Moments That Popped: Late Night in the Phog 2024

Friday marked the unveiling of the newly renovated Allen Fieldhouse, with new video boards, lighting, sound system, a fresh look for James Naismith court and upgraded concourses to improve the fan experience.

While that was addressed and appreciated by many throughout the night, the 40th annual Late Night in the Phog event was still every bit about what it’s always been — a celebration of a new season of Kansas basketball.

• LATE NIGHT PHOTO GALLERY •

The KU men, ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll, and the KU women shared the stage on Friday, with skits, videos, dances and basketball, before giving way to this year’s musical performer, hip-hop artist Lil John, who got the crowd jumping with a high-energy performance of his hits from a stage situated at mid-court at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU coach Bill Self joked earlier in the night that Lil John hits "Turn Down For What," "Get Low" and "Snap Yo Fingers" were all on his playlist for the past several years.

A while before that, Self thanked the anonymous donors who put up the majority of the $55 million for recent upgrades at and around Allen Fieldhouse, and said the new look ensures that Lawrence, Kansas will continue to be the capital of the college basketball world.

“Not only has this been the best building for the last 50 years,” Self told the crowd. “It’s going to be the best building for the next 30 years, too.”

Added KU women’s coach Brandon Schneider: “What a perfect night to celebrate the kickoff of a new basketball season and the many upgrades to the greatest basketball venue in the world.”

Here’s a look back at some of the other highlights, basketball and otherwise, from Friday’s Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU Men

• Blue tops Crimson in scrimmage – Led by 13 points from freshman big man Flory Bidunga, the Blue team topped the Crimson squad, 30-26 in the 15-minute, running-clock scrimmage.

Bidunga, a 6-9, 230-pound forward from Democratic Republic of Congo flashed his strength and athleticism throughout the scrimmage, finishing over and through defenders at point-blank range in the paint and flushing a handful of lobs, as well.

KJ Adams led the Crimson team with 8 points, half coming off of power dunks, while guards Noah Shelby (6) and David Coit (6) each hit a pair of 3-pointers to add to the scoring for their respective teams.

Freshman guard Rakease Passmore also scored 4 points for the Crimson team in the loss.

Here’s how the rosters were divided up, with the five players listed first being the starters.

Blue: Dajuan Harris Jr., Rylen Griffen, Zach Clemence, Flory Bidunga, AJ Storr, Noah Shelby, Wilder Evers.

Crimson: David Coit, Zeke Mayo, Jamari McDowell, Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, Rakease Passmore, Justin Cross, Will Thengal, Justin Cross.

• Not hiding from it – Many years, KU coach Bill Self has played coy with his expectations for the Kansas season, no matter how good the roster looks on paper or who is expected to be a star for the Jayhawks. Not so this year. In addition to referencing that, this year, he expects the Jayhawks to contend for a national title, Self talked up the roster a great deal, as well.

“With the players returning and then us dipping into the transfer portal the way we did, folks, we may not look great tonight, but we’ve got a roster you’re absolutely gonna love,” Self said.

• Cassidy steals show during skits – Give former manager turned walk-on Patrick Cassidy the title of most impressive Jayhawk during the skit portion of Late Night. Cassidy’s rendition of Justin Timberlake’s dance moves during the team dance wowed the crowd and made it clear that he has a little dance history in his background.

The other big highlights of the skit portion of Late Night came during the Late Night Olympics skit, when the coaches’ faces were photo-shopped onto various Olympic home-video fails — Doc Sadler on the diving board, Fred Quartlebaum playing soccer, Norm Roberts as the break dancer from Australia, etc. — and KU coach Bill Self’s time running the drive-thru window at Wendy’s.

In keeping with recent Late Night tradition, KU coach Bill Self also gave away some money during the half-court shooting contest. Both students selected to participate chose KU director of scouting Brennan Bechard to shoot the shots. He didn’t make any of his shots for the first student — freshman Ally Carrier, of Denver, Colorado — but she still won $5,000 of the KU coach’s money.

On his last half-court shot for Student No. 2 — Levi Hager, of Abilene, Kansas ¬— Bechard drained it, winning Hager $10,000 from Self and setting off a wild celebration on the floor, complete with a dog pile on Bechard by the current KU players.

• Furphy still a fan favorite – Even with a star-studded list of nearly 20 former Jayhawks who are now playing in the NBA, the loudest cheer during the Jayhawks in the NBA feature on the video board came when they showed Indiana Pacers rookie Johnny Furphy.

Former NBA MVP Joel Embiid was in the top three, along with 2022 national champion Ochai Agbaji, but not everyone in the building saw those guys play. Nearly everyone there on Friday night saw Furphy, and it’s clear he’s still beloved even though he only spent one season at Kansas and didn’t win at the highest level.

• Let’s hear it for? – When it came to the introductions for the current KU roster, there were some noticeable tiers of love from the Allen Fieldhouse crowd. Freshman big man Flory Bidunga and grad-transfer guard Zeke Mayo, a Lawrence native, drew the loudest cheers among the KU newcomers.

And there was a three-way tie for the loudest roar for any one player, with returners KJ Adams, Hunter Dickinson and Dajuan Harris Jr. all receiving huge ovations.

Given what they’ve meant to the program in the past, that made sense, and KU coach Bill Self also grouped the trio together when he noted during his introduction on the microphone that three key things had to happen for KU in the offseason and each one of them did — “Juan came back, KJ came back and Hunter came back,” Self said. “That, too, inspired a huge roar from the Allen Fieldhouse crowd.

• Football love – During his introductory remarks to the Allen Fieldhouse crowd on Friday night, Self gave a shout-out to the 1-5 KU football team, which will play host to Houston at Arrowhead Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri.

“We have positioned ourselves at the University of Kansas to be amongst the elite in college athletics,” Self said. “There are no excuses. And everyone in here loves KU. So, let’s make sure this building travels to Arrowhead tomorrow to watch our Kansas Jayhawks football team get back on track.”

KU Women

• How about that roar! – It was no doubt aided by the overall excitement for the night and the start of the event, but nonetheless a fired-up Allen Fieldhouse crowd let out a heck of a roar when the evening’s emcee said let’s hear it for the KU women’s basketball team.

Reaching and winning a game in the NCAA Tournament, which they’ve made a semi-regular thing in recent years, has a way of increasing the fan interest and support, and even though they have a new-look roster this year, the Jayhawks are looking to continue their roll from recent seasons.

“We’ve accomplished some special things over the last three years,” KU coach Brandon Schneider told the crowd during his time on the mic. “But I want to assure you that we are a program still on the rise. We have big dreams and we have the talent and work ethic to match it.”

Last season alone, KU had the second best home attendance mark in program history and also its best home record since 1997.

“Guys, we need you to help us shatter the attendance record for KU women’s basketball this season,” Schneider asked before leaving the floor.

• S’Mya’s a star – Sophomore guard S’Mya Nichols drew the loudest cheer from the crowd when the women’s team was introduced, and she made sure to fill the role of superstar by treating her walk out to mid-court like a fashion show runway, complete with a spin, hair-flip and model walk.

Later, during a video skit in which the KU coaches and players swapped lives when triggered by a key phrase during common interactions around the building, it was Nichols and head coach Brandon Schneider who flipped the script, with Nichols heading out to Schneider’s property to do some farm work around the Schneider home.

She was shown wearing gloves and carrying hay bales, driving a tractor and feeding animals, all while Schneider kept a watchful eye and couldn’t shake his smile.

• Successful scrimmage – The KU women won their 10-minute scrimmage against a group of managers and practice players, 26-24, with sophomore transfer Brittany Harshaw leading the scoring with 10. Harshaw, who came to KU from Creighton, was one of the first five on the floor for Schneider’s squad, joining returners S’Mya Nichols and Wyvette Mayberry and Spanish freshman Carla Osma and 6-3 freshman Regan Williams.

The run-and-gun style of game featured the Jayhawks looking for as many 3-point shots as possible, which is something Schneider said people should expect plenty of during the upcoming season.

• Cool comment from Schneider – The KU coach who is now in his 10th season leading the program got things started with a few heartfelt words about his position as the head coach at Kansas.

“I didn’t go to school here, I didn’t play here, but every time I step on this court I have an extreme, incredible sense of gratitude that God blessed me with the opportunity to call myself a Jayhawk.”

• A plug for tickets – There were at least three or four instances during the women’s portion of Late Night in which they encouraged the fans in attendance to consider picking up season tickets for the women’s hoops season, which begins with an exhibition game on Nov. 1 vs. Washburn and the regular season opener on Nov. 6 vs. Lindenwood. But few plugs were as memorable as the one from S’Mya Nichols, who took the mic after the scrimmage to thank the fans for coming and issue one last plea for them to come out this season.

“Hey guys,” she began. “We had a lot of fun with you tonight. We really just appreciate you all. Rock Chalk, get your tickets, we’d love to see you. Muwah!”

— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com