Friday, March 22, 2002
NCAA: Midwest Notebook
Kansas' Hinrich tired of answering questions about ankle
By STEVE BRISENDINE
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Kirk Hinrich's sprained left ankle has become a sore point with Kansas' junior guard.
“I just want to forget about it and go out and play,” Hinrich said Thursday. “I'm tired of answering questions about it.”
His health figures to be important Friday when top-seeded Kansas plays No. 4 Illinois in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Second-seeded Oregon plays No. 6 Texas in the other semifinal.
Hinrich sprained the ankle in Kansas' 70-59 victory over Holy Cross in the first round, but he came off the bench in the second round to score 15 points and hand out eight assists in an 86-63 win over Stanford on Sunday.
“You know who he's most tired of answering that question from? Me,” Jayhawks coach Roy Williams said. “I think he's kind of disgusted or disturbed with me — whatever word you want to use — because I'm constantly bugging him about it.”
Williams held Hinrich out of most of Kansas' workouts until Thursday, when the guard saw limited action in a short scrimmage against reserves.
That didn't stop Hinrich from trying to sneak onto the court to take some extra shots in Tuesday's practice.
“I don't think people realize that for 48 hours straight, this kid was treating himself — getting up at 3:00, 4:00 in the morning to do it,” Williams said. “That's how badly he wants to play.”
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HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT: Illinois is 1-3 in the University of Wisconsin's Kohl Center, but it didn't feel like a road game environment for the Illini on Thursday.
“The advantage, if any, is that we're playing in Big Ten country,” coach Bill Self said. “From our selfish perspective, we certainly hope the people of Wisconsin see it that way.”
Judging from the atmosphere during Thursday's practice session, they did — for a while, anyway.
Kansas' players took the floor to boos and heckling from Illinois fans and from hometown Wisconsin fans, who are still upset with Kansas coach Roy Williams over an offhand comment he made in 2000.
Badgers fans thought the remark — “Don't you like this better than 19-17?”, a reference to the halftime score in Wisconsin's Final Four game the year before — was an attack on the Badgers' physical style of play under Dick Bennett.
It wasn't intended that way, Williams said Monday.
“There's no coach I respect more than Dick Bennett,” he said.
By the time Kansas left the floor Thursday, fans on both sides of the court were clapping for the Jayhawks.
Oregon coach Ernie Kent, meanwhile, said he hoped the Ducks would be the sentimental favorite at the Kohl Center.
“We're hoping with our school colors being green and yellow that all those Packers fans come out and cheer for us,” Kent said.
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SNOWY SPRING: There was an inch of ice and snow and a wind chill in the single digits Thursday, weather that seemed to bother the players from Oregon and Texas more than those from Kansas and Illinois.
“It's different than Texas,” the Longhorns' Brandon Mouton said.
“It was cold,” Oregon's Frederick Jones said. “We stay in the hotel as much as possible. You're just outside to get on the bus and you run from the hotel to the bus.”
Ducks coach Ernie Kent, who is from Rockford, Ill., said he enjoyed bringing his team to the Midwest and got a good laugh out of watching junior center Brian Helquist, a native of Jacksonville, Fla.
“Watching him walk out of that hotel and getting that breath of fresh air — he was the guy who was most surprised by the weather here,” Kent said.
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NCAA: Midwest Notebook
