As Top Coaches Go, He’s Spittin’ Image

The Mississippi River is again beckoning Kansas coach Roy Williams.

Somebody told him once that spitting in a river was good luck. He tried it in 1982 while an assistant at North Carolina, spitting into the Mississippi, and the Tar Heels won their first national championship.

He tried again in 1993 with Kansas. Williams spit into the Mississippi during the regional in St. Louis, and his Jayhawks reached the Final Four.

“That’s the only two spitting episodes, but I’m still getting credit for it,” said Williams, who likes to rub the Phog Allen statue on the Kansas campus for luck during his daily jog.

“But somebody told me the name of this river, so there might be some more spitting,” Williams said.

The Mississippi runs behind the Pyramid in Memphis, where his Jayhawks play Jackson State today in the Southeast Regional.

Car deal under scrutiny

Michigan forward Robert Traylor said neither he nor his aunt have done anything wrong in connection with the lease of a $47,906 vehicle.

The Detroit News reported Wednesday that Traylor did not register the custom-built Chevrolet Suburban with athletic department officials, as is required.

University of Michigan officials said they would investigate.

Traylor said the lease was a decision made by his aunt, Lydia Johnson of Detroit. She works as a machine operator for a Detroit steel company, the News reported.

Jerry Bonanno, general manager of the Dearborn dealership where the Suburban was leased, said the lease payments exceed $700 a month without insurance.

The newspaper said there is no indication Traylor’s use of the vehicle was improper, but it could draw the attention of the NCAA.

On the road again

The trip to the West Regional in Salt Lake City pushed the Kentucky Wildcats over the 20,000 mark for miles traveled this season.

Kentucky opened the season at the Great Alaska Shootout, then racked up the rest of the miles on its normal journeys through the East. The Wildcats traveled 1,765 miles to Salt Lake City and expect to go another 765 to San Jose, Calif., to continue the West Regional.

The Wildcats hope to go another 191 miles northwest of Lexington to defend their national title at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

It’s been nice

North Carolina fans won’t like to hear this, but second-team All-American Antawn Jamison didn’t rule out leaving school for the NBA after this season.

That’s all the Tar Heels need after sophomores Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace left early for the NBA two seasons ago and junior Jeff McInnis went hardship last year after his junior year.

“I can’t say I will, I can’t say I won’t,” the 6-foot-9 sophomore said this week.

Been there, done that

Maryland coach Gary Williams has the distinction of taking teams from three schools to the dance. He took Boston College to the NCAA Tournament in 1983 and 1985, and he led Ohio State into the 1987 field. Now he has the Terrapins (21-10) in the tournament for a fourth straight year.>

You again?

Princeton has only lost three times in 27 games this season, but two of those clubs happen to be with the Tigers in the East Regional.

Princeton, riding a 19-game winning streak, last lost Dec. 22 to North Carolina, the region’s No. 1 seed, while Indiana, also in Winston-Salem, beat Princeton Nov. 20 in the Preseason NIT.

Princeton’s other loss was in overtime to Bucknell on Dec. 10.