A big New York Yankees fan, Roy Williams turned to one of the greatest Bronx Bombers in history for good luck last Saturday in Oklahoma City.

He and his Kansas University men’s basketball players hopped out of the team bus and rubbed the statue of native Oklahoman and Yankee Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle several hours before KU’s 108-76 rout of Arizona State in a second-round West Regional game at Ford Center.

Mantle’s statue is right outside SBC Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Triple A Oklahoma Redhawks.

“I threw ’em a curveball,” Williams said of his players.

“On Saturday we went down to the shootaround (at Ford Center) and went by the ballpark. I made everybody get out of the bus and pat the Mickey Mantle statue.”

The superstitious Williams had patted a statue of Willie Mays in San Francisco prior to KU’s victory over California on Dec. 28 in Oakland, Calif. Last year, he had his Jayhawks rub the belly of the Saint Louis University Billiken before NCAA Tournament action at St. Louis.

In past years, KU’s players have spit in the Mississippi River for good luck and knocked stuffed monkey dolls off each other’s shoulders. It’s all lighthearted good fun.

“Getting back on the bus, Moulaye came up to me saying, ‘Coach, who is that?”’ Williams said chuckling, referring to Senegal freshman Moulaye Niang, who has little to no knowledge of American baseball history.

“I had to explain to him that (Mantle) was my favorite player, the first person who was my hero in athletics. One hundred million years ago, in 1956, I was 6 years old and we didn’t have a TV, but I saw a TV and in the first game I ever watched, Mickey Mantle hit a home run left-handed and hit one right-handed and got a drag bunt single. They talked about him being the fastest player in professional baseball. I was hooked right there.”

Some KU fans patted Mantle’s statue also.

“We were getting back on the bus and there were some fans out walking on a beautiful day in Oklahoma City. Coach (Steve) Robinson said, ‘I guarantee you they will go over there and pat the statue,”’ Williams said. “Sure enough, as the bus started pulling away we saw all those people go over there and pat the statue — Jayhawk faithful is all I can say,” Williams said.

What will the Jayhawks do for good luck in Anaheim, Calif. — site of Thursday’s Sweet 16 game against Duke?

“There’s no telling what I’ll do,” Williams said. “I haven’t found anything yet.”

KU guard Keith Langford said he had no idea the bus driver was headed toward the baseball stadium Saturday.

“I was sitting toward the back of the bus,” Langford said. “I saw coach Williams get off and touch the statue and I said, ‘Uh, OK.’ I had flashbacks of last year spitting in the river and rubbing the Billiken.”

Langford was asked if any of the players consider Williams’ superstitions humorous.

“It is sort of funny. We laugh at it sometimes, but coach Williams takes it serious. If he takes it serious we have no choice but to take it much more serious,” Langford said with a grin.

He, of course, is superstitious, too.

“Just with the shoes and I haven’t done that in a while,” he said of switching shoes at halftime when he isn’t playing particularly well. “I am relying more on myself now.”

¢
l

Schedule: The Jayhawks were to practice today at Allen Fieldhouse then fly to Anaheim, Calif., approximately 7:30 p.m. from Forbes Field in Topeka. KU will practice at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday at The Pond in Anaheim. The practice is open to the public. KU sophomore Wayne Simien will not make the trip. He has shoulder surgery scheduled Friday in New York.

¢

Coaches get along fine: Williams was asked Monday about his relationship with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. The two had words during the teams’ last meeting — Duke’s 69-64 victory in the East Regionals on March 19, 2000 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

“We are good friends,” Williams said, noting the two do not socialize much.

“Mike is not a golfer and I am. Some things in the offseason I might do with other coaches I don’t do with Mike. I play golf with Billy Tubbs, Kelvin (Sampson), Tubby Smith, Joe Harrington, who used to be at Colorado. I’d be closer to those guys just because of extra down time.

“With Mike, most of the time work has been our relationship except at Michael Jordan’s Fantasy Camp. We work together on the NABC Board of Directors or NABC Foundation. I have total respect for Mike. His beliefs are very similar to my beliefs regarding college basketball.”

Former KU assistant Matt Doherty and Duke assistant Chris Collins recently had a shouting match in a Duke-North Carolina game.

“When you are not involved with it, it looks sort of silly,” Williams said of coach blowups. “You say, ‘Gosh, I hope I don’t do anything like that,’ because of how silly it looks. When you are involved in it, your emotions are so high. I’ve done the same thing, said some things in the heat of the game if I had a chance to see how silly it looks I’d never do it. Sometimes things just happen.

“I think that was probably a little thing that got blown out (of proportion). It was on national TV. It was Duke-North Carolina and probably looked a little worse than it was. I did call Matt and tease him a bit. We did talk about it.”

¢

McDonald’s game Wednesday: KU signees David Padgett and J.R. Giddens are in Cleveland for Wednesday’s McDonald’s All-America game, which will be contested at 6 p.m. at Gund Arena. It will be shown live on ESPN.