"All-Time Greats"
Coach Manning on Kansas Tradition
Wilt Chamberlain 1957-58
- Career average 29.9 points and 18.9 boards are the best in Jayhawk history.
- Scored a school-record and career-high 52 points in his varsity debut.
- First NBA player to ever win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season. That same season, Wilt recorded his 100-point game.
Nick Collison 2000-03
- Left Kansas as the second all-time leading scorer, third all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading shot blocker.
- Led KU to back-to-back Final Fours, playing for the National Championship in 2003.
- Starter on the 2002 team, which became the first squad in the history of the Big 12 Conference to go undefeated in league play (16-0).
Drew Gooden 2000-02
- A starter on the 2002 Final Four team, Gooden earned All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year honors that year.
- He became the second player in Kansas history to record at least 1500 points, 900 boards, 100 blocks and 100 steals in a career.
- Runner-up for the 2002 Wooden Award, he was named NABC Co-National Player of the Year, ESPN the Magazine Power Forward of the Year and Basketball America's Player of the Year.
Danny Manning 1985-88
- College basketball's consensus player of the year, he led Kansas to the 1988 NCAA Title.
- Manning was a three-time Big Eight Player of the Year, two-time All-American and a winner of the Naismith and Wooden Awards.
- Manning is KU's all-time leading scorer and rebounder and also holds the record for most points scored in a single season with 942 points his senior year.
Raef LaFrentz 1995-98
- A two-time consensus first-team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year, LaFrentz is also the third-leading scorer in Kansas history.
- One of three players in KU history to score 2000 points and his 1186 career boards placed him second all-time for the Jayhawks.
- Ranked in the top ten in Kansas history for career field goals, free throws, blocked shots and field goal percentage, LaFrentz is the Kansas leader for double-doubles at 56.
Paul Pierce 1996-98
- A 1998 Wooden Award finalist, consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-Big 12 and back-to-back Big 12 Tournament MVP.
- The seventh all-time leading scorer at Kansas and just one of seven players in history to score more than 700 points in a single season.
- Ranks among KU's leaders in free throws made and attempted, rebounding and steals after only three seasons.
- NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2008 following the Championship.
Jacque Vaughn 1994-97
- The third all-time Kansas and Big Eight assists leader with 804, Vaughn earned second-team All-American honors his senior year.
- A two-time first-team Academic All-American and the 1997 Academic All-American of the Year.
- Was the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year and also received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar-Athlete Award.
- Ranks among KU's all-time leaders in career 10-assist games at 18, in consecutive career games started at 100 and in most career steals in Conference play at 93.
Wayne Simien 2002-05
- Consensus All-American in 2005
- Wooden and Naismith awards finalist his senior season
- 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year and two-time All-Big 12 First Team
- First round draft pick of the Miami Heat in 2005
- Five-time Big 12 Player of the Week
- Third-team AP All-American in 2004
- Two-time Big 12 All-Tournament selection
- Two-time team MVP
- 2005 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award winner
Kirk Hinrich 2000-03
- Guided KU to back-to-back Final Fours in 2002 and 2003
- Led the 2002 Kansas team through an undefeated (16-0) Conference season, the only team in Big 12 Conference history to do so
- Ranks ninth on the KU career scoring list with 1,753 points
- Ranks fourth in career assists with 668 and sixth in steals with 206
- Owns two of the top three single-season three-point field goals percentage marks in KU history (50.5% in 2001 and 47.8% in 2002)
- In his senior season, was named to the Wooden All-American team, final Four all-tournament team, third-team AP All-American and NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player
Scott Pollard 1994-97
- Ranks fourth in Kansas history with 218 blocked shots
- Ranks eighth in KU history with 850 career rebounds
- Among KU's all-time leaders in career free throws and attempts
- Honorable mention All-America in 1997
- Second team All-Big Eight in 1996
- Selected in the first round of the 1997 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons
- Also played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers
Greg Ostertag 1992-95
- Kansas' all-time blocked shots leader with 258
- Broke the Kansas single-season blocked shots record with 97 his junior season
- Had 91 blocked shots his senior campaign
- Ranks 12th on the KU career rebounds list with 770
- Led KU in field goal percentage in 1995 at 59.6 percent
- Led the Jayhawks in rebounding as a junior and senior
- First round (28th overall pick) NBA Draft selection of the Utah Jazz and played 10 of his 11 seasons with the Jazz