Danny Manning, the best thing to come out of Kansas since Wilt the Stilt, scored more tournament points than anyone besides Christian Laettner and Elvin Hayes. Manning became an instant Lawrence legend when he led Larry Brown's sixth-seeded Jayhawks to the championship in 1988. Danny and the Miracles, as they were called, got 31 points and 18 rebounds from their lead man in the title game, an 83-79 win over Oklahoma.
TSN: Your one shining moment almost didn't happen. How close did you come to leaving Kansas early after your junior year?
DM: I thought I was pretty close. I would debate it. I'd talk to a few people about it. Then one day, I was talking to my dad and the subject came up. He just flat-out said, "You're not ready." End of discussion. That was it.
TSN: Good move.
DM: Yeah, I'm glad I didn't leave.
TSN: Was he right? Were you not ready?
DM: I think I would have been able to survive, but I think I was better prepared for my rookie year after going through my senior year.
TSN: Speaking of dad, was the championship run more special having him there on the bench with you as one of Larry Brown's assistants?
DM: That was nice. My dad was my biggest critic, but he was also my biggest fan. It was nice to be able to see him every day during my four years in college. I grew up with him playing professional basketball, and that was back when there were no chartered flights. When you went on a road trip, you went on a road trip. So it was nice to get to spend some time with him.
TSN: How much did it help much getting to play four of your six NCAA games in Big Eight towns -- Lincoln, Neb., for the first two rounds, then Kansas City for the Final Four?
DM: That was very helpful. Whenever you get a first-round game in one of your conference gyms, that's always nice. That is, if the fans are going to support you and cheer for you.
TSN: Were the Nebraska fans on your side?
DM: Yeah. We were very fortunate that one of the Xavier players had made a comment about Lincoln, Nebraska. That worked out well for us.
TSN: And playing for the national championship right up the road in
Kansas City wasn't bad, either, huh?
DM: There's no better way to go out than playing for the national championship 30 minutes away from campus. It was nice. It was familiar. We played the Big Eight Tournament there. We'd gone up to Kansas City and played a holiday tournament there earlier. We played in Kemper quite a bit.
TSN: What did Coach Brown have to say before the championship game?
DM: He always wanted us to go out and play hard, play together and play as a team. But I remember before we stepped out on the court, we kind of looked around at each other and said, "There's no pressure on us. Let's just go out there and have fun." That first half, when we got done -- I believe it was 50-50 at halftime -- you could really sense, "Wow, this is a few minutes away from being in our grasp." At that point, Coach Brown wanted us to slow the ball down a little bit and cut the possessions down. We were able to do that. We had a lot of guys make big plays for us, whether it was somebody knocking down a shot or getting a steal or playing good defense or making a good pass. We had a lot of guys make contributions that night and all throughout our Tournament run. Each game, it was somebody else having a good game to get us over the hump.
TSN: How'd you celebrate that night?
DM: We actually stayed in Kansas City at the hotel. Just had a big party on our floor.
TSN: Do you ever pop a tape of that game into the VCR?
DM: No. I've been over to my mom's house once or twice and she's had it in. Caught a glimpse of it there. It brings back a lot of fond memories. I have great memories of college.
TSN: Is there a better sporting event than the NCAA Tournament?
DM: It's the best sporting event that I've ever attended. I feel fortunate to be able to have been a part of that. But I'm also looking forward to going to a Super Bowl one day. Or a World Series. An Indianapolis 500. Or the Kentucky Derby. But as of right now, that's the most enjoyable sporting event that I've ever experienced.
TSN: What's your favorite NCAA Tournament moment that you weren't a part of?
DM: NC State. 1983. Dereck Whittenburg. Halfcourt shot. Lorenzo . . .
Lorenzo . . .
TSN: Charles.
DM: Lorenzo Charles dunks it in.
TSN: FYI: Whittenburg told us that was a pass.
DM: Yeah, OK. He can say that now. He sure followed through like it was a shot.
TSN: It has been 13 years since you guys won it all. Could this be the year your alma mater breaks through again?
DM: I think it's definitely possible. They have a very talented basketball team. They lost a couple more games in conference than they would have liked to -- or a couple more than us Jayhawk fans would have liked to see. But I think once the NCAA Tournament rolls around, hopefully, they can make a run and get to the Final Four.
TSN: How active are you as an alum?
DM: Well, I spend my offseasons in Lawrence and I work out with the guys in the summertime and before I go to training camp. I talk to Coach (Roy) Williams throughout the year. So I'm pretty close to the program and the guys on the team. I like the guys. They're all pretty cool to be around. Nobody's stuck on themselves. They go out, they play hard and they play together -- and that's always been the staple of Kansas basketball teams.
TSN: You could spend your offseasoons anywhere in the world. Wh Lawrence, Kansas?
DM: It's comfortable. It's familiar. It's where I met my wife.
TSN: If Ed Badger hadn't been fired at Cincinnati, is it true you would have been a Bearcat instead of a Jayhawk?
DM: Yeah. When I was younger, I used to go to the Cincinnati Bearcat basketball camp on a regular basis. I got to know Coach Badger very well. He's still a good friend of mine. But I just lost my interest in Cincinnati when he wasn't there anymore.
TSN: Bouncing around . . . What's your favorite NBA arena?
DM: Most of them aren't around anymore. I liked the Boston Garden. I liked Chicago Stadium. I like Madison Square Garden. Those are the gyms that my father used to play in. Growing up, every Sunday, you come home from church and watch the NBA Game of the Week from either Boston or Chicago or New York. Those are the arenas I like.
TSN: What's in your CD player?
DM: A little bit of old-school -- well, old-school for me. Let me go get the CD. Here it is -- Billboard's R&B Hits of the '80s.
TSN: Best movie ever made?
DM: I like a couple: Carlito's Way and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.
TSN: Which Big Eight fans used to get on you the hardest?
DM: The Missouri Antlers! They were just relentless. They used to call us and send us letters when we were in school. And they got very personal.
