LJWorld.com / He’s from where? Campers unaware of KU coach’s roots

Archive for Saturday, June 21, 2008

Deer Creek High guard Korey Welch laces up his shoes as Bill Self talks with the team’s head coach, David Crynes, shortly before a game Friday at Allen Fieldhouse. The team hails from Edmond, Okla., the hometown of Self.

By Jason Elmquist

June 21, 2008

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Trivia question: Where did Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self graduate high school?

Answer: Edmond Memorial in Edmond, Okla.

“I didn’t know that. It’s pretty cool with Edmond being sort of a small town,” Zach Trujillo said. “It’s pretty much connected with Oklahoma City, but it’s still pretty cool (knowing Self is from there).”

The odd part about Trujillo not knowing of Self’s roots is that Trujillo is currently a student at Deer Creek High, which also is located in Edmond.

But he wasn’t the only member of the Deer Creek hoops team — which is one of 62 high schools in Lawrence this weekend for the Bill Self team camp — unaware that Edmond once was home to the national championship coach.

“I had no idea,” Adam Byrd said when finding out about Self’s ties to Edmond. “I play football. I follow college football mostly. I watch basketball, but I don’t follow it like I do football.”

“I’m more of a North Carolina fan,” Korey Welch responded. “I’d rather be there.”

Deer Creek coach David Crynes knew better.

“They should know because he’s from Edmond and that’s where we’re from,” Crynes said. “So I don’t know if they’re pulling your leg or not, but coach Self’s a big deal where we’re from. He went to a different high school, but it’s the same hometown and he’s legendary down there now.”

While the campers didn’t know much about Self, they certainly knew about the history surrounding Allen Fieldhouse. Deer Creek suffered a 40-38 loss in the Fieldhouse to Clayton (St. Louis, Mo.) High in its first game of camp.

“It was pretty exciting. I’ve never been here,” Trujillo said of Allen Fieldhouse. “I’ve only seen it on TV. It’s a lot different than I imagined it.”

Trujillo’s teammate Byrd, who finished with eight points tying Jalen Burnett for the team-high, said he believed the aura of KU’s gym played a factor in Deer Creek’s slow start.

“I think it was a little overwhelming, so our heads weren’t really into the game in the beginning,” Byrd said. “But after that we got it behind us and started playing better.”