Out on the court, Bill Self stood on a ladder, trimmed a swatch of net and waited for T. Boone Pickens to make him the richest man in his craft. Under the stands, the Rev. Jesse Jackson sought out Derrick Rose and told him to hold his head high, not difficult when he's the sport's next great point guard and awaits megamillions himself in the NBA.
''Champions don't shed a weakness,'' he said, quoting Jackson.
But on a night of compelling stories, many involving a Midwestern metropolis that had no teams involved in the NCAA tournament, who knew that an injured, somewhat forgotten, 5-11 fireplug of a point guard would trump the celebrated Rose and help Kansas win the national championship? Sherron Collins wasn't the biggest hero, not after Super Mario Chalmers hit the three-pointer at the end of regulation -- we're still waiting for a foul, John Calipari -- that goes down among the biggest shots in college hoops history. Yet he was the Chicago point guard having the fun, pushing the ball, creating the symmetry and, in the end, winning the trophy that was supposed to belong to the Memphis phenom.
Sometimes, a Rose has a thorn. Sometimes, it's a kid like Collins making a big steal, hitting a three-pointer, slashing the lead to four points and giving Kansas a measure of hope, which shouldn't have existed after trailing by nine with just over two minutes left. Sometimes, it's The Other Guy who makes the free throws that Memphis could not, dribbles out the clock in overtime, thrusts his index finger in the air and breaks into a grin after a 75-68 victory.
''Once they let us back in, we knew we were going to take off,'' Collins said. ''That's why we're the national champs.''
Here, it was about Kansas and Memphis in an all-timer. But back home, it's about Collins and Rose. Remember that February night in 2006, when Collins went 2-for-20 from the field but still managed 10 assists for Crane in a 59-57 win over Rose and Simeon? Remember the rematch, when Simeon romped in the Public League quarterfinals? This was Collins ruling Rose again. While Memphis was free-falling in a classic collapse -- confirming its bad rep by missing four of five late free throws, going several minutes without a basket and watching center Joey Dorsey foul out late in regulation -- the cooler team won. You also could say the better coach won, a coach who was smart enough to use Collins more than usual. Now we'll see if Kansas is smart enough to ante up for Self after Oklahoma State, stoked by billionaire benefactor Pickens, offers a reported 10-year, $40-million deal with a $6 million signing bonus.
EVEN SELF IS A LITTLE STUNNED
''I'm a little in shock, a little overwhelmed,'' said Self, who left Illinois for Kansas five years ago and finally has seen his dream job materialize. ''I don't know if a coach deserves to have happen what happened to me tonight. I can't imagine it being any better at any time.''
Oh, I can. When Self makes $1.3 million a year and is being offered $6 million up front, it could be better in Stillwater. We'll see if Kansas understands that he has maximized the basketball religion in Lawrence -- why was his predecessor, Roy Williams, wearing a Jayhawks sticker on his shirt and upsetting the folks in North Carolina? -- and gives Self the elite deal he deserves. They wouldn't want a bittersweet ending after Chalmers made history.
''Yeah, I thought it was going in,'' said Chalmers, colder than his native Alaska in nailing the shot. ''I knew my teammates had confidence in me. I know Coach had confidence in me.''
Only minutes before, Self sensed defeat in the huddle. He was right. ''I thought the game was over,'' Darrell Arthur said. ''Coach called timeout and said, `You've got to believe.' ''
''I didn't think it was over,'' Self said.
And what else did he say? ''He told us to foul a couple of their bad [free-throw] shooters,'' Chalmers said.
In the end, it was Rose who opened the door for Chalmers. He had been shooting well from the line, but he caught his teammates' virus and missed one of two with 10 seconds left. ''When Derrick went to the line, everything in life happens for a reason,'' Calipari said. ''I said, 'Lord, if he makes these two, were supposed to be national champions.' But if he misses them, I'm fine with that, too. I'm probably not supposed to say that religiously.''
THE FUTURE IS STILL ROSE-Y
Rose, whose calf cramped at the end of regulation, was stunned after losing what surely was his final college game. ''I knew it was going to be another war going into overtime. We just couldn't get it done,'' he said. ''When we were at the line, we were trying to make them. I guess we didn't do it. But it wasn't the free throws. It was the [Chalmers] shot.''
Not that Rose can be blamed. Years from now, when he's rich and famous and doing Gummy Bear commercials, we'll remember him for the night when he almost commandeered the big game. Turn on the TV today -- next week, next month, next year -- and you will see two sequences replayed over and over. You will watch him every time, too. On the first play, he takes a pass, hurls his chiseled torso toward the basket against Chalmers and flips in a spectacular layup off the general vicinity of his hip. On the next play, he lifts off by the three-point line, adjusts in mid-air to the outstretched arm of Darnell Jackson and hits the fallaway two-pointer. He scored 10 straight points for in crunch time, 12 in a seven-minute run. But in the frantic final seconds, the Tigers cracked.
Who knew that Kryptonite for Rose, the Superman of the tournament, would come in the form of Collins? Sometimes lost in the glut of talent at Kansas, he has started only six games in two years and has been bothered much of this season by numerous injuries -- stress fracture of his left foot, bruises on both knees, tendinitis in his left knee and ankle sprains. But when Self stuck Collins on Rose only minutes after tipoff.
He didn't make a shot the rest of the first half. Rose also committed three turnovers and didn't have the ball nearly as much as he's accustomed. For the first time since early December, Memphis trailed by five at halftime. As expected, a Chicago story was developing; unexpectedly, the subject wasn't Rose. ''I was never overshadowed by him. I was in front of him by a year,'' Collins said of their respective Public League careers. ''I got all the respect I deserved. He's a good player.''
Unlike Rose, who is looking at $60 million in endorsements and salary once he declares for the NBA draft, Collins isn't bound for the next level just yet. His son, Sherr'mari, turned one Sunday. The boy lives in Chicago with Collins' girlfriend, Re'Quiya Aguirre, who puts the phone up to the baby's era when Sherron calls.
Someday, he'll tell Sherr'mari about the night he beat Derrick Rose for the title.
Photo: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images / Memphis' Derrick Rose and Kansas' Sherron Collins battle for a loose ball Monday night. ;
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