Chicks (and Basketball Teams) Dig Gray

I arrived at home last night to find my roommate in front of the TV watching a college basketball game. “Who’s playing?” I inquired. “North Carolina and Virginia Tech,” he replied. I looked back at the screen and immediate recognized the familiar hue of Carolina blue, but I didn’t see same orange or maroon of the Hokies. Instead, they were wearing gray uniforms. The last time I checked, gray wasn’t an official color of Virginia Tech. But the Hokies appear to be the latest team to adopt a gray jersey as one of their alternatives on game day.This trend has been growing over the last couple of years and has exploded this season.

It used to be that only a few schools such as Georgetown and Colorado donned the color. Last year, Kansas State and Ohio State brought attention to it when they introduced them during the season and wore them for several games. All of a sudden, schools left and right possess a gray jersey in their aresenal. Michigan State, Texas, Alabama, Purdue, South Carolina, Wichita State, Kentucky, Oregon, Providence, VCU, and Akron have all at one time or another used gray on game day and other programs (such as Syracuse) are rumored to be considering it for use in the near future.

I have mixed opinions on this trend. On one hand, I like the programs that stick to their official university colors (Kansas, UCLA, and Indiana for example). It’s traditional and classy to showcase the school’s hues that way. On the other hand, I think that alternative colors can and do work if the scheme is right. The black digs that Duke and Florida have worn look great. Some of the gray jerseys look fantastic to me (Texas, Kentucky); others not so much (South Carolina, Oregon).

I came across an article that detailing more about the gray phenomenon and displays a few gray jersey pictures from this season. Take a look yourself and be the judge: to gray or not to gray?

 

The Mark of Consistency

Earlier tonight, me and 16,300 of my closest friends packed into Allen Fieldhouse to witness the Kansas Jayhawks overcome a sluggish first half to defeat the Texas A&M Aggies 64-51. The win was not only significant because it was Senior Night but also because the victory clinched at least a share of KU’s seventh consecutive Big 12 Conference championship. You read that right- the seventh in a row. No member of the team has ever not won the trophy.

In this age of college basketball, where parity is at an all-time high and coaches are constantly having to adjust to graduation, transfers, and premature departures to the NBA, maintaining an elite college basketball program is a difficult task. A team is lucky to win a championship or two before facing a rebuilding year. Even though the year is successful, the retooled team for some reason falls short of the top spot. Not at Kansas, though. Bill Self and his staff have not made “champion” a hopeful adjective for a season- he has made it the expectation. Despite wildly varying teams year in and year out, “Big 12 champion Kansas” has become the standard. Every other team in the league knows that the league title runs through Lawrence, KS.

This streak is no accident. I believe that there are two primary reasons why Kansas has achieved seven championships in a row. First, they are committed to excellence. From the secretary to the managers to the team doctor to the players and coaches, and even to some extent the fans, every single member of the program has one goal: to be the best. Each knows that it takes hard work, determination, and discipline to achieve that. Countless hours in the weight room, the practice gym, the video room, study hall, and on the recruiting trail have translated to success on game day.

The other reason is teamwork and chemistry. KU has both; many other schools don’t. Many schools will try to recruit as many elite athletes as possible and then try to make them fit into the current system and play together. Sometimes the pieces fit well, sometimes they do not, leading to an up year one season followed by a disappointing one the next. At KU, though, Self has managed to recruit a mix of high- and mid- level recruits to play in his system. These players buy into Self’s mentality of sacrificing a bit of the personal glory for the good of the team. They trust and lean on their teammates on and off the court and that is a huge X-factor during close games in the regular and postseason.

Commitment to excellence, teamwork, chemistry. Those are three of the many words that can describe the Kansas Jayhawks this year. Again. And that is why they are Big 12 Champs. Again. That’s the mark of consistency.