Mario Chalmers Returns As The Kansas Jayhawks Do The Harlem Shake (Video)

http://youtu.be/SbGFYjCbpRs

Is it me or is this Harlem Shake catching on like a grass fire in the NCAAB? Here we see the Kansas Jayhawks taking on the Harlem Shake and even Coach Bill Self get’s into the spirit. They need this same kind of enthusiastic spirit to drive them all the way to the National Championship game.  The first step on the road to a championship starts at home today against a Texas team that looked great against Iowa State this past Wednesday night.

ESPN College Game day live will be at the Phog on Saturday and Allen Fieldhouse will be pumped up.  Allen Field House is the absolute best, the fans, the band, and even the video department. You can never get enough of watching those videos and hear the crowd roar. Not only will the Longhorns get to be surrounded by Jayhawks fans, a pregame video that puts goose bumps on your arms, ESPN game day live but they will also be surrounded by ex-Jayhawks coming home.

We know of one for sure who will be there, Mario Chalmers. Chalmers will be having his jersey retired at halftime. Chalmers recently talked about this honor saying, “It means a lot to me,” “Being up in the rafters with guys like Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, Wilt Chamberlain, it’s a great accomplishment.” Chalmers is one of the few players to have won a state title in high school (Bartlett High, Anchorage), an NCAA title (KU in ‘08) and NBA championship (Miami Heat, 2012).

So the Phog will be rocking when the welcome back Chalmers and Marcus and Markieff Morris, Thomas Robinson and Nick Collison. Not only will the Jayhawk greats be there behind the bench but also the visit of prize high school senior recruit Julius Randle will be watching too. Everyone hopes he will become one of those Jayhawk greats and this  is the perfect time for him to visit. When the pregame video starts and shows the shot that Chalmers made to send the 2008 National Championship game into overtime the place will go wild. When all eyes will be on Chalmers at halftime, during the game all eyes will be on this match up.

We might even see coach Self doing the Harlem Shake if this Kansas team plays like they did against Kansas State on Wednesday night.  They will need to keep their eye on the Longhorns Myck Kabongo who was suspended the first 23 games of the season. On Wednesday night, Kabonogo had a great performance against the Cyclones by scoring 13 points, with seven assists, and four rebounds.  He brings tempo, quickness and court awareness to this Longhorn team. He will be hard to stop if the Jayhawks don’t come out and play aggressive on defense. Coach Self had this to say about Kabongo, “Kabongo definitely makes a difference from a speed standpoint,” “They can play (Kabongo) and Javan Felix together. They can change the pace and do some different things when they put the two little guards in there together.”Jeff Withey had this to say about Kabongo, “He is a great player,” “Whenever you get somebody back, it brings more energy to your team and confidence. It will be a tough Texas team to beat. It was a tough game in Austin. It’ll be tough here. He’s a great player. He’ll bring a lot to their team.”

Talking about Withey, he  has a chance to become the all time leading shot blocker in the Big 12, he just needs two more to pass Chris Mihm to take this honor. He needs to do what he does best and become that flyswatter on the inside for the Jayhawks and not let the Longhorns get any easy baskets in the paint.

This will be a great game but with all the excitement surrounding it, the student campers waiting in line, the ESPN Cameras, Mario Chalmers, and a confident Jayhawk team it will be hard for the Longhorns to go home with a victory. Texas coach Rick Barnes knows it will be a tough night and said this about his team after beating Iowa State,  “We have something to work with,”  “We are not anywhere near where we need to be, but it’s a start.”

So the first step starts now for the Jayhawks and when they win everyone in the stands will be doing the Harlem Shake, even the Kansas head football coach Charlie Weis.

 John D. Hayden  is a Writer and Contributor for www.RantSports.com, covering the NCAA and NBA.  Follow John on twitter @jdhayden09, or add his Google +  to your circles for all of his latest articles, thoughts, and rants.