You don’t have to hang out at the Pepsi Center for long to run into Mark Randall, the former Cherry Creek and Kansas star who is now a community ambassador for the Nuggets. He’s always around. And this time of year, NCAA Tournament time, is his time. He was roaming the facility Wednesday with eight NCAA Tournament teams getting their first look at today’s venue. He took a break long enough to sit down with Denver Post staff writer Chris Dempsey.
Q: Let’s get right to it. Kansas is going to win the tournament, right?
A: Yes. Nah, I’m in the legion of Kansas followers that my heart is obviously in it, for good reason. I think this team, if anything else, they’re due. I know there are naysayers out there that say Bill Self’s not doing the job, blah, blah, blah. But people don’t understand that a lot of things have to align. Luck is involved.
Q: So, you’re saying it’s gonna happen.
A: (laughs) It’s gonna happen. That’s how I start. I say yes, and then I roll.
Q: Wouldn’t it be even better if KU beat ex-KU coach Roy Williams in the Final Four?
A: I don’t have any ill will towards Roy, but I just got done turning in my brackets here at the Pepsi Center and that’s how I have it set up. But if either one of them were to win, I’d be extremely happy. My straight loyalty is for Kansas. I would love for Bill Self to get it to shut down the naysayers.
Q: You really like Bill Self.
A: I love him. He’s a great dude. A lot of people don’t know, but he helped recruit me to Kansas. He was a grad assistant. He’s very close to my heart. I think he’s, without question, the right guy for the job there.
Q: What’s your relationship with Roy?
A: I still have a great relationship with Coach. I don’t talk to him a lot. But he’s the best thing after middle school basketball that happened to my basketball life.
Q: Didn’t it hurt when he won at North Carolina after leaving KU?
A: Didn’t burn me at all.
Q: Still get an itch to play when tournament time rolls around?
A: I get a little bit of an itch every now and then, but I’m old now. I just go play pickup and have fun.
Q: What was the best thing about the ’88 KU title team, besides Danny Manning?
A: The only thing that bothers me about it, and this in no way takes away from Danny Manning, but the fact that the media played it as ‘Danny and the Miracles,’ I think that kind of downplays the meaningfulness of the other guys that were on that team. There’s not a whole lot of other guys remembered on that team except for Danny, which is sad, because it takes a team effort to win a championship.
Q: It hurt you that you didn’t play that season because of jaw surgery?
A: It was tough. I got to do a lot of the different things that come along with winning a championship. I was practicing. But it’s still totally different from stepping a foot on the court. It’s a totally different feeling, a totally different perspective. But it was magical.
Top five teams
Mark Randall’s top five teams
he’s seen play, not including
his Jayhawks:
1982 North Carolina Tar Heels
1983 N.C. State Wolfpack
1982 Georgetown Hoyas
1977 Marquette Warriors
1992 Duke Blue Devils
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
