‘We’ll be back here again,’ fan says

? Greg Ballard enjoyed a weekend off from his orthopedic surgery residency at Shriner’s Hospital in St. Louis.

He’s hoping to be back again next year, only this time as an out-of-town visitor for the Final Four.

“We have a townhouse just up the road here, for the residents in the program,” said Ballard, who attends the Kansas University School of Medicine-Wichita. “I hope to call our resident here next year so I can come on down.”

Ballard, who will be working as a resident in Wichita at this time next year, attended Sunday’s 79-71 overtime loss to Georgia Tech with his parents, Al and Barbara Ballard of Lawrence.

Barbara Ballard, a KU administrator, made the trip after wrapping up her responsibilities as a state representative in the Kansas Legislature.

She can’t wait to see the Jayhawks hit the court again next season, prepping for a run at a third Final Four in four years. She’s pulling for a championship to send off seniors-to-be Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien, Keith Langford and Michael Lee.

“We’ll be back here again,” she said. “We’ll be back here in St. Louis next year.”

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Jim Marchiony’s son might have been playing soccer 20 minutes away from the Edward Jones Dome this weekend, but KU’s associate athletic director couldn’t shake loose to catch any of the action.

“I’m very disappointed that I couldn’t see any of his games, but I know there’s work to be done,” Marchiony said before Sunday’s game. “There are many more soccer games that I’ll hopefully see.”

Marchiony’s son, Donald Marchiony, is a high school junior who plays goalkeeper for K.C.F.C Alliance, a select soccer team that travels for tournaments.

How is it to be a fan, watching as Kansas University makes a run deep into the NCAA Tournament?— Asked of Kevin Pritchard, a guard on KU’s last national championship team and current scout for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.“I can’t wait for them to win a championship. I want to enjoy it as a fan. I want to walk down Massachusetts Street during the parade. I want K.J. (his son) down there, experiencing the championship. And I’m certain it’s going to happen. Bill Self’s going to win it, no doubt. It might be next year, two years, five years or 10 years, but he’ll definitely do it.”

Marchiony had hoped to miss another couple soccer games this coming weekend, but that prospect closed when KU lost and failed to advance to the Final Four in San Antonio.

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Even as the final seconds ticked away Sunday, Susie Schlotzhauer never lost hope.

Schlotzhauer, an eternally optimistic KU fan, had been a positive voice among KU faithful amassed in the lower level of the Edward Jones Dome, across from the KU bench.

She spent much of the game taking pictures of the game with a wireless phone. She sent the images back home to her daughter, Ashley Schlotz-hauer, a KU cheerleader who would have been traveling to San Antonio if KU had won.

And mom wasn’t about to lose hope.

“They’re going to make it,” she said, as KU evened the score at 66 with 11 seconds left in regulation.

Her pronouncements continued throughout overtime, even as Aaron Miles missed an inside bank shot, Keith Langford fouled out, J.R. Giddens and Michael Lee missed three-pointers, Lee fouled out and Miles turned the ball over on a traveling violation.

“Ashley wasn’t here,” Susie Schlotzhauer finally offered as an explanation, after the buzzer had sounded on the 79-71 loss. “But we’ll be back next year. And Ashley will be there.”

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About 50 members of the Atlanta chapter of the KU Alumni Association huddled Sunday to watch the regional final at Digger’s, a sports bar in Sandy Springs, about 15 miles north of Georgia Tech’s campus.

And despite the local buzz surrounding the hometown Yellow Jackets, group members weren’t about to shed their crimson-and-blue background.

“Heavens no,” said Dennis Woodling, a chapter member and KU civil engineering graduate. “There are way too many Georgia Tech engineers in Atlanta.”