Let’s talk about your career at Kansas, starting with the recruiting process.  While visiting Lawrence on a recruiting trip you watched the Kansas football team knock off nationally ranked Oklahoma, 15-14.  How big an influence was that trip in your decision to play basketball at Kansas?
 
It was big in terms of seeing Gale Sayers play.  I was in awe of him, and watching him perform was a huge thrill for me.  That game was definitely a big influence in my decision to attend Kansas, but there were a number of other factors that played into it as well.

Kansas was the right place for me in terms of both athletics and academics.  Also, I didn't want to go to a school so far away that my parents couldn't attend the games and I couldn't get back home.  Kansas was within that radius, which carried a lot of weight in the decision-making process.  The tradition was very high in basketball, and at the same time they never had an All-American guard to graduate from KU.  This became a goal for me, which in turn became another reason to go there.

Your coach at Kansas was Ted Owens.  What was it like to play for him?
 
Coach Owens was a tremendous individual.  He was a very astute coach, and a great teacher of the fundamentals.  He was also politically involved within the college basketball community and well-versed when it came to the issues surrounding the game.  Coach Owens contributed greatly to my growth as a basketball player.  I enjoyed playing for him and I learned a lot from being a part of his program.

In 1966, you became eligible to play at the start of the second semester.  Your abilities helped KU win seven straight games and claim the Jayhawks' first outright conference title in nine years.   What was it like to come in and contribute to the rebirth of Kansas basketball?
 
I was very excited to have that opportunity.  I wanted to play as soon as I became eligible but I realized that the decision was in the hands of the coaching staff.  They could have opted to sit me out until the next year but didn’t, so I was very fortunate in that regard.

Basically, the decision came down to our chances of winning it all that year.  Coach Owens felt that we had a legitimate shot at winning the NCAA championship, and he also felt that those chances improved with me on the floor.

It seems as if that KU team was truly close.  When then-captain Riney Lochmann was told that he may lose his starting job when you became eligible, here is what he had to say:  “Coach, it doesn’t matter whether I start or not.  We think Jo Jo can help us win the national championship and we want him to play.”  Please comment.
 
I’m a big Riney Lochmann fan.  Riney is a solid individual and certainly worthy of being our captain.  He was always willing to make sacrifices for the good of the team, even if this meant putting others ahead of himself.  The situation you just described is a perfect example of the leadership that Riney brought to the team.

And yes, we were a closely knit group.  This camaraderie certainly played a large part in the success that we enjoyed.   Not only did it help us win our conference championship, it allowed us to enjoy success in the NCAA tournament.