Slamming

By Gene Morris, gmorris@miconews.com

Jennifer House of Spring Hill, wearing No. 34, was looking to get out of the way when Kansas senior Sasha Kaun slam-dunked against the Louisburg all-stars during the Kansas Barnstormers game Friday. Looking on, at right, is Louisburg senior Jeff Woods. (Photo by Gene Morris)

Seniors from the national champion Kansas Jayhawks basketball team were in Louisburg on Friday night to play area high school all-stars, and the fans were out in force.

About 2,500 people came out for the Kansas Barnstormers game, which was more like a meeting between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals than an actual game.

Russell Robinson played to the crowd with his 3-point shooting. He also took a few breathers, giving his jersey to boys and girls in the crowd.

Sasha Kaun got in on the act as well, getting some help for the Jayhawks from boys and girls draped in his supersize jersey.

Jeremy Case put on the bulk of his show by flying through the lane on layup drives and shooting the ball from downtown.

Brad Witherspoon tried his hand at dunking and showed off his jump shot. Witherspoon played high school ball in Kansas, hailing from Humboldt.

He was one of the feel-good stories for the Jayhawks, coming from a small town to play for the team he cheered for his whole life. It took a few years, but he made the team during walk-on tryouts in 2006.

Rodrick Stewart, who injured his knee during the NCAA tournament, did not play but was on hand to sign autographs.

Darnell Jackson switched teams, taking a Louisburg all-stars T-shirt from Andrew Vohs and handing off his No. 32 Kansas jersey.

Vohs, a Paola senior, was as shocked as anyone.

He didn’t seem to mind either, taking a 15-foot jump shot for the Jayhawks during his time on the other side.

“Gosh, seeing Darnell Jackson and the Jayhawks on television playing during the tournament and seeing them in person was a big difference,” Vohs said. “It was an honor to play on the same floor with them. Getting to wear his jersey was pretty cool.”

The Barnstormers won the game 85-55 and won over the legion of fans on hand for the show, starting the contest late to sign as many autographs as possible for people who waited in line for hours to see them.

Vohs had an early offensive rebound in the game with a put-back for the bucket.

He also had the privilege of matching up against Jackson during the game.

“They whooped us,” Vohs said. “It was a fun time. This was a great experience for everyone involved.”

John House was one of the hundreds of people standing in line to get an autograph Friday night. When he got to Jackson, who was sitting at the end of the row of tables, House introduced himself and gave the big man some advice for how to take it to the Bronco center.

“I told him to slam it on her,” John House said. “It’s her birthday. She turned 18 yesterday. It is pretty fun. This is a great time for her.”

Jackson obliged in the first half, throwing one down with a little hang-time on the rim as Jennifer House dipped her head and looked for a place to hide near the top of the lane.

Kaun did one as well, and House was on the run again. Standing in awe to the right side of the lane for this one was Jeff Woods of Louisburg.

House played the dunks the way she had planned before the game.

“If they dunk on me, I am getting out of there,” House said.

When she first went into the game and got the ball, House was so excited, she said it was hard to know what to do.

She knew what she didn’t want to do — shoot the ball.

At least, not yet.

“Everyone was yelling at me to shoot the ball, and I didn’t,” House said. “It was nerve-wracking out there.”

When the Jayhawks turned the contest into a fun-and-games exhibition and clowned around with the fans and officials, it took some of the nerves away, House said.

“It made it a lot easier to play,” she said. “It just took the pressure off.”

Alyssa Chisam, an all-league guard from Osawatomie, got introduced to the pace of the collegiate level and the athleticism of Case and Kaun.

She came down the left side of the court and thought she had a seam to throw the ball ahead to one of her teammates with Case guarding on the left and Kaun to her right.

As soon as the ball went into the air, Case and Kaun moved in, reaching their arms to touch the ball from both sides.

“Their arms are ginormous, they are so long,” Chisam said. “I knew it was a turnover right when it left my hands.”

Playing the Jayhawk seniors was an eye-opener, Chisam said.

“It was very intimidating,” she said. “They are so tall.”

Jared Drew of Louisburg got a few laughs, and an escort off the court from Kaun and Jackson, when he went onto the court wearing a Kansas State jersey late in the fourth quarter. Kaun and Jackson picked him up and carried him by his arms and legs to the baseline where he was left by the wall.

Louisburg seniors playing in the game were Brian Bacchus, George Bazin, Ali Bishop, Brittany Dailey, Jordan Embers, Angie Noble, Jason Spradling, Kelly Sullivan, Drew and Woods.

Area senior all-stars joining the Louisburg players were Chisam (Osawatomie), House (Spring Hill), and Vohs (Paola).