KU hoops faced travel delay returning from Bahamas. Here’s how it affected the schedule
The Kansas men’s basketball team experienced a significant travel delay in returning from the Bahamas, the site of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament held Wednesday through Friday night in Paradise Island.
The delay, which pushed back KU’s arrival in Lawrence from about 8 p.m. Saturday until 12 p.m. Sunday, holds some significance considering the Jayhawks’ next game is against Texas Southern at 7 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks, KU officials explained Monday, spent some post-tourney leisure time in the Bahamas from the end of Friday night’s Battle 4 Atlantis final against Tennessee until 5 p.m. Saturday, when their charter flight was supposed to have departed the Bahamas airport for Topeka.
An issue with the charter flight service meant the Jayhawk players and coaches, who had arrived at the airport for scheduled departure, needed to spend Saturday night in the Bahamas and fly out early Sunday morning.
The team and team traveling party, which had checked out of the Atlantis resort Saturday afternoon, was forced to locate 55 hotel rooms near the Bahamas airport.
The players and coaches, who should have been sleeping in Lawrence, instead had a 6 a.m. wake-up call Sunday in the Bahamas. The buses carrying the Jayhawks arrived at the Bahamas airport at 6:30 a.m. Sunday.
After going through customs, the Jayhawks boarded the charter at 8:45 a.m. Sunday and returned to Lawrence shortly after 12 p.m.
With a game looming Monday night, the Jayhawks held a practice Sunday night.
KU (6-1) will meet Texas Southern (1-6) at 7 p.m. Monday at Allen Fieldhouse.
