‘Coach’ KJ Adams’ 30-&-over basketball team wins fantasy-camp title at Allen Fieldhouse
Surrounded by Kansas basketball teammates Gradey Dick, MJ Rice and Dillon Wilhite as well as former DePaul and Richmond head coach Jerry Wainwright, KJ Adams drew up a play to run with 30 seconds left — and the score tied 38-38 — in the championship game of the Kansas Fantasy Experience on Sunday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
KU sophomore forward Adams, the head coach of the Blue team during age 30-and-over fantasy camp games held Friday through Sunday, had his squad’s best player dribble out front and run the clock down, with the plan for that star player to attack the goal.
But that fantasy team player was double-teamed. He passed to one of his teammates in the corner. Ultimately the shot clock ran out and the game went to overtime as the possession fizzled.
Good news for Adams, team general manager Wainwright and the above mentioned Jayhawk players who served as assistant coaches at the fantasy camp as part of an NIL outing. Talent prevailed in the extra session. Adams’ Blue team outscored the White squad 9-2 in OT and took the title game, 47-40.
The runner-up White squad was coached by former KU forward Wayne Simien, as well as Jayhawks Zuby Ejiofor, Wilder Evers, Cam Martin, Bobby Pettiford and Joseph Yesufu. Other teams, also coached by Jayhawks, competed in the event, too.
“I think our players probably now understand what a pain in the butt they can be to me, because when they (as coaches) tell guys to do something and they don’t do what they want them to do they can I’m sure get frustrated,” KU coach Bill Self said with a smile.
He viewed his players coaching techniques from the stands over the three days.
“It was probably a good lesson for them to learn coaching can be frustrating if players don’t always do what you ask ‘em to do,” Self added, speaking to The Star after posing for photos with members of the title team.
The camp participants played several games over the three days. Players were assigned to teams selected via an actual draft held after a practice session Friday.
Included were film sessions after each game with the Jayhawk players, a banquet on Saturday night and full use of the Jayhawks’ ice baths and whirlpools, locker rooms and meeting rooms.
“Hopefully some life-long relationships,” Self said, asked what the Jayhawk players got out of working the camp as coaches. “It was their camp (as part of this name, image likeness event). They owned it and did a great job with the campers.”
Now it’s time for Boot Camp
Fresh off working the fantasy camp, the 17 Jayhawk players on Monday will start Self’s annual basketball Boot Camp.
The KU players will gather between 6 and 7 a.m., Monday through Friday in the Jayhawks’ practice gym for hour-long conditioning workouts. After a weekend off, they’ll return the following Monday for a second and final week of early-morning Boot Camp sessions.
The workouts will consist of jumping rope as well as sprints, defensive slides and backboard touches, all without even one basketball in the gym. It’s constant movement for about 60 90 minutes. This will be Self’s 20th Boot Camp at KU. He held it three years at Illinois and Tulsa and four at Oral Roberts.
“Starts Monday … same thing as always. Let’s get in shape, let’s develop some team camaraderie, chemistry, toughness, at the same time understand this is basically the beginning of a very long process,” Self said Sunday.
“This is not necessarily evil,” Self added, “it’s a necessity to help us get where we want to go.”
Self was asked how he feels freshmen scholarship players Ejiofor, Dick, Rice and Ernest Udeh and frosh walkon Evers will fare at Boot Camp. Kevin McCullar is also a newcomer, but has experience after playing three seasons at Texas Tech.
“They’ll do it. They are going to struggle like most freshmen do,” Self said. “The ones that aren’t scared of it will do the best. It’s all between the ears.”
Self noted that “we are actually healthy right now, knock on wood. Any bouts with illness at least now are done. We should have our full complement of guys out there.”
Sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford said the Jayhawks are actually looking forward to Boot Camp.
“I’m going to go have fun with my teammates. That’s the biggest thing. That’s what it’s all about, having fun, being around the team. I feel we are all going to kill it,” Pettiford said.
Self congratulates Huggins
Self who had fantasy camp commitments over the weekend was unable to travel to Springfield, Massachusetts on Saturday for the induction of West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Self was inducted into the Hall in 2017. He and Huggins are good friends.
“I’m happy for ‘Huggs.’ I think ‘Huggs’ is great,” Self said. “I talked to him this week. He’ll come off as gruff, that it’s not as big deal as what it is. Trust me, it’s something he’s very proud of. It’s a big deal. He certainly deserves it.”
Upcoming schedule for Jayhawks
Boot Camp is the first official team activity of the school year.
The Jayhawks were on campus in June and July for summer school, then headed home for a couple weeks before the start of semester classes on Aug. 22. Boot Camp will run from Monday until either Sept. 22 or 23 with the weekend off. Preseason practices at KU will start around Sept. 28.
Late Night in the Phog will be Friday, Oct. 14. The Jayhawks will practice for several weeks, with one exhibition game set for Nov. 3 against former KU guard Jeff Boschee’s Pittsburg State Gorillas.
KU will hold a “secret scrimmage” sometime in late October. The Star has learned the Jayhawks will play the Illinois Fighting Illini in the secret scrimmage, with the teams meeting in St. Louis for the practice game. Last year KU traveled to Tulsa to meet the Golden Hurricane in a secret scrimmage. No fans or media are allowed to attend secret scrimmages.
The NCAA allows teams to either play two exhibition games before fans, one exhibition game and one secret scrimmage or two secret scrimmages and no exhibitions.
KU coach Self had no comment about the scrimmage. The NCAA does not allow coaches to promote the secret scrimmages to the media or fans.
This story was originally published September 11, 2022 at 7:47 PM with the headline "‘Coach’ KJ Adams’ 30-&-over basketball team wins fantasy-camp title at Allen Fieldhouse."
