COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: ROSE VICTIM OF GUMMY BEARS.

Byline: Jill Painter

Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO -- Derrick Rose had just sat down for the Jayhawks' news conference Sunday when he got up and said something to Memphis coach John Calipari. He left the room and never returned for the media session. Rose told Calipari his stomach didn't feel good, and Calipari sent him to the team trainer.

Memphis released a statement later in the day which said he had an "upset stomach. ... He will play in Monday night's national championship game against Kansas."

The country will be waiting with anticipation.

Rose, the Tigers' freshman wonder, will be the biggest star at the Alamodome. He's wowed fans, media and opposing players with his ability to do everything -- spin, juke, jump, fly -- on the way to the basket.

It remains to be seen if a stomach issue will slow Rose, something no opposing guard has done this season.

"He eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner. That's why his stomach hurts," fellow guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "We tell Derrick the whole year, 'Stop eating so many Gummy Bears and Sour Straws.' But he can't. ... Nobody eats Gummy Bears more than him."

CDR 

Douglas-Roberts is awfully famous now, and like many people, his name is hyphenated. He offered a simple explanation.

"I guess both my parents, who are still married, knew that I was going to be something big, and my dad didn't want to give up his name and neither did my mom, so they just gave me both," Douglas-Roberts said.

Larry Brown connection

Both coaches -- Kansas' Bill Self and Memphis' John Calipari -- began their careers rather modestly as volunteer assistants for Larry Brown at Kansas.

"To eat, I worked at the training table," Calipari said. "I would serve peas and corn. 'What would you like? I'll be there early for practice if you would like to do some extra shooting. Would you like peas or corn?' That's what I did.

"But you know what? It was the greatest time of my life."

Self, who started at Kansas after Calipari left, said he had much higher responsibilities for Brown.

"I was in charge of making sure we rented out the correct bowling alley on game days and numerous things like that," Self said. "If you know Larry Brown, he's very, very superstitious. Because if you bowl and play well, you probably played well because you bowled on that lane. It had nothing to do with Danny (Manning)."

Coaches hired

Houston media reports said former Cal coach Ben Braun would be named the new coach at Rice, replacing Willis Wilson. ... Texas assistant coach Ken McDonald will take over as head coach at Western Kentucky, replacing Darrin Horn, who left for South Carolina.

USC recruit qualifies

USC recruit Leonard Washington, a 6-foot-6 forward from Lake Charles, La., met NCAA entrance requirements and will be eligible to enroll for the fall semester. Washington originally signed with USC in 2006 but was academically ineligible. He spent the past year attempting to gain his eligibility.

Steve Dilbeck and Scott Wolf contributed