KU's Next Final Four and The Signs

Disclaimer: I’m writing this two hours before KU faces ISU within the stifling roar of “boo’s” that is called “Hilton Magic”.

I have faith. I have confidence. And I have something even better…signs.

KU will win the Big 12 this season. We will also make the Final Four.

When we made it to the Final Four in 2003 (yes, we) I knew ahead of time we would be there. It’s why my best friend from college and I purchased airline tickets ahead of time. We knew because we knew our players…knew that the talent was there.

The day we played Marquette in the semi-finals that year I knew we would win the game. My lucky charm, 2 year old Marah (our firstborn) and I were on the front page of the Kansas City Star, highlighted in a feature article on superstitious KU fans. I blame the Star for our loss in the finals to Syracuse; they should’ve run the article on Monday instead of Saturday, sigh.

In 2008 I felt the same confidence, a faith deep within that KU had a national championship team on our hands.

I knew we’d win it all when Brandon Rush tore his ACL and could no longer leave early to enter the NBA. He was the final missing piece we would need. Even though it was horrible for him at the time, I’m willing to bet an arm and a leg that he might say winning the National Championship was the most positive thing to come from the injury.

In 2012 I didn’t feel it. Had never felt it. In fact, in the run up to the National Championship against Kentucky I could never quite get into the “OMG, we are going to the Final Four!!!” mojo. The signs hadn’t been there….I didn’t believe we would win….and I still blame myself for the loss because of my doubts. In addition, I didn't go to New Orleans out of fear that I was the bad luck that caused a loss in the finals in 2003.

This year is different. This year felt different from the moment Wayne Selden, Jr., committed to KU. He was the first piece, a gem of a recruit who understood from that first moment he sat in the bleachers during Late Night that KU was the place he could call home.

Then in November an unknown true 7’0 center verbally committed to us as well, also after attending Late Night. In interviews, he claimed he chose KU because of their history of developing big men. Joel Embiid, the (now not so) hidden diamond in the rough, was the high school player one of our assistant coaches saw play, resulting in a call to Bill Self, saying “you’ve got to see this kid.” From that point on, KU went after him with fierce determination.

There’s a connection between Joel, or Jo Jo as we fans love to call him, and soccer. This is a sign to me. I knew nothing about soccer until Marah (remember the good luck charm from 2003?) began playing. Now, having watched countless soccer games and, in turn, having observed her transferring those same progressed soccer skills to her first season of basketball this fall, I can easily see why Jo Jo has been able to transition so quickly from soccer to basketball. If you watch soccer but also love basketball it is a fascinating and intriguing thing to witness.

There were several more signs on the recruiting trail. On May 14, 2013, the number one recruit and most highly anticipated commit since Kevin Durant announced that he would play for Kansas. It wasn’t just that the number one recruit was coming here that was a sign to me. It was THIS number one recruit. Andrew Wiggins: a kid who didn’t want to be in the limelight….a kid who didn’t hold an attention seeking/ ESPN monstrosity/ “look at me” screaming, hat picking ceremony. This was a type of kid I wanted on our team. It didn’t hurt the signs either that he is from Canada, home of basketball’s patriarch (& father of KU’s own program) Dr. James Naismith. I knew with Wiggins on board it was time to start looking for deeper signs.

We were still missing two key ingredients, though. Maturity and outside shooters.

Then came Tarik Black, less than a week after Wiggins joined the team. A graduated Senior, transferring from Memphis, with maturity oozing from his pores. This is a highly articulate and mature young man who simply wanted to grow his game, contribute to our team, earn a graduate degree, and take his education back to Memphis in order to help inner city youth. Among the suitors he chose from? Duke. And he chose KU instead. Now we would have some maturity in the locker room, on the bench, and on the court when needed. That was a sign.

Did I mention outside shooting was a problem? We also signed two of the most prolific high school three point shooters in the country in Conner Frankamp and Braenen Greene.

It seemed as if the pieces were falling into place.

The problem, as most who follow basketball closely knew, would be our youth. I had no worries, though, because our pre-conference schedule would be the toughest, most grueling in the country. I told many (who would listen; for certain, many folks tune me out after awhile, my own family included) that we would look horrible at times…that we would lose some ugly games…and that it would suck at the time…but that in the end we would be stronger and far more equipped to deal with conference and tournament play. Exhibit A: KU's last three games, all conference wins. And there is also this: starting with the Colorado game and going through the Baylor game on Monday, KU will have played 11 straight games against top 75 ranked KenPom teams; 10 of the 11 against top 50 KenPom teams. This is a sign.

There have been other signs, though, small things that have led me to feel it, BELIEVE it.

At one of Marah’s school volleyball tournaments this fall I was surprised to see a familiar face walk in front of me in the small gym. It was Jeff Gueldner, who had played a pivotal role in KU’s 1988 National Championship run. A quick look at the roster told me that our little good luck charm was playing against Jeff’s daughter’s team. This may not seem like a big deal, but in 2008, after we defeated Memphis, I was holding court at the KU designated bar on the River Walk. I say “holding court” because I was seated at the bar and anyone who wanted a drink had to go through Moi! At one point, Jeff Gueldner was standing behind me needing a drink and so I asked him about that epic ’88 battle against OU. My friend Barb and I had watched it on the flight to San Antonio and I absolutely geeked out over getting to talk about it in person with one of the players.

Fast forward to the spring of 2013, when the documentary “Danny and the Miracles” was released. While watching it, I was concerned with how sickly Gueldner had looked. A quick internet search revealed he had been fighting cancer. By the time I saw him at the volleyball tournament he looked amazing, healthy, healed. This is a sign.

There were more signs at "Ladies Night with Bill Self". A new Sports Illustrated issue had just been released, with “The Freshman” Andrew Wiggins on the cover. I brought copies for some of my girlfriends but none of them were willing to muscle into the mass of women who were swarming the young star to get his autograph. I’m a veteran of these types of events and bulldozed into the fray, walking out with two of my own signed magazines (for each of my kids), one for my cousin Kris, one for my best friend Kris-Ann, and one for my neighbor Jennifer (who had been roughly knocked out of her first place in line). Kris and Jennifer both cried when I gave them their copies. THAT’S how hard they were to get.

Speaking of my cousin Kris...she's always wanted to attend "Ladies Nigh With Bill Self" but this was the first year it would be possible. While registering, a family emergency came up and she decided to back out. The emergency was remedied but not until after registration had already closed. Several weeks later she received an email from KU asking her if she still wanted to attend; they had kept her registration open. SIGN!

Oh, did I mention I was interviewed by Metro Sports while there? Flashback: I was also interviewed in 2003 before we went to the Final Four. Coinkidink? It’s a sign.

This is a year I wanted a team autographed basketball. I had called the KU bookstore in September and was told they would be released “some time in October”. At the end of Ladies Night, I walked into the Allen Fieldhouse store and caught the familiar smell of sharpies. There was a bin of newly signed basketballs (dropped off earlier that evening according to the cashier), their fresh scents reaching out to me, all waiting to be nabbed. I grabbed one of the the clearest and within fifteen minutes they were gone….and have been difficult to find ever since. My motto, with KU, has certainly become “strike while the iron is hot!”

While at the gift store, I noticed a book that I hadn’t seen before, titled “Make It Count: The Life and Times of Basketball Great Jo Jo White”. I took a quick photo of the book with my phone, went home, found it on Amazon, and ordered it. I love Jo Jo White.

When the book arrived I was thrilled to discover it had been autographed by Jo Jo. I collect autographs. I also have an amazing collection of signed books, ranging from President Bill Clinton to personally autographed copies from Lois Lowery. All I had wanted was the book….and it was autographed. THIS was a sign.

In October, we spent our son Brody’s ninth birthday at the Great Wolf Lodge. While waiting for a locker key, the elevator opened and a 6’11 behemoth walked out carrying a "Build a Bear" box. I’d know him anywhere. It was former KU & NBA player Scot Pollard with his family.

I vowed then that I would not approach him, look at him, or even consider taking his photo or asking for an autograph. Even I understand the boundaries of family time.

But he kept following MY family!! At dinner we arrived first….then they showed up at the same restaurant. During the first day at the water park, I scouted out a spot for my family to hang all day and then his family sat right across from me.

Coinkidink???? It’s a sign.

I thought things had turned dark after the fiasco of Late Night...but even that strange and frustrating day turned into something positive. After blogging about the event and submitting it to KU's Athletic Department, I was amazed and impressed with a sincere and honest apology from them coupled with passes to ensure a group of us could attend an open scrimmage as a way of making up for those who hadn't been able to get in to Late Night. The University threw in football tickets as well and the communications staff member I had spoken with introduced herself to me personally at Allen Fieldhouse. I was wrong in thinking the program was getting too big for their britches; they simply had to regroup and adjust.

I ran into old friends from my home town White City during "Ladies Night with Bill Self" and then, again, at the scrimmage mentioned above. These connections cannot be simple coincidences, can they? Not in my world!

Need more?

My husband never travels to see KU play with me… but he went to Chicago to see KU play Duke. KU would go on to struggle with four losses in the off season to ranked teams, but we won THAT game. This was a sign.

While in Chicago, we hooked up for pre-game drinks with a friend from KU whom I had not seen since 1988…a year we won a National Championship. Sign.

There was more to that game, though. On the way home, in the airport, I found myself sitting next to an extremely tall man wearing an extremely gaudy ring. We were with another couple, Barb and Jeff, and out of the blue Jeff looks at the man and says “hey, Patrick, how are things? I’m one of the Kempf boys”.

Then he carried on a conversation with Patrick Richey, of the 1991 & 1993 KU Final Four teams, talking about family and work. Barb had gone to the bathroom, but by the time she had returned Jeff and Patrick had turned back to their phones. Pretty soon my own phone beeped with a text message.

“I think that’s Patrick Richey sitting next to you!!” she had typed me.

“I know. He & your husband just had a ten minute conversation as if they were old friends!!” I replied.

This wasn’t the same as Scot Pollard at The Great Wolf Lodge with his family….it was a KU event and Patrick was wearing a KU sweat suit and sporting a KU Final Four ring. I figured THAT meant I could talk to him. So I did.

It was awesome. He shared some stories of fan frenzy when the team arrived back at Forbes Field after making the Final Four…stories of just how amazing it is to have played at KU and won at KU. I saw this interaction as a sign.

I’m sure there will be more signs to come…and I’m good at watching for them (remind me to tell you about the "Hudy Signs" this year that I've seen!). Things are looking good. My best friend from college is now living back in Kansas. She has her own good luck charm now: a strapping baby boy. She had her belly (t-shirt) signed by one of the KU freshman on the actual day she was admitted to the hospital to give birth to him. That is dedication. That is a sign.

My other die hard KU friend Barb has been ever faithful with the in-game phone calls and willingness to change into her lucky red KU shirt if we appear to be slipping. So far, her sacrifices have paid off.

The rest of you following your own game day rituals? Keep up the hard work; success will follow if we stay in this together!

As for my own good luck charm?

After eleven years I decided it was about time I had the article in the Kansas City Star framed. KU’s good luck charm is hanging on the wall in my KU Woman Cave. It is my final contribution to this year’s Final Four run.

As for you doubters, well, let's just say I'm kind of a professional in this area. I look for the signs and have for years. Signs are tricky things; sometimes, they fall right into your lap, like a surprise autographed copy of Jo Jo White's story. Other times, you have to look deeper, like witnessing a beloved KU player survive cancer. And on some rare occasions, you have to help out by paying to preserve the memory of your most important good luck charm. All three things have happened to me so far.

Have you paid attention to your own signs Jayhawk fans?

I have no doubts. When you look at the signs, and add Bill Self to the mix, I don't believe we can lose. After all, isn't being a good fan all about believing?

See you in Dallas!!!!