Marisa Mondt loves playing basketball and loves Kansas University basketball.

Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse, the 26-year-old Salina woman and about 100 other Kansas Special Olympians got a chance to practice their basketball prowess with the KU men’s basketball team.

“I’m a big fan,” Mondt said.

This was the 20th year KU has conducted a basketball clinic for Special Olympians.

“We’ve enjoyed a historically outstanding relationship,” said Tim Rehder, vice president for sports competition with Kansas Special Olympics. Special Olympics is a sports training and competition program for people with mental disabilities.

The Special Olympians playing basketball range in age from 8 to those in their 40s, Rehder said.

Chuck Crawford, 43, a Special Olympian from Ottawa, said he liked playing all sports, but was hoping to learn some Jayhawk basketball tips.

KU players and coaches enjoyed passing on those tips, they said. Forward Jeff Graves, a KU senior, said the Special Olympians were giving him a workout.

“These guys are giving 110 percent out here,” Graves said. “It’s good to see that.”

Jacob Robinson, 12, gets a lift from Kansas University senior forward Jeff Graves during a basketball clinic for Kansas Special Olympians. About 100 Special Olympics athletes attended the clinic Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

Forward Bryant Nash, also a senior, agreed.

“To work with people like this — it’s a real special thing,” he said.

Coach Bill Self thinks his players get more out of the interaction than the Special Olympians.

“It’s a big deal for them and it’s a big deal for us,” Self said. “It puts things into perspective.”

Players also signed autographs for the Special Olympians and others who were present.

“I think that our guys need to understand that every time they step out onto the floor, everything they do, they represent something far bigger than themselves,” Self said.

Parents of the Special Olympians also enjoyed the event. Dan Hensley, Olathe, watched his 27-year-old son play.

“This is a chance for him to get away and have some fun,” Dan Hensley said of his son.

Kansas Special Olympics has scheduled a state championship basketball tournament on the third weekend in March in Hays.

Kansas University basketball players Jeff Graves, left, and Steve Vinson, right, congratulate Cory Acheson, Salina, after his slam dunk during a basketball clinic for Special Olympians on Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Barry McGuine, Haysville, hangs on the rim after a successful dunk during a basketball clinic for Kansas Special Olympians. The athletes traveled Sunday to Allen Fieldhouse for the clinic.