Road trip confidential

Livin' large at 30,000 feet with the Kansas men's hoops team

By Seth Davis

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Team road trips, like the athletes who take them, come in all shapes and sizes. Whereas Division III Washington University's women's volleyball squad walks the half mile to Fontbonne U. for matches, Miami of Ohio's synchronized skating team recently ventured to Milan, Italy, a distance of 4,500 miles, for a competition.

We tagged along with two teams -- one (Kansas men's hoops) a revenue program representing a major Division I school, the other (Cornell women's gymnastics) a nonrevenue program from the Ivy League -- for their respective journeys, clambering aboard with no expectations, agendas or judgments. We simply let the trips fall where they may.

The Jayhawks' ride includes perks such as custom-designed cheese and enough leg room to drive an SUV through; the hotel rooms are pretty suite, too. Todd Bigelow/Aurora

The tall, young men in the sharp blue sweat suits exchange greetings and hugs with Nancy Harmony right before boarding a bus parked outside of Allen Fieldhouse. A retired research associate in the Kansas chemistry department, the felicitously named Harmony has been seeing off the Jayhawks' basketball team for every road trip since the mid-1970s. Most players know her simply as the Brownie Lady, because on each occasion Harmony brings a box containing five dozen homemade brownies. "I've done it for Ted, Larry and Roy," Harmony says, referring to former Jayhawks coaches Ted Owens, Larry Brown and Roy Williams. "Now I'm doing it for Bill."

That would be Bill Self, Kansas' first-year coach, who appreciates all the sweet touches that make a KU road trip more enjoyable. Kansas is one of an estimated 30 teams that regularly use chartered planes, but this season the Jayhawks have taken air travel to new heights. Last fall Kansas senior associate athletic director Larry Keating struck a deal to use one of Sky King Airlines' Boeing 737s, which also ferry nine NHL teams and four NBA teams. The first-class treatment is more than a luxury; Self believes it creates a competitive advantage. "The key to traveling is feeling rested when you get to where you're going," says Self, whose program operates with a $2 million budget. "There may be other teams that travel as well as we do, but nobody travels better."

On this Friday in mid-December the Jayhawks are bound for Reno, where they are scheduled to play UC Santa Barbara and Nevada over the weekend in the Wolf Pack Holiday Classic. Because of the attractive destination and the approaching holidays, the Kansas team bus is unusually packed with staff members and their families. When Self steps on board at noon, he informs his players that some of them will have to pair up for the 45-minute ride to Forbes Field Airport in Topeka. This prompts Keith Langford, a junior swingman and the team's second-leading scorer, to shout, "Freshmen and sophomores, double up!"

The Jayhawks can stretch out on leather seats and watch movies on personal DVD players. Todd Bigelow/Aurora

The Topeka airport services only private and military aircraft, so the main terminal is empty when the Jayhawks arrive. The security check is quick and painless, and when the passengers step into the plane, a variety of cheese and vegetable platters await. On each plate sits a small block of cheddar carved in the shape of a Jayhawk.

There is no assigned seating on the plane, but a natural order takes hold: Coaches claim the front cabin, managers and staffers sit in the second cabin, and players head back to the main cabin. Not that it matters -- the entire airplane is first class. Before settling into their seats, each Jayhawk grabs one of the portable DVD players stacked in an overhead compartment. As the players nibble on their cheese and vegetables and wait for takeoff, they pass around a large binder containing dozens of DVDs.

Kansas has chartered aircraft in the past, but this year's model is a considerable upgrade from last year's -- it's bigger, plus it has better food and more sophisticated video equipment. When Self is asked if he used to travel like this when he coached at Oral Roberts from 1993 through '97, he grins: "Maybe Oral did, but we didn't."

Soon the Jayhawks are airborne. The plane flies smoothly, but each turn and dip feels more pronounced than a corresponding move in a larger, commercial jet. About 20 minutes into the three-hour flight, an attendant announces, "We're now at an altitude where you can use electronic devices. So feel free to fire up those DVD players." Fire up they do: Langford has chosen Any Given Sunday. Freshman center David Padgett watches Bad Boys II. Sophomore forward Moulaye Niang, eschewing any pretense of machismo, inserts a Sex and the City disc. Freshman swingman J.R. Giddens plays Old School, and for the next 90 minutes his cackles can be heard several rows away in either direction.

Up front, meanwhile, Self is watching video of Kansas' next opponent on a console in front of his seat. He is interrupted briefly by the "catering service," which provides a choice of a cheeseburger with fries or a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. After the meal an attendant walks by carrying a tempting tray of baked goods; Self can't help but grab some cookies.

Midway through the flight Langford ambles by and peers at Self's screen. "Which team are we playing?" he asks.

"The ones wearing white," the coach replies, referring to UCSB. "They're pretty good. They beat UCLA."

Langford watches intently for a few minutes and then heads back to the main cabin, where a cutthroat card game has broken out between junior point guard Aaron Miles and Justin Roberts, the six-year-old son of associate head coach Norm Roberts. Several people have gathered around to watch, and everyone cheers enthusiastically for young Justin.

Eventually the plane begins its descent, which is enhanced by spectacular views of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains. The deplaning process at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport is even easier than boarding was back in Topeka. There are no crowds to fight or baggage claims to deal with; the Jayhawks don't even enter the terminal. All they have to do is make their way 30 yards from the plane to their bus, which had rolled onto the tarmac upon their arrival.

Twenty minutes later the party arrives at the Eldorado Hotel Casino, just off Virginia Street, Reno's scaled-down answer to the Vegas Strip. Before the players file out, Self stands to address his charges. "Fellas, listen up so there's no misunderstanding. There's no gambling, O.K.? I don't care if you're 21 or not. You represent Kansas, and we don't need anything on the Internet saying our guys were in a casino."

Self instructs the players to report to his room on the eighth floor at 8:30 p.m. A few minutes before the appointed time all the Jayhawks are lounging in the hallway outside Self's door. Langford and Giddens pass the time by squaring off in a rapping contest, with Niang and junior guard Michael Lee providing the beats. Soon the coaches arrive, and Self welcomes everyone into his well-appointed suite, replete with a bar, a huge hot tub and an expansive shower surrounded by glass. "O.K., I see how you do it, Coach," one player calls out amid the howls. Another says, "What's going down in the hot tub with the missus tonight?"

Self enjoys the ribbing, but there is serious business to conduct as Roberts begins the scouting report on UC Santa Barbara. Standing in front of an easel with a marker in his hand, Roberts goes over his notes and diagrams while the players flip through their packets of information.

It is just before 10 when the day finally comes to an end. "Breakfast tomorrow is at 9:30," Self says. "Everybody be on time. And no movies tonight, either. Go right to bed."

The players groan good-naturedly and filter out. No movies. Right to bed. Life sure is rough on the road.

SI ON CAMPUS Sports Illustrated On Campus, a new magazine covering college sports and collegiate lifestyles, is available as an insert in 72 major college newspapers across the country every Thursday throughout the school year. Click any of the links below to see selected content from the latest issue, or click here to get the entire issue in digital format. • Cover story: Livin' large with the Kansas Jayhawks • Cover story: Backroading by bus with Cornell gymnasts • Road Trip: University of New Mexico • Previous issue: Feb. 12, 2004

Issue date: February 26, 2004