In Brief : Manning Shoes His Alma Mater

New shoes for the Lawrence High School basketball team this year came courtesy of Danny Manning.

Manning, who starred at Lawrence before going on to Kansas and then the Los Angeles Clippers, asked Reebok to provide his old high school team with shoes. Manning signed a shoe contract with Reebok.

“It was something he and I discussed when he was in high school,” said Ted Juneau, the Lawrence coach who said he hears from Manning a couple of times a month.

“We were just kidding in a lot of ways, but Danny always had in the back of his mind he was going to do something for us.”

John Morgan of Reebok said the request from Manning to outfit the Lions was unusual.

“It was a personal request from Danny that we see if we could do something for his high school,” Morgan said. “We do a thorough wear-testing program. We’ve taken the shoe he’s wearing and given it to the school. In a couple of months after they wear the shoe, we’ll make sure we get something back in written form from them.”