Former KU star Keith Langford calls Rock Chalk Roundball Classic experience ‘priceless’
LAWRENCE — It’s been a while since Keith Langford last stepped onto a college basketball court and suited up for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Langford was a freshman during the 2001-02 season and departed for the professional ranks after the 2004-05 campaign. He was present for the end of Roy Williams’ tenure as Kansas’ head coach and the beginning of Bill Self’s. Nearly two decades have passed since Langford’s college career came to an end.
But Thursday, June 8 during the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic’s charity game, Langford looked comfortable and smooth, as if he was back in college. He played well and occasionally scored at will for a Team Crimson squad that narrowly beat Team Blue. The crowd embraced him, too.
“Playing basketball and the fact that I got to do it here, and just getting to feel this energy and this vibe one more time, like I don’t know how many more times I’m going to be able to get out here and play,” Langford said. “I’m 39 years old. So, this is priceless.”
Langford is committed to playing on the Kansas alumni team competing in this year's The Basketball Tournament. Still, just last month he also announced that he was retiring from professional basketball. The Rock Chalk Roundball Classic game, Langford said, is the first full game he’s played since he underwent Achilles surgery a little more than a year ago.
Langford appreciated how they gave the fans at Lawrence Free State High School a dramatic conclusion, with he and Team Blue’s Wayne Selden Jr. each hitting a 3-pointer to send the game into a sudden-death free throw competition, pitting the coaches against each other. Team Blue’s Greg Ostertag missed his attempt before Team Crimson’s Calvin Thompson delivered the game-winner.
On top of helping a quality cause, Langford said, delivering an exciting game is also why they participate. He hopes fans continue to attend. The latest edition of the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic was the event’s 15th, which dates back to 2009.
“I loved it,” Thompson said of Langford’s play. “That’s what I told him, I appreciate his effort. We tried to win the game in the last four or five minutes, putting on a show the whole rest of the game, but he played the whole time and kept us in the game and actually won the game for us.”
Langford led Kansas to three Big 12 Conference regular season titles during his Jayhawks career. He was a part of three teams that reached the Elite Eight, two that reached the Final Four and one that finished runner-up. He remains one of the most prolific scorers in program history.
Langford’s professional career took him worldwide, and after he’s done playing, he intends to stick around the game. He enjoyed everything basketball gave him. Now, he wants to give back.
“I tell people all the time, like, you know man you just never know what’s going to happen,” Langford said. “You’ve just got to keep going. And so, for me, like I didn’t know Kansas was in the fold. I didn’t know Final Fours and all of this stuff. But man, this is why I just keep playing. So, I’m living proof of that. Because I really wasn’t supposed to be here and I’m here now, and it still doesn’t feel real.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Rock Chalk Roundball Classic sees Keith Langford star for Kansas
