Sunday is the day that for awhile I thought would never happen but always knew that it should happen.
Kirk Hinrich is getting his jersey retired on Sunday and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone more excited about it than me.
Growing up I always dreamed of playing for KU and the year I would have been a freshmen at KU was the same year that Hinrich was a Freshmen and he just happened to be about 10 inches taller than me, faster and a better shooter, so I was pretty much SOL.
No one is really more deserving than Kirk to be in the rafters. As a freshmen when he held Jason Williams of Duke in check until he got called for some bull-shit fouls, we would have won that game had Hinrich played more minutes.
Some of my favorite Kirk memories are as follows-
His Junior year when he sprained his ankle and made some Jesus like comeback against Stanford, that act alone pretty much set the tone for KU to make their first Final Four in 9 years.
No way does KU go 16-0 without Kirk's junior campaign, like when he bitch slapped Kareem First Team Rush in Allen Field House and then hit that enormous 3 ball in Columbia, he was a threat as soon as he got over half court.
As a Senior he was just a stud again. To be so talented and solid on both ends is what makes you great instead of good and in the West regional that year it was very clear that he was a stud on both ends.
Shutting down JJ Redick and holding him to 1-11 in the Sweet 16 and then turning right around in one of the most exciting regional finals I remember, dropping 28 points against Arizona.
That victory to get KU to their first Back to Back Final Fours, did a lot things.
1- it helped erase the loss of 97
2- it did erase the loss from earlier that year in The Phog when Zona went nuts on KU in the second half.
3- it was awesome to go to back to back Final Fours.
4- it further established Kirk and Nick Collison for that matter as truly one in a generation college players.
I digress though, while dropping 28 points against Arizona, Kirk never lost sight of what separated him from other guards, guts and a willingness / desire to play D.
To be a guard and to block a Jump shot as time expires is very hard, and he did it like it was nothing.
While Kirk's on the court achievements are many, its the respect he warranted and received from others whether it be in the media or opposing coaches, see Eddie Sutton going out of his way during a game to shake his hand.
There has been a lot of discussion between fans and in today's LJW about whether or not Kirk deserves to have his number retired. And to that I say it doesn't matter what anybody on some message board or blog has to say, KU decided he deserved it and I agreed with them.
Bill Self has mentioned its a common sense thing that he belongs and I agreed. While he might not have been a first team All American, he was the 6th player selected in the NBA Draft meaning he's pretty freaking good.
He was all league his junior and senior year, years that the Big 12 sent 2 teams to the Final Four each year, hell even Mizzou made the Elite 8 in 2002 (But they've never made a Final Four and probably won't ever)
Kirk played against some of the best and always came out on top, for the time in which he was in college there weren't many that were better, for that reason alone, he belongs.
I'm really looking forward to one of the guttiest, headiest and most talented players in KU history being raised to the rafters.
Kirk is one of the guys that I plan on telling my kids about, he's to me what Jo Jo White was/is to my dad.
Kirk- You're a hell of a Jayhawk.
Congrats
Rock Chalk
Kirk Hinrich is getting his jersey retired on Sunday and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone more excited about it than me.
Growing up I always dreamed of playing for KU and the year I would have been a freshmen at KU was the same year that Hinrich was a Freshmen and he just happened to be about 10 inches taller than me, faster and a better shooter, so I was pretty much SOL.
No one is really more deserving than Kirk to be in the rafters. As a freshmen when he held Jason Williams of Duke in check until he got called for some bull-shit fouls, we would have won that game had Hinrich played more minutes.
Some of my favorite Kirk memories are as follows-
His Junior year when he sprained his ankle and made some Jesus like comeback against Stanford, that act alone pretty much set the tone for KU to make their first Final Four in 9 years.
No way does KU go 16-0 without Kirk's junior campaign, like when he bitch slapped Kareem First Team Rush in Allen Field House and then hit that enormous 3 ball in Columbia, he was a threat as soon as he got over half court.
As a Senior he was just a stud again. To be so talented and solid on both ends is what makes you great instead of good and in the West regional that year it was very clear that he was a stud on both ends.
Shutting down JJ Redick and holding him to 1-11 in the Sweet 16 and then turning right around in one of the most exciting regional finals I remember, dropping 28 points against Arizona.
That victory to get KU to their first Back to Back Final Fours, did a lot things.
1- it helped erase the loss of 97
2- it did erase the loss from earlier that year in The Phog when Zona went nuts on KU in the second half.
3- it was awesome to go to back to back Final Fours.
4- it further established Kirk and Nick Collison for that matter as truly one in a generation college players.
I digress though, while dropping 28 points against Arizona, Kirk never lost sight of what separated him from other guards, guts and a willingness / desire to play D.
To be a guard and to block a Jump shot as time expires is very hard, and he did it like it was nothing.
While Kirk's on the court achievements are many, its the respect he warranted and received from others whether it be in the media or opposing coaches, see Eddie Sutton going out of his way during a game to shake his hand.
There has been a lot of discussion between fans and in today's LJW about whether or not Kirk deserves to have his number retired. And to that I say it doesn't matter what anybody on some message board or blog has to say, KU decided he deserved it and I agreed with them.
Bill Self has mentioned its a common sense thing that he belongs and I agreed. While he might not have been a first team All American, he was the 6th player selected in the NBA Draft meaning he's pretty freaking good.
He was all league his junior and senior year, years that the Big 12 sent 2 teams to the Final Four each year, hell even Mizzou made the Elite 8 in 2002 (But they've never made a Final Four and probably won't ever)
Kirk played against some of the best and always came out on top, for the time in which he was in college there weren't many that were better, for that reason alone, he belongs.
I'm really looking forward to one of the guttiest, headiest and most talented players in KU history being raised to the rafters.
Kirk is one of the guys that I plan on telling my kids about, he's to me what Jo Jo White was/is to my dad.
Kirk- You're a hell of a Jayhawk.
Congrats
Rock Chalk
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