rewrite this content material with complete period and stay HTML tags
Illinois will play host to Kansas in a charity exhibition basketball game on Oct. 29 at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, that may raise money for the continued relief efforts after the tragic wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. The preseason game was once set to be a closed scrimmage between the 2 systems however it is going to now be open to the general public for lovers to attend.
The showed dying toll from the wildfires has surpassed 100, according to CBS News, with greater than 1,000 folks unaccounted for as of previous this week. The crisis has destroyed greater than 2,200 buildings.
“For decades, the Maui Invitational and the city of Lahaina have been very important to college basketball and our thoughts and prayers go to that entire community as they recover from such a tragic event,” Kansas trainer Bill Self said in a release announcing the event. “Brad (Underwood) and I discussed how our private scrimmage could become an exhibition game to raise money to benefit the so many affected by the recent catastrophic fires in Maui. We both felt this would be a great way for our programs to create awareness to help this cause.”
Self shall be returning to the sidelines for the primary time for the reason that finish of the 2022-23 common season after lacking the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament due to well being problems. Kansas assistant trainer Norm Roberts served because the appearing head trainer and the Jayhawks fell to Arkansas in the second one spherical to finish their season.
Self has been the trainer at Kansas since 2003 however prior to now spent 3 seasons because the trainer at Illinois earlier than he was once employed by way of the Jayhawks.
“It is heartbreaking to see the loss of life and devastation from the fires that have ravaged Lahaina,” Underwood said in another release. “The Maui Invitational is an integral part of college basketball, and we are thinking of everyone on the island of Maui who have felt the impact of this tragedy. Bill and I talked immediately about how we could come together to help, and turning our closed scrimmage into a charity exhibition is a way we can use our sport to make an impact. The spotlight of this game, heightened by Bill’s return to Champaign, should raise meaningful dollars that will go directly to help the community of Lahaina.”
Kansas enters the season as one of the most most sensible preseason groups within the nation. The Jayhawks added former Michigan superstar Hunter Dickinson by the use of the switch portal and go back Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar and KJ Adams Jr. As for Illinois, they go back one of the most oldest rosters within the nation, together with veteran starters Coleman Hawkins and Terrence Shannon Jr. from a staff that completed 20-13 and reached the NCAA Tournament.