KU Sports
LJWorld
Next: Today 6 p.m. / Kansas State vs Kansas
Back to 2009 NCAA Tournament coverage
Bracket Contest
View Bracket
Current scores
Score alerts
Tragedy amid triumph
By Tom Keegan
KU vs. North Dakota State
2009 KU-NDSU
Download audio clip
KU coach Bill Self
KU's Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich
NDSU guard Ben Woodside
2009 Bracket Challenge
Get yer bracket on! Browse all brackets, check out out KUsports.com staff brackets, and check to see how your bracket's holding up after each match up is complete.
KU vs. NDSU
'Dome wreckers: Aldrich, Collins lift KU
Aldrich shines against NDSU, tops Keegan's list
Bison bounced; Flyers next up
Bison: KU just played better
KU aide Townsend impressed by Dayton
Kansas notebook
Minneapolis — Some 438 miles and one world away from Gary, Ind., 6-foot-2 Kansas University junior guard Tyrone Appleton, warming a seat on the bench per usual, thought he might have heard his name called inside the Metrodome. He wasn't really sure until he heard it again.
Sherron Collins, having a tough time trying to guard North Dakota State senior point guard Ben Woodside, needed a rest. Coach Bill Self reached way down the bench to Appleton and was rewarded for doing so.
Of the five players who guarded Woodside during a fast-paced, exciting NCAA Tournament first-round game won by Kansas, 84-74, Appleton did the best job.
Of all the people in the Kansas locker room who needed something about which to smile, Appleton topped the list for a reason far more important than playing time. Appleton has been excused from today's activities to return home to attend the funeral of a friend he identified as Dennis Williams.
"I lost a really close friend," Appleton told the Journal-World after the game. "He got killed, murdered, shot three times in the chest. I'm flying back to Gary, attending the funeral (this) morning and flying back (tonight)."
Entering the game early in the first half, Appleton matched a career-high by playing six minutes. He snared two rebounds, ran the break and set up Tyshawn Taylor for a bucket in transition. According to Taylor, it wasn't the only time Appleton assisted him. He also gave him pointers on trying to slow down the 5-11 Woodside.
"Ty was telling me to use my length on him and not get too close to him because he's really fast," Taylor said. "When I tried that late in the second half, it really helped. That one possession where we got a shot-clock violation on them, I think my length bothered him there."
In many ways, deception worked in the favor of Woodside on his way to 37 points.
"He's hard to guard because he's got a lot of paces to his game," Taylor said. "He'll slow you down and speed you up. When you play defense, you're not going to play it in a defensive stance for 35 seconds. You tend to stand up. As soon as you stand up or raise a little, he's gone. He's really quick, and he's strong."
Woodside, who sports a buzz cut, doesn't like look like most players with his quickness, which also worked to his advantage.
"If you look at him, you don't think he is who he is, and I kind of think it was that way with all of us," Taylor said. "We watched tape on him so we knew what he was capable of, but we were kind of thinking he wasn't as fast as the tape shows, but he is."
Appleton, known as a defensive stopper through his junior-college career, agreed that it was Woodside's change of pace that set him apart from other players he had faced. Appleton had no way of knowing he would play, but studied tons of tape on Woodside, just in case.
"When coach called my name, I was kind of surprised, like I didn't hear him, so he had to call my name twice," Appleton said. "I just ran to the scorer's table. I was happy to get in the game, especially a big game like this, an NCAA Tournament game. I wasn't nervous at all."
Appleton, who leads all Kansas scholarship players with DNP listed next to his name 13 times, made his most important contribution of the season with a heavy heart.
"I went to school with him," Appleton said of Williams. "We played Biddy Basketball together. I played baseball with him for a little bit. Every time I'd go home, that's the guy who I'd hang out with. It was real tough for me, losing a close friend like that."
Asked how it was his friend came to be in the way of three bullets, Appleton said, "Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Back home, it's not a good environment to be in for a lot of people, and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Gary, long burdened with the moniker "Murder Capital of the World," is not where Appleton wants to spend the rest of his life.
"I really don't want to go back there when I'm done with school," he said. "I'll go back to visit my mom and my dad, but it's not the place I want to stay."
Since he learned of the news of his friend's death, memories of Williams have dominated Appleton's thoughts. But he found a way to turn it into a positive, instead of a distraction.
"Every day he told me the same thing: When I get in the game just play my hardest, do my best," Appleton said of Williams. "Today, he was the only person I could think about. When I got out on the floor, I just tried to do my best for him and for my teammates. He gave me my motivation today. He really did."
Copy and paste the link:
More like this story on KUsports.com
jman18562 10 years, 10 months ago
I was surprised to see him in the game, but he did a great job. Inspirational. Thanks Tyrone. You did Kansas proud.
Sign in to suggest removal
Drew Alan 10 years, 10 months ago
I think this years team is a lot like last years team. I wish you played 6 players in basketball because we have so many great players and great people sitting way down on the bench. Like Aldrich, Reed, and Morningstar were somewhat buried on the bench last year, Q-Thomas, Appleton, and Releford are somewhat buried on the bench this year. But just like Aldrich delivered when called upon late in the season last year, those three guys will surely stand and deliver when their name is called the rest of the season. Great testament to Self for being able to manage such a deep roster, spread minutes appropriately, and know situations where role players will excel.
A "mission" like Appleton had during the game last night can be an excellent way to temporarily forget about a tragedy and use all that pent up emotion positively. He seems like a smart player with a coaching track ahead of him possibly (a la McGrath, Ballard, Lee, Case).
While Tyrone's heart will be with his friends and family today, I'm sure part of his mind will be focused on how to ground the Dayton Flyers offense.
Zac Graves 10 years, 10 months ago
Great effort, Tyrone! Best wishes and keep your head up. We'll be pulling for you the rest of the tourney and next year!
indijayhawk 10 years, 10 months ago
Nice job by Tyrone.. We need every one to step up a notch ..we will need them all..
Meghan Sullivan 10 years, 10 months ago
Great job Ty, the Jayhawk faithful is behind you!
KEITHMILES05 10 years, 10 months ago
The kid has also lost a son in the past year.
hayshawk2123 10 years, 10 months ago
Ty played the best defense of any Jayhawk on Woodside. I would of liked to see a few more looks with Sherron at the 2 and Ty at point, so that Sherron wouldn't get as tired guarding the other teams best player. But either way Great Job Ty and keep working hard and you'll get your opportunities. Rock Chalk
cklarock 10 years, 10 months ago
Congratulations on the great game, Tyrone, the thoughts and prayers of the Jayhawk Nation will be with you. You're one of us.
Lance Hobson 10 years, 10 months ago
Very sorry to hear about his friend, that is horrible. Gary is such a rough place, luckily my only experience is driving through it. I hope Ty graduates from KU and utilizes our extensive alumni connections to make a better life outside of that environment.
That said, great job taking advantage of the opportunity. Reminded me of Jeremy Case coming up big against Villanova last year. Self has a big bag of tricks and knows when to try something different.
Dan Harris 10 years, 10 months ago
TA- Sorry to hear about your friend. You did all of Hawk nation proud.
DSommersby 10 years, 10 months ago
My heart goes out to Tyrone and to the friends and family of your friend. What a terrible tragedy.
Tyrone played great and I'm sure he had a heavy heart. All Jayhawk fans are thinking about you.
Dan Pawlowski 10 years, 10 months ago
Sorry for your loss Ty. I hope Tyrone reads these heartfelt posts. The Jayhawk family has a huge heart.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.
Subscribe to 2009 NCAA Tournament stories via RSS
More 2009 NCAA Tournament
KU vs. Michigan State
Louisville vs. Arizona
Kansas practices in Indianapolis
KU vs. Dayton
KU Fans
Self-made Champions
Chat transcripts
KU fan travel guide
KAI directory
KU Alumni Assoc. Watch Party Sites
'17 Schedule
'17 Roster
'08 Orange Bowl
Virtual Memorial Stadium
'Hawks in the NFL
Hawktrax
'17-'18 Schedule
'17-'18 Roster
'08 KU National Championship
2010-11 Timeline
'Hawks in the NBA
Contents of this site are © Copyright 2020 by Lawrence Journal-World.
Site feedback / About us / Contact Us / Terms of service / DMCA Notice / Advertise / Jobs
Log in to your KUsports.com account.
You may also use your Lawrence.com or LJWorld.com account.
Don't have a KUsports.com account? Get one now!
An account lets you join in the conversation, mark your favorites, get your own Fan Blog and more.