Rivalry Renewed II, KU vs. Mizzou alumni basketball game, is called off
There will be no Kansas-Missouri alumni basketball game Friday night at Hy-Vee Arena.
The second annual “Rivalry Renewed” men’s hoops game, first scheduled for July 28 at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, then rescheduled for this Friday night in the building formerly known as Kemper Arena, has been postponed once again.
There is no make-up date yet set for KU-MU II — a rematch of the Jayhawks’ 109-101 victory over the Tigers on July 28, 2018 at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, co-event organizer Steve Gardner said Tuesday night in an instant message to The Star.
“We are postponing it due to some scheduling conflicts that popped up late so we were unable to put on the quality of games the fans need,” Gardner said of Friday’s planned event. It also included what was to have been a game between former Kansas State and Arkansas players.
“We will reschedule and it will be at Hy-Vee but we don’t have any dates yet. I will let you know when we do,” Gardner added in his instant message.
Gardner said “April/May sounds about right,” as a possible time of year for the rescheduled KU-Missouri alumni game.
Gardner did not go into specifics about scheduling conflicts regarding Friday’s doubleheader.
On Wednesday, a message appeared on the Alumni Basketball League’s Facebook page reading: “We apologize on behalf of the Alumni Basketball League, but we are canceling the event for both Thursday (VIP event) and Friday. We unfortunately ran into late player scheduling issues and low ticket sales that made it impossible to put on a high-quality event.
“All tickets purchased through HyVee/Eventbrite will be refunded through them. You will be receiving an e-mail directly from them on the refunds. Additionally, we will be making donations to both the Boys & Girls Clubs of KC and Reconciliation Services. This is not our finest moment, but we will regroup and make sure we meet the standards the fans require for our future events. We will do better in the future..”
The Star checked with some KU players who were expected to play in Friday’s KU-MU game. Mario Chalmers will be competing in the Big3 this weekend in Los Angeles. Drew Gooden and Jeff Hawkins also indicated they were not available Friday for the Labor Day weekend event. Last year, six Jayhawks (Chalmers, Hawkins, Brandon Rush, Jeff Graves, Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed) participated in the KU-MU alumni game. Eight MU players participated.
Co-even organizer Kareem Rush and KU graduate Gardner are organizing a 16-team Alumni Basketball League which is expected to include teams from KU, K-State, Missouri, Wichita State, Arkansas and others in the summer of 2020.
Gardner said plans remain to start that league next summer.
“Absolutely. We have made strong headway on that front,” he said in an instant message.
Vitale picks KU No. 1
ESPN announcer Dick Vitale has selected Kansas as his No. 1 team in the country entering the 2019-20 season.
“Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk! Bill Self was happy to have Udoka Azubuike return and if he stays healthy, watch out. Devon Dotson also comes back and a nice nucleus returns,” Vitale wrote recently in naming the Jayhawks his top team.
Michigan State is No. 2 followed by Kentucky, Duke, Louisville, Florida, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Memphis, Villanova, Arizona, Texas Tech, Seton Hall and Ohio State.
Jackson to visit Kentucky
Isaiah Jackson, a 6-foot-9, 195-pound senior power forward from Waterford (Michigan) Mott High School, will visit Kentucky this weekend, according to Zagsblog.com.
Jackson is considering KU, Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State, Arizona, Alabama, Maryland, Illinois, Oregon, St. John’s and others.
Zagsblog.com reports that Jackson, who spent last season at SPIRE Academy in Ohio, is attending his fourth school in four years.