Jayhawks break silence / LJWorld.com

Archive for Monday, February 28, 2005

February 28, 2005

Kansas University's men's basketball players didn't just conquer Oklahoma State on Sunday in Allen Fieldhouse.

They also shared their feelings about the scintillating victory with reporters after the game, ending a four-day media blackout the same day they ended a three-game losing streak.

"I kind of missed you guys," Wayne Simien said, addressing media representatives with a grin after scoring a career-high 32 points in an 81-79 victory over OSU. "Coach took all our cell phones on the last day, so it was our moms and dads, too, not just you guys."

The Jayhawks went without cell phones and media one-on-one interviews in an attempt to focus on the Cowboys.

"It was a little bit of time to jell as a team, to be together," Simien said.

Still, it appears the Jayhawks did have a few problems with the media during their recent losing streak.

Langford grinned when asked if he said, "Write about that," in the direction of the press table after the final horn sounded.

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"Did I say that? Nah, I like you guys," Langford said. "It's how it goes. Whether we admit it or not, we read what is in the papers. We hear what everybody says. A lot of times you try to not take it personally, but guys do. You put in blood and sweat, and somebody writes up something negative, it's human instinct to get riled up about it.

"It's part of the reason we didn't want to talk to the media. It feels good to get the monkey off our back. We can't put any blame on media guys or anyone else. It's the guys on the floor."

Langford wouldn't say which article stung the most during the losing streak.

"People are going to write about stuff, but there's a line you can cross. I'm not going to name any names or blast anybody out, but there were some local things written," Langford said. "That's part of the game. You have to take it at a place like Kansas. You have to take it with a grain of salt."

Self isn't sure how much the media boycott, which was voted on at a senior meeting after last week's loss to Oklahoma, and cell-phone ban helped Sunday.

"I don't know if it helped at all. Maybe they thought it did. If they think it did ... there's so much potential for distractions, especially later in the season. It was good for these guys to focus. We had some off-the-court issues, family, and other things related. We said, 'Let's bond together, not hang out, not go out, but work together.'''

None of the Jayhawks wanted to think about what a four-game skid would have been like.

"It would be pretty bad," Langford said. "Luckily, we played good early in the season to put ourselves in a position to win it."

"It would have been devastating if we'd lost," Self said. "They responded well to a three-game losing streak. I'm proud of them for that."

Pride was evident on the players' faces, too.

"This definitely sends a message," Simien said. "We're back, and we're one of the best teams in the country."