The University of Kansas is home to one of the most dominant and prestigious basketball programs in the entire nation. “Rock Chock Jayhawk,” is a common saying around Lawrence, Kansas every November through March.
Since 1898 the basketball program at Kansas has fielded a team. University of Kansas basketball is a perennial national contender currently coached by Bill Self. In the past century, some of the greatest basketball players and coaches have spent time at the Jayhawks program.
Since 1898 the basketball program at Kansas has fielded a team. University of Kansas basketball is a perennial national contender currently coached by Bill Self. In the past century, some of the greatest basketball players and coaches have spent time at the Jayhawks program.
University of Kansas basketball has won five national titles, two Helms Foundation Championships, and three titles from the current NCAA Championship. The first NCAA Championship came in 1952, then 1988, and last year in 2008. University of Kansas basketball is currently the third most winning basketball program in all of college, with a total record of 1,943 wins and 785 losses.
The Jayhawks play their home games at Allen Fieldhouse, which is one of the most historical college basketball venues in the nation. Allen Fieldhouse is known for its distinct field house architecture and wild fans. The basketball gym seats just over 17,000 fans and is always sold out for men’s games.
The arena was named after Dr. Forrest C. “Phog” Allen who coaches the men’s team for an amazing 39 years. The basketball court however is named after Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. A lot of people do not know that Naismith established a basketball program at Kansas and was the first coach at the program.
The University of Kansas basketball program has had the pleasure of seeing some of the most successful coaches in college basketball history coach for Kansas. Including the above mentioned Allen and Naismith, are Roy Williams and Larry Brown.
Williams had an extremely successful stint at Kansas before moving on to the University of North Carolina. Brown is well known for his success in the NBA, including a NBA title with the Pistons, however he honed his skills first at Kansas.
While Adolph Rupp became legendary as a head coach at Kentucky, the famous coach first played at Kansas and won back-to-back Helms National Championships (1922-23). College’s all-time winningest coach, Dean Smith, also played at Kansas and was among the players who played on the 1952 National Championship team. Amazingly, both Rupp and Smith played under the tutelage of Phog Allen.
The other two national championships the school owns came in 1998 and the great play of Danny Manning. Even to this day, Manning is regarded as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. Last year, in 2008, the school won their third NCAA Championship under a terrific balanced scoring system, predominantly led in the National Championship game by Mario Chalmers. Current head coach Bill Self, who had a terrific stint at both Illinois and Kansas, finally won his first National Championship.
One of the most famous basketball players ever to play for Kansas was Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain broke a lot of racial barriers by declaring to play college ball at a small Midwest school where the enrollment of the college was practically entirely white. In two seasons at Kansas, Chamberlain averaged just under 30 points per game.
The Kansas Jayhawks colors are a combination of royal blue and crimson. They currently play in the Big 12 Conference, which is known as one of the toughest basketball conferences in all of college.
This season, the so called “rebuilding” Jayhawks own a record of 22-5, including a phenomenal 11-1 record in Big 12 conference play. On Monday, they will take on Oklahoma with the top spot in the Big 12 conference on the line. This season the Jayhawks are led by senior guard, Sherron Collins.
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