Kansas basketball program set to debut new-look Late Night

For years, Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has reminded fans that they should not put much stock into what they see during the annual Late Night scrimmage that marks the unofficial beginning of another KU basketball season.

And he probably would say the same thing this year.

There is, however, one difference this time around. Instead of scrimmaging itself on Friday night, when the Jayhawks host yet another Late Night in the Phog, Kansas will be facing an actual opponent, with the exhibition opener against Pittsburg State taking on the role of featured act of the evening.

The Jayhawks and Gorillas will scrimmage at 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse on ESPN+ and sprinkled in among the contest will be the usual Late Night antics — skits, videos, half-court shots for a check out of Self's wallet and more.

KU also will host PhogFest on the front lawn of Allen Fieldhouse before Late Night, with activities starting at 2 p.m. PhogFest will have fun for all fans to enjoy, including the Hawk Zone with inflatable games, music and much more. PhogFest also will include food trucks, giveaways from a variety of sponsors and interactive displays.

Next week, in conjunction with its home exhibition opener against Washburn, the KU women's team will conduct its own version of Late Night, with similar celebrations taking place.

It is, effectively, the end of an era at KU and I'm not sure there are too many people who are going to mind.

Often billed as a way for fans who can't score season tickets or make it into the building for a regular season game to get a taste of what the Allen Fieldhouse mystique and a KU basketball game are all about, Late Night from here on out will still be a big deal but maybe not quite as big of a spectacle.

Times have changed, the event had lost some of its luster — no one's really to blame for this — and yet KU still found a way to incorporate some of the best parts of Late Night into what nearly everyone actually comes to see anyway — the basketball.

There was a time, way back when, when KU's Late Night in the Phog was as good as it got for a non-game sporting event.

Head coaches were dragged onto the floor to participate in dance circles or were regular participants in live skits. The KU players worked on those skits for hours and then had to perform them in front of a live audience. And the build-up and anticipation for the event was everything.

Heck, several of the Late Nights past even started at freakin' midnight, with the Jayhawks waiting until the first minute of the first day they were allowed to practice by NCAA rules and then letting 16,000 fans in to watch them get the season started.

Recruits, especially the Jayhawks' top targets, made sure they got an invitation, and the visit list stretched into double digits most years, with prospects from multiple high school classes coming to see what the fuss was about.

It was unlike anything else in the sport, and whether it featured live music or just live action of the latest KU team, the fans were fired up to be a part of it.

That tradition has been upheld throughout the years, but the event has changed with the college basketball landscape around it.

Live skits turned to videos played on the scoreboard. The coaches were still involved, but at Late Night they usually just grabbed the microphone and hyped up the crowd. And the event is no longer held on the first day of practice, which, in many ways, took some of the sizzle out of this being a true first look at the team.

People still packed the place. And the live performers became a huge part of it, with Snoop Dogg, Lil John, Run DMC, Shaq Diesel, Lil Yachty, 2 Chainz, Tech N9ne and others adding to the excitement surrounding the evening. Until even that started to grow a little stale.

So now we move forward with a new version of Late Night. It won't quite be the same — what is these days? — and there'll be purists who bemoan what it has become.

But beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder, and it's up to you whether you want to fret and fuss about what's missing or find a way to celebrate what's still there.

Basketball. New faces. Exciting introductions. Meaningful moments. And a real glance at the team you'll follow for the next 5-6 months.

Give it a chance before you trash it. I think there's a shot that this new version, which still will have some of the made-for-fans fun combined with a much better basketball product, could be one you grow to love nearly as much, albeit in a slightly different way.

Regardless of what you think or how it looks or how people feel, one thing is certain: Basketball season is here.

— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com