Wilt Chamberlain’s influence in Kansas was evolutionary.
Over a two-year span, he scored 29.9 points and grabbed 18.3 rebounds per game. Well, these are numbers that do not register, even all these years later. Chamberlain was a walking mismatch, so physically dominant that teams pretty much developed new defensive strategies merely to attempt to halt him.
Danny Manning is bigger than Jayhawk lore—he’s Kansas basketball to a whole generation. Manning started each of his four years and departed as the school’s all-time scoring leader (2,951) and rebounder (1,187).
Before he was “The Truth” of Boston, Paul Pierce was the most consistent Kansas scorer. He accumulated 1,786 points (16.4 PPG) and 676 rebounds (6.2 RPG) in three years. And he had a game that was balanced enough to create matchup problems.
Small and underrecruited, Frank Mason III arrived in Kansas with something to prove—and proved it all. By his senior year, he was the National Player of the Year, playing at 20.9 points and 5.2 assists.
Clyde Lovellette was the first of the big men on campus. In 1952, he led the country in scoring at 28.4 points per game. But, with that, he also led Kansas to its first NCAA national championship. That year, he was the first player in the history of college basketball to lead the country in scoring and capture a national title.
Jo Jo White was the very essence of a floor general. He was twice an All-American and averaged 15.3 points per game with a calm. However, his hot-tempered leadership guided the Jayhawks.
Few have represented Kansas basketball as well as Nick Collison. He wasn’t flashy—he was dogged. Collison tallied 2,097 points and 1,143 rebounds, second all-time in both those categories.
Smooth-shooting big man Raef LaFrentz caused enemies’ headaches with his inside-outside scoring. Over four years, he accumulated 2,066 points and 1,186 boards to be a two-time consensus First Team All-American.
Brandon Rush added defense, clutch shooting, and swagger to the Jayhawks. Averaging 13.6 points per game, he was the pillar of Kansas’s 2008 NCAA title run, particularly during the Final Four and national championship.
Devonte’ Graham wasn’t always the most flashy of players, but his consistency and leadership were irreplaceable. As a senior, he averaged 17.3 points and 7.2 assists a game, earning Big 12 Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors.
