouble. Sometimes, I didn’t choose the best times to make a smart-aleck comment.”

Like the time he made fun of Pollard when the 6-11 center shot an air ball during practice. Williams 

laughs now when recalling the scene.

“I said, ‘That’s zero percent right here.’ Then coach Williams blows the whistle and has someone get the stats on me and checks my shooting percentage. He says a few comments, and then I’m on the line running. He could never tire me out. I could run sprints forever.”

After his storybook collegiate career ended in 1997, Williams continued playing basketball overseas (Finland, Taiwan, China and France) until 2001, when he returned home to Wichita to spend more time with his children — daughter Jaiden, now 7, and son Jarrin, 4. He had a good experience with professional basketball, although Williams said it was an adjustment of sorts.

“It’s just a business,” said Williams, who averaged over 20 points per game. “There’s not very much fun to it. You win games, they played you. You lose them, they might not say a word to you. ... Over here, it’s so much more of team game. Over there, it’s more of, ‘You’re an American. You have to do this (score) or you go home.’”

Upon coming back to Wichita in 2001,Williams first was employed nine months with a law firm doing administrative work. He then changed jobs and worked in the pharmacy department for St. Francis Regional Medical Center for six months before accepting a job this past month with the Mental Health Association of south central Kansas. Williams monitors special education children with behavioral disorders. The Wichita native reaps the rewards and satisfaction of seeing a lonely kid light up a room with a smile.

“They’re all fun,” Williams said. “They’re always happy. It’s just in some cases, they don’t get enough attention from their parents. Or they don’t look the same as other kids in school, so other kids make fun of them It just sets them apart from other kids and makes them feel alone. I go into the school and I’ll just sit with him while they’re in class, maybe help them with their homework. ... It’s more about being a friend to the kid and making him feel that he’s not alone.”

While it’s been about one year since he last picked up a basketball, Williams said he’s ready to move on with life. He doesn’t miss playing that much, just the camaraderie with his teammates.

“I just want to fit in for once,” Williams said. “I don’t want to be the tall guy, I don’t want to be the basketball player who used to go to KU. I just want to fit in. I don’t want people to look at me any different than they would somebody else. I want them to want to hang around me because I’m a nice person, not because of where I went to school at.”

Williams, though, is certainly proud to be a Jayhawk. He knows how far he’s come since first landing at Mount Oread and battling against Scott in practice.  

“I wouldn’t change one thing about it,” Williams said. “I wish I could go back and do it again. I had such a great time.”

 A Closer look at B.J. Williams:

Years at KU: 1993-97

Career Notables: Played in all 136 games for KU... 1996 Big Eight All-Bench team...’96 Clyde Lovellette Most Improved Player Award...Career-High 18 points vs. Arizona on March 22, 1996 in the Sweet 16...Career-best 4.8 ppg in 1996...No. 11 all time at KU in career blocks with 112...Member of three conference championship squads (1995-97)...CBS Player of the Game vs. Indiana on Dec. 10, 1994...CBS Player of the Game vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga on March 17, 1994...CBS Player of the Game vs. Arizona on March 22, 1996.

Family: Williams, who is divorced, has a daughter, Jaiden, 7, and son, Jarrin, 4.

Education: 1997. B.A. Sociology.

Since Leaving KU: Williams played professional basketball overseas until 2001, when he returned home to Wichita. He then worked in a law office, was employed in the pharmacy department for St. Francis Regional Medical Center, and just this past month, accepted a job with the Mental Health Center of south central Kansas.

Currently: Williams is a children’s attendant care worker for the Mental Health Center of south central Kansas.

Hobbies: Watching TV.

Favorite Memories: “I miss mostly the camaraderie and friendship that we had, just the whole family atmosphere. It was great. I miss that probably the most, the kidding around in the locker room, the kidding around in practice, and of course, the games and fans.”...The wrestling matches during road trips. “The best one I think we ever had was C.B. (McGrath) and Jerod (Haase). They were roommates. We moved the bed (in hotel room) out of the way, and they just wrestled. It was hilarious. There were head locks. People getting slammed on the bed and everything. Just everything that was fake in wrestling, they were trying to do. It was funny.” ...Beating UCLA at Lawrence on Dec. 1, 1995 (85-70) and defeating the Bruins at Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 1996 (96-83). “We were down (in Lawrence), and we all rallied together. Just the whole arena rallied behind us. It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever been in, as far as fanfare and us coming together as a team, everyone working for a common bond. We wanted to win. And the game at UCLA was when we actually had their fans booing at them at halftime.”...Beating Oklahoma State at home for the conference championship on March 5, 1995. “It was kind of a frenzied atmosphere. I remember Greg Gurley hitting a three-point shot and getting fouled. Just seeing his facial expression. That game, the atmosphere was unbelievable. It was senior day on top of that. It made it worthwhile just seeing our seniors go out and seeing Greg Gurley’s face after he hit that shot and got fouled.”

On the Jayhawks today: “They get up and down the court a lot faster than we did. I don’t think they play as good as defense as we did. They score a lot more points than we did, and they score in a lot of different ways, too.”