The Kansas Jayhawks and a few thousand of their biggest fans got another opportunity to celebrate their national championship victory Friday night as they unveiled the 2022 banner in Allen Fieldhouse.
The women’s and men’s basketball teams held their first scrimmages of the season before the massive crowds who returned to pack the stands and show their support for Late Night in the Phog.
The 2021-22 Jayhawks team also received their championship rings.
DJ Diesel — perhaps better known as basketball Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal — performed for the crowd.
And two fans scored real big in the annual tradition: they got an opportunity to take a half-court shot to win $10,000, or to pick someone from the men’s team or a former KU player to take the shot for them.
Emma Ryan, a sophomore from Prairie Village, chose Mario Chalmers to take the shot, according to KU Athletics.
“On his first attempt, he unfortunately missed, however Bill Self was gracious enough to give her a second attempt. On his second shot, Chalmers drained it and won Ryan $10,000.”
The second contestant was Yalone Woodruff, a junior from Henderson, Kentucky.
“He decided to take the shot himself,” according to KU Athletics. “Woodruff had a few warmup shots before the $10,000 shot. Woodruff made the shot on his first attempt to win $10,000.”
The first men’s basketball game of the season is at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7. The Omaha Mavericks will travel to Lawrence. The first women’s game of the season is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, when the Jacksonville Dolphins will travel to KU.
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