I’ve been a Kansas University basketball fan for almost my entire life. It all started when I was in third grade. Granted, I was born and raised on Long Island. I’ve never even been to the state of Kansas, I’ve flown over it one time if that counts for anything, but I’ve never stepped foot in the state of Kansas. And being from Long Island, and never been to Kansas in my lifetime, I am frequently asked one question, “Why in the world do you root for Kansas?” I don’t just root for the Jayhawks, I’m a die-hard fan. Ask any of my family or friends. I am obsessed with the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team. They are basically my entire life. When I’m watching games, I yell at the TV, I throw the remote across the room, I take off the jersey I’m wearing, I know, it’s bad, but it’s my life and I love this team.

It all started back in 2005. I was in the third grade. My parents signed my brother and I up for a subscription of Sports Illustrator for Kids magazines. So every week my brother and I would get a magazine in the mail, and we’d read them, but the main reason why we got the magazine was for the sports trading cards in the middle of the magazine. However, one day an article caught my eye. I saw a big picture by the trading cards and it was a guy dunking the basketball, he was yelling in excitement and in the background, there were thousands of people screaming, hands in the air, excited. There was an article attached to the picture. So, I decided to read, I wanted to know what the excitement was about. The article described the Kansas basketball season thus far in that 2005 season. It was a story about Julian Wright, Kansas best player at the time, and the fans at Kansas. In found the article so interesting, and on the side of the article it said that Kansas was playing against Texas Tech on ESPN that week. At the time, I was young and I decided that I wanted to witness all that excitement for myself. I tuned in for the first time in my life. I sat down and watched a Kansas basketball game for the first time in my life. Kansas won that game by 34 points. And from that moment on, my life changed forever. I officially became a Kansas basketball fan.

Being from Long Island and rooting for the University Kansas, I knew I expected some criticism, it was only natural. When I was younger and I said I rooted for Kansas, people just called me a front runner and a fake fan and all of that. And yeah, it did get me upset. People would ask me questions about the team and their roster and the history of the team, but I knew all the answers, this team became my life. I Studied the team’s history, I studied their former players, former coached, I watched highlights of their old games, I read everything about their history.

You see, Kansas University’s nickname is the Jayhawks. But a lot of people refer to the team as Rock Chalk or Rock Chalk Jayhawks. That’s because back in 1898 a science professor and his students found chalk rock on Mount Oread, the site of the campus of Kansas. At the end of the home games, after Kansas has a sizable margin of victory they used to chant “Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU.” However, after the study of the chalk rock, the chant became, “Rock Chalk, Jayhawks, KU.” That chant has stuck from 1898 until present day. I had to explain that story plenty of times in my life because that’s what happens when you grow up on Long Island and root for the University of Kansas.

The Kansas Jayhawks play in Allen Fieldhouse. The stadium holds 16,300 fans and they sell out every game. Kansas basketball players get to run out of that tunnel to 16,300 fans every single game. I can only imagine that feeling every game. The stadium was named after Phog Allen, one of the greatest coaches to ever coach at the University of Kansas. He was the second coach in Kansas history and he changed the program history from below average to an absolute powerhouse. Dr. James Naismith was the first coach in Kansas basketball history. However, Dr. Naismith wasn’t only the first coach but he was the creator of basketball. The creator of basketball was the first coach in Kansas basketball history. That just oozes with all the history this program has. The funny part, in the 118 years of Kansas basketball, they’ve only had eight coaches. That’s crazy. But the funny part? James Naismith, the creator of basketball, is the only coach in Kansas history to have a losing record as a coach, he went 55-60. The court in which Kansas plays is Naismith court because what James Naismith did for this sport and what he did for the University of Kansas is unmatchable and for that we’re forever grateful.

This team has become my life. I bought my first jersey the year after I became a fan. I was in fourth grade so I didn’t know any better. I thought I bought a Julian Wright jersey, the player that made me want to become a Kansas fan. However, when I got the jersey I realized I ordered a #25 jersey. #25 was Brandon Rush, not Julian Wright. I was upset at the time, but it was Brandon Rush who became my favorite player then. By the time I got really serious about Kansas Basketball, Julian Wright was already off to the NBA, but Brandon Rush was becoming a star. It was 2008, the year I fell in love with this program.

Kansas has a good team that year: Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, Darnell Jackson, Darrell Arthur, and the greatest head coach in Kansas history Bill Self all led the team to a 31-3 regular season record. Kansas rolled through the NCAA Tournament until they got to the National Championship game. They played the Memphis Tigers, the #1 team in the nation that year. Kansas was down 9 points in the final two minutes of the game. With the help of Memphis missing their free throws, Kansas made an insane comeback, with 10 seconds left, Kansas down three, they inbounded the ball to Sherron Collins. Collins drove up the court, almost lost the handle, passes it quickly to star shooting guard Mario Chalmers. The call went as followed, “Kansas has only made two threes on the night, they must make one here to extend the game. Collins drives almost lost the handle, Chalmers for the tie, got it, with two seconds left. Unbelievable. Dozier at mid-court for the championship, no and were headed to overtime in San Antonio.” Mario Chalmers hit a game tying three pointers with 2.1 seconds left to complete the Kansas comeback. The national championship game went to overtime and Kansas dominated. Kansas won their first National Title game since 1988. It was the happiest day of my life.

Kansas hasn’t won a National Championship since. They came close in 2012, but they lost the title game in 2012. I’ve been through it all with his team. 13 straight Big 12 championships, which ties an all-time NCAA record, a national championship win, a national championship loss, losing early in the NCAA tournament to teams like Bucknell or Northern Iowa (I hate Northern Iowa with everything in me), losing late in the NCAA tournament to teams like Villanova or VCU (I hate VCU with everything in me), to seeing the last Border War game, the rivalry between Kansas and Missouri, and in the game Kansas came back from 21 at home to win in overtime, only to be sent into overtime because of Thomas Robinsons insane block. I saw many Kansas greats come through as I was a fan: Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich Marcus and Markieff Morris, Tyshawn Taylor, Jeff Withey, Thomas Robinson, Ben Mclemore, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Tarik Black, Kelly Oubre, Wayne Selden Jr, Frank Mason III, Devonte Graham, Josh Jackson and every person who put the Crimson and Blue on. I’ve never met those guys and I love them. I root and cheer for them like crazy. And it doesn’t stop when they graduate or go to the NBA. No, I make sure I watch the NBA draft to see where my guys get drafted, I check their box scores every game they play in the NBA, I make sure they’re doing well, I read articles about them, I follow them on all social media, they’re like part of my family. These guys help welcome me into the Kansas family, even though I’ve never been to Allen Fieldhouse. I could go into detail about every game I’ve watched and every big play like Ben Mclemore’s bank shot three pointers to send Kansas into overtime against Iowa State. Or the Andrew Wiggins dunk against Kansas State, or his half court three pointer at the end of the first half at Baylor to get his first points of the half, or his dominating performance against West Virginia, or his effort against Duke to will the Jayhawks to victory. I could talk about Wayne Selden’s dunk over Baylor that sent the world shaking or his dominating performance agaisnt Kentucky scoring 31 points and willing the Jayhawks to a victory, or Devonte Graham’s breakout performance against Buddy Hield at Oklahoma to basically clinch another Big 12 title. I could talk about when Kansas and Oklahoma, who were both ranked #1 in the country at the time in 2015, played each other in Allen Fieldhouse and the game lasted into triple overtime, with Kansas prevailing with a 109-106 victory. I could talk about it all, but It would be way too long.

One of the best memories i have was recently. The 2015 team was invited to South Korea to compete in the World University Games. Since the time difference in South Korea was so great, the games would start at 4 or 5 AM Eastern Time. The games were played in July. I would set my alarm and watch every game they played in that tournament, whether it was Midnight or 4 Am, i was watching. And seeing them go undefeated and winning the Gold Medal, prevailing yet again in double overtime in the Gold Medal game against Germany was really special.

I’ve been to one Kansas game in my life. It was in Philadelphia when they played Temple University. Kansas won huge and it was the best day of my life. I got to sit three rows back from the Kansas bench. It was a surreal experience. But the real goal? The real goal is to get to watch a Kansas Basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse before I get older. I want to go to a game when I’m still in college because I’ll love this team forever, but this is the time I care the most. This is the time that Kansas basketball means everything to me because I’m still a kid. Life goes fast and before you know it, you’re applying for jobs and setting yourself up for the rest of your life. Sports teams become secondary and that’s why I want to see a Kansas game before I graduate. I want that once in a lifetime experience. One day I’ll get to Allen Fieldhouse, I don’t know when, but I hope it’s soon. Thank You, Jayhawk nation, for taking a young boy who knew nothing about the program into your family. And like Thomas Robinson, Markieff and Marcus Morris always say, F.O.E. Family Over Everything. And that’s what the University of Kansas and their basketball program is all about.

Rock Chalk, Jayhawks.