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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPECIAL SERIES
Sept. 12: Larry Brown, Ted Owens
Sept. 13: Greg Ostertag, Scot Pollard
Sept. 14: Nick Bradford, Jeff Graves, Jeff Hawkins, Ron Kellogg, Ryan Robertson, Billy Thomas
Sept. 15: Xavier Henry, Josh Selby
Sept. 16: Wayne Simien, Darnell Valentine
Sept. 19: Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, Julian Wright
Sept. 20: Cole Aldrich, Nick Collison
Yesterday: Marcus and Markieff Morris
Today: Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush
Tomorrow: Paul Pierce
DYNAMIC DUO
KORY CARPENTER
kcarpenter@kansan.com
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Brandon Rush AT KANSAS YEARS: 2005-2008
A 6-foot-6 guard with a smooth stroke from behind the arc, Rush averaged more than 13 points per game in all three of his seasons at Kansas. His three point percentage never dropped below 40 percent, proving him to be one of the teams best threats from long range every season. Growing up in Kansas City, Mo., Rush was all too familiar with the history of Kansas basketball, even making some of his own while on campus.
ACCOLADES
- Sporting News All-Freshman team (2006)
• Wooden Award All-American (2007)
• AP Honorable Mention All-American (2007)
• All Big-12 First Team (2007, 2008)
• Big 12 Tournament MVP (2008)
• Final Four All-Tournament Team (2008)
BEFORE KANSAS
Rush attended high school at Mount Zion Academy in Durham, N. C. He was a two-time all-state selection and a five-star recruit according to Rivals.com. A possible candidate for the NBA draft right after high school, Rush decided to play for Bill Self at Kansas.
ON TO THE NBA
Rush was taken as the 13th pick by the Indiana Pacers in the 2008 NBA draft. He has played three seasons in Indianapolis, including an appearance in all 82 regular season games in the 2009-2010 season. He is averaging 8.9 points per game for his career.
Rush was already on a fast track to the NBA during his junior season of 2007-2008. The final four match-up with North Carolina took his stardom to a whole different level. With five minutes left in the first half, Rush had as many points — 12 — as the entire North Carolina team. He finished his scorching-hot night with 25 points, more than doubling any Kansas teammate. He was later named to the all-tournament team; no doubt cementing his legacy among Kansas fans.
DEFINING MOMENT
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Mario Chalmers AT KANSAS YEARS: 2005-2008
SOURCES: BASKETBALL-REFERENCE.COM, KUATHLETICS.COM, RIVALS.COM
Another model of consistency, Mario Chalmers averaged more than 12 points per game in each of his three seasons as a Jayhawk. He improved every season at Kansas, with his minutes, points, field goal percentage and assists increasing every year, culminating in the greatest moment in Kansas basketball history.
ACCOLADES
- McDonald's High School All-American (2005)
* Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player (2006)
    * Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2007)
        * Big 12 All-Defensive Team (2008)
* Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team (2008)
    * Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2008)
BEFORE KANSAS
A high school All-American in Anchorage, Alaska, Chalmers was regarded as the nation's No. 2 point guard by Rivals.com. He was named the Alaska 4A Player of the Year three times, only the second player to accomplish the feat. Chalmers eventually joined Brandon Rush and Julian Wright at Kansas, forming the No. 4 recruiting class in the country in 2005 behind Oklahoma State, Duke and Washington.
ON TO THE NBA
Chalmers was taken as the fourth pick, 34th overall, in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to the Miami Heat shortly after. He has played significant minutes every season in Miami and was the primary point guard last year on the heralded Heat team, which included Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James.
DEFINING MOMENT
If there was ever a Kansas player who didn't need his defining moment explained, it is Mario Chalmers. It's captured on the walls of restaurants and bars throughout Lawrence. It's relived every year during the NCAA tournament in videos and commercials. It was a play coach Bill Self drew up in the Big 12 tournament championship game against Texas a few weeks prior, so Chalmers and company knew what to do. Down by three with 10 seconds left in the National Title game, Sherron Collins raced the ball up court under pressure. Standing on the wing, Chalmers waited. After nearly missing the handoff from Collins, he secured the ball and darted left. With pressure in his face, he took one dribble, slightly faded away and a release a shot inches over the outstretched hands of Derrick Rose. Everything else was a blur.
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