Max Falkenstien, the legendary Kansas University basketball and football announcer, has written a new book, “A Good Place to Stop, 60 Seasons with Max and the Jayhawks.” Today and Sunday, the Journal-World is running excerpts from the book, published by Power House. “A Good Place to Stop” is available today in the Journal-World lobby and on our Web site (www.store.ljworld.com), as well as at Barnes & Noble, Dillons, KU Union Bookstore, Jayhawk Bookstore, Walgreens, The Raven and Kansas Sampler.

From Chapter 11

Changing Times

Off the floor, Larry Brown managed to stir up plenty of controversy within a short period of time. Midway through the spring, it became apparent that Larry and assistant coach JoJo White were having conflicts. As a result, JoJo was asked to say good-bye.

Then Larry made an interesting move. He hired one of his former players – Ed Manning – who didn’t have much coaching experience. But Ed had a 6-10 son named Danny, a senior in high school that year, who happened to be the most coveted prep player in the land.

Ed, who had worked as a truck driver, turned out to be a great addition to the coaching staff, and we developed a good friendship during his years in Lawrence. He related well to the team, and I think he made a real contribution to the program. Ed always handled that with a smile on his face. It isn’t any secret that Larry hired Ed to get Danny.

So, to no one’s surprise, Ed’s son soon announced that he would sign with the University of Kansas.

Brown may have been the most superstitious coach I’ve ever met. Every morning before arriving at work, Larry would stop by the Carol Lee Doughnut Shop and buy six glazed doughnuts for the office. It was always Carol Lee. His other rituals ranged from bowling on game days to tossing away neckties that he had worn during losses. Larry thought it was bad luck for his players to get haircuts on game days, and he had the Jayhawks leave the floor after pre-game warm-ups before the 10 minute mark on the clock. Coaches always shook hands in the locker room, never outside, before a game. Just before tip-off, the Jayhawk staff also had to wish each other good luck with a touch of some fashion.

Perhaps the strangest superstition came on the bench. In close, down-to-the-wire games, Brown would call for his staff to “go to the power,” which meant each would reach down and squeeze his left testicle.

Larry even had an “official” good-luck charm in Ryan Gray, a youngster with a slow-growing, malignant brain tumor who loved the Jayhawks. Ryan would attend every home game in a wheelchair, and Larry always made a point of visiting with him before a game. They developed a special relationship, and after the Jayhawks won the 1988 national championship, Ryan rode in the car with Larry during the victory celebration parade.

The Jayhawks had an abundance of talent for Brown in his first season. The roster included gifted long-range shooters Ron Kellogg and Calvin Thompson. Guard Carl Henry was an all-Big Eight performer, and 6-8 forward Kelly Knight was an impressive force inside. Brown also had 7-1 sophomore Greg Dreiling, who became eligible that season after moving from Wichita State.

Brown got the Jayhawks on track quickly in his first season. KU went 8-3 during the non-conference portion of its schedule. In conference play, Kansas finished second and then defeated Wayman Tisdale and the Billy Tubbs-coached Oklahoma Sooners to win the Big Eight Conference Tournament. It was a sweet victory for Brown and the Jayhawks.

Earlier in the season, the Sooners had been overly cocky in a 92-82 conference championship-clinching victory at Allen Fieldhouse. The players taunted the KU crowd from their bench, pointing at their ring fingers (referring to a conference championship). They also cut down the nets. Afterwards, Brown told reporters, “The world is round. What goes around, comes around.”

After a two-season layoff, KU was back in the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks squeaked past Alcorn State before being dismissed by Mugsy Bogues-led Wake Forest. But Kansas basketball was back, as the Jayhawks finished with a 22-10 record.

The next season, 1984-85, Danny Manning and nine other newcomers made their KU debuts. We quickly learned Manning was an unselfish player with tremendous talent. He didn’t have to be a big scorer his freshman season with players such as Thompson, Kellogg, Dreiling, and Hunter in the lineup.

Kellogg and Thompson rank as two of my favorite all-time players. Kellogg, with his rainbow jumpers, and Thompson, with his thunderous slams, were exciting to watch on the floor.

But they were equally fun to be around during the trips. Calvin was the practical joker and unbeknownst to me once slipped a couple of ice cubes in my pocket during an airplane trip. Of course the ice proceeded to melt and made it look like I peed my pants. Calvin got so tickled over that that to this day, every time I see him, he’ll bring up something about the ice cubes and then he’ll start laughing.

One of my all-time favorite KU basketball stories involves Kellogg, who sometimes was completely detached from games.

During one game, Larry became really frustrated with Ronnie because he was too offensive and not passing enough. He jerked him out of the game and got right in his face on the bench and told him to “pass the damn ball.” He then shouted, “Any questions?” Kellogg said, “Yeah, coach, I got a question. When are we going to fix the whirlpool in the training room?” Larry then ran down the bench and screamed to the trainer, Dave Lucy, to get the whirlpool fixed.

The Jayhawks won 13 of their first 15 games in 1984-85, and Kansas was back on the national college basketball map. Kellogg picked up the nickname “Mr. Saturday” for his string of five consecutive Saturdays of 30-point games during the heart of the conference schedule.

The excitement of the impressive start of 1984-85 faded in the last half of the season. KU reached the NCAA Tournament again, only to see the trip cut short with a second-round loss to Auburn, 66-64. Kansas finished with a glossy 26-8 record, but the season had ended on a sour note.

It’s difficult and probably meaningless to make comparisons. But the 1985-86 Jayhawk basketball team may have the best in school history. It was one of the most well-meshed groups I’ve ever watched on the court. With Manning, Thompson, Kellogg, Hunter, and Dreiling as starters – and players like Archie Marshall and Mark Turgeon coming off the bench – KU had offensive firepower from all angles. They were a joy to watch.