Hunter Dickinson, who is about to begin his second and final season with the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team after three seasons at Michigan, is grateful he gets one more chance to experience Late Night in the Phog at tradition-rich Allen Fieldhouse.
The senior center and Big 12 preseason player of the year said his excitement is soaring now that he knows first-hand what Late Night is all about.
“I thought Late Night, especially the scrimmage, was more laid back,” Dickinson said this week. “I didn’t know how intense that was, so I kind of got yelled at a little bit for that.
“This year I’ll bring a little more competitiveness to the Late Night scrimmage and take it a little bit more serious than I did last year.”
The first scheduled event in KU’s newly renovated hoops palace is the 40th annual Late Night , which is set for a 6:30 p.m. start on Friday. KU’s women’s and men’s teams will hold short intrasquad scrimmages to highlight the evening’s festivities.
Suffice to say KU coach Bill Self was not pleased with the ultra-sloppy men’s scrimmage his team played at last year’s Late Night.
“That was awful,” Self said then, after watching KU’s players combine for 5-of-26 three-point shooting. “That was as bad a play as we’ve ever had for a Late Night. That’s just not basketball guys, gosh almighty.”
There’s more to Late Night than 15-minutes of scrimmaging, of course. Videos that feature the players’ and coaches’ acting ability and a dance number or two usually provide some laughs for fans who annually pack the building for their first look at KU’s team.
The Jayhawks are AP’s preseason No. 1-ranked squad for the second straight year.
“It’s crazy,” sixth-year senior point guard Dajuan Harris, a 6-2 native of Columbia, Missouri, said of Late Night. “(It’s) my last one, so I’m just going to have fun with it, especially with the new guys. They haven’t seen anything like Late Night.
“Me, KJ (Adams) and Zach (Clemence) are the ones who have seen the most. I’m just excited for the new guys, to be honest. I’m probably not going to do anything funny, not this year, just watch those guys.”
One of KU’s seven scholarship newcomers, junior guard Rylan Griffen, sounded most enthused about playing in Allen with fans in the seats for the first time. The building celebrates its 70th anniversary season in 2024-25.
Griffen, a 6-6 Dallas native, has received positive feedback from family members and friends since announcing plans to transfer from Alabama to basketball blueblood Kansas on April 26.
“When I came here (and) committed, everybody was making it like, ‘Oh, you get to play there every night? That’s your home gym?’ My boy, Keyonte George from Baylor (now with Utah Jazz) came in here. He had a great game. He said it’s a great gym. I’m just really excited to play here.
“It’s big-time tradition. I didn’t grow up watching college basketball like that so I don’t know too much of the history. I’m just excited to get in there. Everybody dreams to play in there.”
Newcomer Shakeel Moore, a 6-1 senior transfer from Mississippi State, said he’s “super pumped. I can’t even describe how excited I am. I’ve seen the videos, seen the posts.”
Senior forward Adams sees the 2024 Late Night as the start of what he hopes will be a glorious final year in Lawrence.
“It’s my last time. It’s going to give me a chance to kind of take in everything and appreciate all those little things like Late Night,” the 6-7 Austin, Texas senior said.
Redshirt junior forward Clemence, who is about to experience his fourth Late Night, says he relishes every event in the fieldhouse.
“We got a little sneak peek (at $55 million worth of renovations). It’s looking great,” the 6-11 San Antonio native said. “It’s going to be so much fun. It’s good to see the place get re-done.”
A concert, put on by Grammy Award-winning producer, DJ and rapper Lil Jon, will conclude Late Night. He is a five-time Grammy nominee who has amassed eight No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Rhythmic chart and several Billboard Hot 100 hit singles, including “Turn Down for What.” That song earned platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America.
“Being one of the elder players in college basketball, I wasn’t there for the height of Lil Jon,” Dickinson said. “He’s got some bangers out there I’m excited for. Hopefully we can put on a good show before that show.”
Dickinson recalled that “the concert last year with Flo Rida was great. I think Lil Jon has some bangers that everybody in the crowd will know. I think that’s the key to Late Night. All age groups will know (his music). I’m looking for a good performance.”
KU coach Self enjoys the season-opening Late Night.
“I was actually here for the first one. We wore jams, remember the shorts? Larry (Brown, KU coach at first Late Night on Oct. 14, 1985) thought those were cool. It’s what we wore back in the day,” Self said.
“I think it’ll be great. I think our guys will be more excited about it this year because we haven’t been in the arena yet (while under construction). That’ll be the first time a lot of them have really had a chance to do much in there.”
Self noted that “the arena is great. I don’t know that pictures actually do it justice. It’s a shiny penny that’s not brand new, obviously. The (new) videoboard (towering above center court) looks great. Everything is going to be fabulous — a new sound system, the amenities in the concourses will be great.
“Fans are really going to like it a lot more, in my opinion. I’m excited about that. We reduced capacity some (from 16,300 to 15,300). You’ve got no choice because we had to move things that were on the third floor into the corners.
“The building was built 70 years ago. There are some things you have to do with a building that old. Maybe you don’t have to do with one built five to 10 yers ago but it’s going to have the. modern amenities of the newest places but still the walls still sweat and make this the best place to play.”
The KU women’s and men’s scrimmages will be streamed live on ESPN+, KUathletics.com and the Kansas Jayhawks Facebook page. Student gates will open at 5:15 p.m. Friday, while gates for the general public will open at 5:30 p.m.
The women’s intrasquad scrimmage will begin at approximately 7 p.m., while the men will start at 7:55 p.m. Because of copyright music and artist contracts, only the scrimmages will be broadcast. More details are available at KU’s athletic department Website.
Local News
Comments / 0