110 YEARS OF KANSAS BASKETBALL
No. 2: Wilt Chamberlain (1957-1958)
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
No one can argue the dominance of Wilt "the stilt" in his years as a basketball player. His incredible 30 points per game along with a little more than 18 boards speak for themselves. His finishing rank of 20th in points scored would be much higher if not for the freshmen only teams during the 50s which restricted freshmen to their own junior varsity teams. Even then, Chamberlain's freshmen games would sell out regularly as people wanted to catch of a glimpse of this basketball phenom. His only shortcoming? Failing to win a title. But no one can argue Chamberlain's influence on the program's legacy.
Chamberlain is one of the most legendary Jayhawks. He averaged 30 points per game at Kansas.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
Lovellette was a Jayhawk from 1950 to 1952. He scored 1,888 points in his career at Kansas and was one of the key players that helped Coach Phog Allen lead the Jayhawks to an NCAA title in 1952.
No. 3: Clyde Lovellette (1950-1952)
Before Chamberlain, Lovellette was the post player dominating the game. Finishing fourth in all-time points scored (again with only 3 years playing). Lovellette's career points per game average of 24.5 is topped only by Chamberlain
himself. Lovellette also had one of the all time great collegiate years his senior year, averaging more than 28 points and 14 rebounds per game. He also helped win a national title and Play of the Year honors.
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JoJo White ranks 24 in the list of all-time leading scorers at Kansas. His Jayhawk career was from 1966-1969.
No. 4: JoJo White (1965-1969)
While many other guards might have put up better numbers during their careers, none had the presence and style of White. A leader on and off the court. White led the Jayhawks in scoring during his final years and ended up finishing 24th all time. White achieved this before stats were kept on assists and steals. If they had been recorded, those numbers would be among the top of the list.
No. 5: Darnell Valentine (1977-1981)
One of the all-time top guards at the University, he displayed excellent skills in his offensive and defensive game. Valentine not only finished fifth in scoring but also first in steals with 334. He also holds the record for most steals in a single season at 92. Rounding out his overall game is his third-place finish in all-time assists.
Darnell Valentine was a Jayhawk from 1977 to 1981 and scored 1,821 points in his career at Kansas before going pro.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
1947-1948:The Hawks tied for sixth in the Big 7 with a 4-8 record and had an average season overall, finishing 9-15 for the season.
1948-1949: The Hawks once again tied for sixth in the Big 7 with a 3-9 division record. The Hawks went 12-12 for the season.
1949-1950: The Jayhawks tied for first in the Big 7 with an 8-4 division record and a 14-11 regular season record.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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