Larry Brown isn’t quite sure why — perhaps he just has been too busy the past 15 years — but until last summer he never had watched a replay of Kansas University’s 83-79 victory over Oklahoma in the 1988 national championship game.

“I was working out four months ago, put in the tape and stayed on the treadmill for two hours. It was mind-boggling,” Brown said Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

With memories of his only title in a 31-year coaching career fresh in his mind, former Jayhawk coach Brown, now with the Detroit Pistons, returned to KU Friday for a reunion of players and coaches from that ’88 team.

Brown was a picture of contentment at a pre-“Late Night in the Phog” banquet at Allen Fieldhouse while visiting with his former players and coaches.

“You know, I’d never been back with these guys. That’s too long,” Brown said. “It’s amazing, you look around this room and it looks like these guys can still play.”

Indeed, 30-somethings like Danny Manning, Milt Newton, Mike Maddox, Kevin Pritchard, Sean Alvarado, Marvin Mattox, Archie Marshall, Lincoln Minor, Chris Piper and Jeff Gueldner looked like they still could suit up and play, which for a time was the plan at Late Night.

“I had it scripted out. They were going to come out and play another group of guys (for 10 minutes),” KU coach Bill Self said. “The ’88 guys nixed that. I got outvoted on that deal.”

The players passed on hoisting up some jumpers.

“Playing? Nah. We just want to go out there and wave to the fans,” said Newton, who, along with Brown, spoke to the 16,300 fans at Late Night.

The fans responded with loud ovations for all of the ’88 players and coaches, the biggest rounds of applause reserved for Brown and national player of the year Manning.

Brown plays hooky

Former Kansas University coach Larry Brown salutes the crowd during Late

Brown actually skipped Detroit’s home exhibition game against Miami — an 84-71 loss — to attend the reunion.

“Bill called and Doug (Compton, Lawrence businessman and friend of Brown) called and talked to me about doing this. I asked them the date, saw we had an exhibition game and that killed me,” Brown said.

“I always miss one exhibition game (per season), so this was the perfect opportunity. It was nice of Bill to honor us this way.”

Brown is thrilled KU turned to Self — who worked for Brown at KU during the 1985-86 season — to replace Roy Williams, who, like Brown, is a North Carolina graduate.

“We are so proud of him,” Brown said of Self. “To realize the phenomenal job Roy did here, the great teams Roy had … to get a quality coach like Bill to follow Roy is special. It’s a pretty good job. He realizes it’s an honor to coach here and will do very well.”

Brown grinned when told Self has credited him for giving him a chance in coaching.

“It’s a thing where Bill wanted to coach. R.C. (Buford, former Brown assistant, now GM of the San Antonio Spurs) was friends with him and recommended him for a graduate-assistant position,” Brown said. “It didn’t have much to do with me.”

‘I loved it here’

Brown spoke to KU’s fans for the first time publicly since 1988.

“My five years here … they weren’t long enough,” Brown said, “but they were unbelievably special. It was a special time in my life. I cherish it. I never had a chance to thank everybody because it was a crazy way of leaving,” he added, referring to leaving town on the San Antonio Spurs’ private jet for a news conference to announce his hiring.

“I loved it here. Seeing these guys tonight and the fans, I realize how fortunate I was. Tonight I walked through the volleyball facility, went in the locker room … things are different.

“But in some ways they are the same, too. There’s no better program, no better place to play, go to school or coach.”

Brown gave a similar speech to KU’s players during a locker-room gathering Friday.

“It was incredible. I can’t even describe it,” Langford said of listening to Brown. “It gives us all motivation in itself.”

“It brings goose bumps to hear him and realize they won a national championship. We’re trying to do that,” freshman Omar Wilkes said. “Anytime we can hear somebody like coach Brown talk, we’ll eat it up.”

‘Unbelievable sacrifices’

Wilkes was told Brown arrived via private jet at 9 p.m. Friday and left via private jet at 1:30 a.m.

“That is amazing he’d do that,” Wilkes said.

“Some guys made unbelievable sacrifices to come tonight,” Self noted. “After I knew coach Brown was on the ground here, I wasn’t nervous at all. He said he was going to come, but when push came to shove, and I knew he had to miss a game, I thought he could have second thoughts.”

Five of the ’88 honorees currently have NBA ties. They are: Buford, GM, San Antonio Spurs; Randall, community ambassador, Denver Nuggets; Newton, director of player personnel, Washington Wizards; Alvin Gentry, assistant coach, New Orleans Hornets; and Ed Manning, scout, Memphis Grizzlies.

Four current college coaches who worked for Brown at KU attended Friday: Mark Turgeon, Wichita State; David Moe, Emporia State; John Robic, Youngstown State; and Bill Pope, Youngstown State assistant and ’88 team manager.

“This is unbelievable,” said Turgeon, who doesn’t conduct a Midnight Madness at WSU. “It’s great to see everybody. To see coach Brown and all the guys and to see the passion we all have for this university, it’s amazing.”

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Family man: Randall, who has worked as a scout and assistant coach for the Nuggets, is committed to a job with normal working hours.

“As a scout, I was gone 20, 25 days a month. I am not willing to give up all that time with my kids,” said Randall, who has a wife and two children. “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching. I’ve learned money is not a motivating factor. I am going to enjoy life and spend time with my family. I enjoy talking to people in the community about our basketball team. I’m getting into competitive golf more, and golfing with Nuggets supporters gives me a chance to work on my golf game, too.”

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Self’s real practice: KU held its first official practice of the Bill Self era at 10 a.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. The practice lasted two hours, 15 minutes.

“Typical first day,” Self said. “I’d say it was pretty good.”

Keith Langford, who discovered at Friday’s Late Night scrimmage his right knee was not yet 100-percent healthy, was able to practice Saturday. Langford, who had arthroscopic surgery Sept. 30, played five minutes in the scrimmage, experiencing some soreness after dunking.

“I hope sooner than later,” Langford said, asked when he’d be 100 percent.

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Video highlights: Asked his most memorable moment of his first Late Night, Self said, “I’d say when they showed the video (of him). And the ‘One Shining Moment’ video showed of the ’88 team.”

The Self video was of highlights from his first news conference at KU, which ended with a dramatic introduction of Self to the crowd and ensuing standing ovation with thunderous applause

Of his own video, which can be seen in its entirety on kusports.com, Self quipped: “It’s amazing how editing can make everything look pretty good. Just the way the fans reacted was a little overwhelming to me.”