Former Jayhawks gave the crowd a humorous yet exciting display of basketball during the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic at Lawrence Free State High School Thursday night.
After the game, a few of those players updated us on their summer and professional careers.
Aaron Miles spent the past year playing for an Aris BSA in Greece as part of the Eurocup. He averaged about seven points in 23 minutes per game this season on a team he said could have performed better.
Now his contract is up and he’s working out and relaxing, not knowing what he will do next year.
“Definitely, if the opportunity comes to play in the NBA, that’s where I’d love to be,” Miles said. “However, if I have to go over seas again, I love that as well.”
Darnell Jackson played sparingly for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season before being waived and later picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jackson said he has been working out for Milwaukee since the end of March, though he is not guaranteed a contract through the 2010-2011 season. Besides, he said he still has a lot to work on to earn a spot.
“You never know,” Jackson said about his status for next season. “After Summer League we’ll find out what’s going on with me in Milwaukee.”
He came back to town for the game, but most importantly to see his daughter. Coming back to Lawrence, he said, Jackson got teary-eyed thinking about all the memories he has here.
“Like I always said, this is always going to be home for me and it always feels good coming back,” he said.
Russell Robinson averaged a solid 16.3 points and 4.7 assists per game in the NBA D-League this season, first for the Reno Bighorns and later for the Maine Red Claws after a midseason trade.
Since getting out of college, Robinson knew he had to be more of a scorer than he was as a Jayhawk to be successful.
“I scored a way lot more than I did when I was here,” he said. “I’m shooting a lot better percentages and everything.”
On Thursday, before coming to Lawrence, Robinson worked out with the Indiana Pacers, as noted by his shorts. He said he will play in the Summer League with the Pacers in Orlando.