New, bigger banners memorializing Kansas University's national champions - and a new Beware

Many months after a trip to the White House — and several weeks after both a ring ceremony and unveiling of a temporary national-title banner — comes the final tribute to Kansas University’s 2008 NCAA championship basketball team.

It’s today’s 7:45 p.m. unfurling of the official ’08 championship banner –identical to the 1922, ’23, ’52 and ’88 banners currently hanging in the north Allen Fieldhouse rafters.

“To hang another banner will be cool. This one is permanent, the one that will hang forever,” KU coach Bill Self said, noting the Jayhawks would remain on the court to watch the banner ceremony before the CBE Classic game against Florida Gulf Coast.

Tipoff is 8 p.m., with a live telecast on ESPNU.

“I think it will be something great,” said KU junior point guard Sherron Collins. He scored a team-leading 16 points in Sunday’s 71-56 victory over UMKC. “Every time something like this happens, it makes me think of the team we had last year and makes me appreciative to be on a team like that and to finally win one.”

Tonight’s game will mark the first of the season for Gulf Coast, which returns two letter-winners from a 10-21 squad that tied for eighth in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Gulf Coast, which is located in Fort Myers, Fla., is led by senior guard Delvin Franklin, who averaged 9.2 points a year ago and scored 16 in an 89-58 exhibition victory Nov. 4 versus over Ave Maria. The Eagles also have Nebraska transfer Kyle Marks, a 6-7 forward, and 6-1 Michigan transfer Reed Baker.

Two teams from Gulf Coast’s conference pulled off shockers last season. Belmont stopped both Cincinnati, 86-75, and Alabama, 85-83, while Mercer beat Southern Cal, 96-81. Also, former Atlantic Sun member Gardner-Webb (now in the Big South) downed Kentucky, 84-68.

“If they can do it, we can definitely do it,” Franklin told the Naples Daily News. “I think we’re going to surprise some people this year.”

Seventh-year coach Dave Balza likes his squad’s attitude.

“This group is pretty good about believing they can beat anybody,” Balza told the Daily News. “But we have to make them understand what it’s going to take to do that. If we keep it under 10 turnovers, we can win this game.”

As far as KU, Self said before Monday’s practice he may change at least one slot in the lineup of Cole Aldrich, Quintrell Thomas, Sherron Collins, Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar.

“I told our guys, ‘If you want to start, it’s not that complicated to me,”’ Self said on his Hawk Talk radio show. “The guy that can guard the other team’s best big guy, one that doesn’t make Cole have to guard him, will start. The guy who can guard the team’s best perimeter player, so Sherron won’t have to, will start. We need those guys in the game (not committing fouls). To me that would motivate our guys, that ‘All I have to do to start is be a great defender.’ We need a couple guys to emerge to that.”