The Kansas Jayhawks Win The National Championship; And How ‘Bible Verses’ Played A Part

April 8, 2008 by Shane Kastler.

I’m an Oklahoma Sooner fan and that’s no secret to anyone who knows me. But as I watched Kansas play in the NCAA championship game on Monday night, I think I was more nervous than I’ve ever been watching the end of any Sooner game. Since I’ve lived in the Kansas City area since 2000, I’m really a lot more familiar with Kansas basketball than I am Oklahoma. With football it’s a different story because the Sooners are on TV every week even in KC….but with basketball, the Jayhawks dominate the local headlines. 

And I’ll admit that I became a much bigger Jayhawk fan when Bill Self was hired in 2003. Self, an Oklahoma native, is a guy that I feel like I’ve known for years. I remember him playing at Oklahoma State back in the early 1980’s….and I attended several Tulsa University games when he was coach there in the late 1990’s. Bill left Oklahoma and headed north the same year I did in 2000. He went to Illinois and I went to Kansas City. Then Bill moved to Kansas one year before I did. He went to Lawrence in 2003, I came to Pleasanton in 2004. When Self came to Kansas I predicted he would win a National Championship within 2 years (I missed it by 3) because with some people you can just tell that they’re destined for greatness, and Self is one of them. So I’m a big Bill Self fan, and consequently, I always want to see the Jayhawks succeed….but late Monday night, it appeared to be over, and I was anticipating a lot of sad faces here in Jayhawk land.

During halftime of the game, I wrote my weekly newspaper column for the Linn County News. It was an article on the importance of the Bible in a Christian’s life. With 2 minutes left in the game, I was working on a different article in my head. I was going to postpone my “Bible” article one week because I knew there would be a lot of broken hearts in Kansas, so I was thinking of writing an article on how to deal with disappointment. I was thinking of verses to use. I was thinking of how I could use the gut wrenching Jayhawk loss as a platform to minister to the folks of Linn County, when something very strange began to happen on my TV screen. KU began to rally.

Of course rallying from 9 points down with 2 minutes to go never really succeeds in basketball because it requires you to foul the other team so you can stop the clock. And anyone who has reached the skill level of an NCAA athlete will simply drain a series of free throws to put the game out of reach…..AWWWW, but not MEMPHIS! The Tigers had attained a gaudy 38-1 record by pummeling a series of Conference USA cream puffs into submission. Most of their games weren’t all that close, so why should they care about free throws? Consequently, they became a lousy free throw shooting team….and finally…in their 40^th game of the season…..it caught up with them.

At this point, I’ll also make some comments regarding Scripture because (believe it or not) Scripture played a big role with some of the key participants in this game. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis’ superstar, has a part of Psalm 37 tattooed on his right arm. Perhaps you noticed when he shoots free throws; he taps his right arm after each dribble, then shoots. It’s kind of a “good luck charm”….that didn’t turn out too lucky. While I commend him for having Scripture in his life, I would warn anyone against using God as a “good luck charm.” The Bible is not a rabbit’s foot, nor a lucky clover….and so there can be real danger in approaching Scripture from an “abracadabra” perspective. As fate (or providence) would have it…it was Roberts who tapped his good luck charm 3 times….then MISSED the free throws that kept Kansas alive. But there was someone else using Scripture inside the Alamodome on Monday night as well.

Ronnie Chalmers, the dad of KU guard Mario Chalmers, had 2 Bible verses in his pocket, that he continually pulled out and read during the game. “Be still, and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10 and “God is a refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble,” Psalm 46:1. So was Mr. Chalmers using Scripture for a good luck charm, or was he simply seeking some strength from the Lord? I can’t answer that, but what I CAN tell you, is that a couple of minutes later….with the game all but over…..Ronnie’s son Mario took a pass with 5 seconds left….took one dribble to his left….then heaved a desperation 3-pointer with time running out…..while he was falling backwards…..that SOMEHOW went in and sent the game into overtime. And I think everyone watching the game, knew deep down inside, that it was over. KU dominated a Memphis team in overtime that was completely shocked and deflated. I was happy for the Jayhawks and the whole state of Kansas. They were due for some good news. One other comment I’ll make about the game concerns Roy Williams, KU’s former coach. Many KU fans have seethed at Roy for jilting the Jayhawks for his alma mater North Carolina back in 2003. Roy had turned down NC back in 2000 and then stupidly promised he would never leave KU. (The book of James warns us not to make bold assertions of a future we know nothing about.) But by 2003, things had changed: Roy now had an athletic director that he despised, he had just lost the National Championship for the 2^nd time at Kansas, and he had the opportunity (maybe for the last time) to go home again. He took it, and became the biggest goat in KU history. Fast forward 5 years. Saturday night, Bill Self’s Jayhawks pummeled Roy and the Tar Hills by 18 points. KU got their revenge because Roy got humiliated.  So, where do you find Roy on Monday night?….Sitting in the stands at the Alamodome, watching the championship game, wearing a big Jayhawk pin on his shirt. Say what you will about Roy Williams, but he’s a class act in my book. If it were me….being ripped by the KU fans for 5 years….I would have probably told them where they could stick their Jayhawk….but Roy’s a bigger man than me. He graciously cheered on the school he led for 15 years. And you have to wonder if he wasn’t secretly wishing he was still on KU’s bench. Several fans in Carolina swear that Roy’s heart is still in Lawrence….and they’re probably right. But, in all honesty, if Roy had stayed at Kansas…..KU would NOT be celebrating this morning. Roy’s departure brought Bill Self. And Bill Self brought with him an unrivaled ability to recruit All-Americans; a desire to play ferocious defense, and a knack for taking a bunch of superstars, and teaching them to play as an unselfish “team.”…..and ultimately it’s “teams” not “stars” nor even coaches that when titles. Congratulations to Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. They’re the 2008 National Champions….the best “team” in college basketball.

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