Calipari served well in early years at Kansas

When he sees that Jayhawk logo or hears the rock-chalk chant, John Calipari recalls his good ol' days at Kansas.

Watering Larry Brown's flowers. Walking his dog. Picking up the laundry. Stuffing envelopes.

"You know what?" the Memphis coach said. "It was the greatest time of my life."

Calipari has done well since, leading the Tigers into a date with Kansas tonight in the NCAA championship game.

Yet he fondly recalled starting out his college coaching career in 1982, working for free as a volunteer assistant at Kansas. One of his main jobs was handling a big spoon at the athletic training table.

"I would serve peas or corn. 'What would you like? I'll be there early for practice if you want to do some extra shooting. What would you like, peas or corn?' That's what I did," he said.

"It was tough for a 25-year-old because you're not going to hang around the students. You didn't have any money to go to the country club," he said. "But what it made me do, I just got into basketball."

Brown took over when Ted Owens was fired, and the new coach asked Calipari to stick around with the new staff.

Calipari stayed at Kansas for two more years and met his future wife, Ellen, who worked in the school's business office.

Upset stomach: Memphis freshman sensation Derrick Rose had a stomach ailment that forced him to miss media sessions Sunday but will play in the national championship game against Kansas tonight.

Rose was treated by trainers instead of talking to reporters. Shortly after, the school released a statement settling any doubt about his status.

"He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That's why his stomach hurts," fellow guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We tell Derrick the whole year, 'Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.' But he can't. ... Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him."

New offense: How often does a coach truly change the game? Calipari could be one of those rare coaches.

The "dribble-drive motion" offense he uses is among the hottest things going in hoops, and Memphis puts it on display for the final time this season tonight against Kansas.

Calipari calls it "Princeton on steroids," a bow to the constant-motion, cut-and-backdoor offense perfected by Pete Carril. He calls it "dribble-drive motion," partly because it sounds good, and as a nod to the idea it does not rely on pick-setters and post men who clog up the paint and can stifle free-flowing offense.

Winning respect: Memphis was overshadowed coming into the tournament. UCLA, North Carolina and Kansas had combined for 17 national titles to none for the Tigers.

"Three blue bloods and a blue collar," Calipari joked.

But now Memphis can separate from the Pac-10, the Big 12 and the Big Picture.

"Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina have all won it before," Memphis sophomore forward Pierre Niles said. "This would be our first. We come from a small city that doesn't make it to the Final Four much."

A win over Kansas and the Tigers would have to be mentioned alongside Indiana.

Memphis would end the season 39-1. The Tigers have set the single-season record for wins and seek to become the seventh one-loss school to win the NCAA title and the first since N.C. State in 1974.

Memphis would have ended up a four-point loss to No. 2 Tennessee on Feb. 23 from finishing 40-0. There have been only seven unbeaten NCAA champions, the last in 1976, when Indiana finished 32-0.

Hansbrough wins Naismith: North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough added the Naismith Trophy to his collection of hardware Sunday night. The 6-foot-9 junior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., is the third Tar Heel to win it, following Michael Jordan in 1984 and Antawn Jamison in 1998.

Hansbrough said he has yet to consider whether to return for his senior season.

College Hall: Danny Manning, who led Kansas to the national championship in 1988, and Arnie Ferrin, the Final Four MVP as a freshman with Utah in 1944, were among seven inductees to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame announced Sunday.

Charles Barkley, who led the Southeastern Conference in rebounding for three straight seasons at Auburn, coaches Nolan Richardson and Jim Phelan and TV analysts Billy Packer and Dick Vitale are part of the class of 2008 that will be formally inducted Nov. 23 in a ceremony at the Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo.

Hurtin' Jayhawk: Reserve guard Rodrick Stewart admits it's been difficult to sit and watch his Kansas teammates in the Final Four.

Stewart fractured his right kneecap while trying to dunk in practice on Friday.

"It was definitely hard watching the guys and wanting to be out there, especially being a senior," said Stewart, who will have surgery Wednesday.