|
An extremely athletic frontcourt player
known best for his thunderous dunks and acrobatic
shot-blocking
• Made
his Kansas debut on Dec. 20 last season, nearly one calendar
year after transferring from LSU
•
Possesses great quickness and leaping ability
•
Expected to turn his game up a notch and see more minutes
with the departure of Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce from the
Jayhawk frontcourt
• Did an
admirable job filling in as a starter last season when
LaFrentz went down with an injury
• Was a
member of the Big 12’s all-bench and all-newcomer teams
a year ago
• Was
eligible to practice with the team after he enrolled at KU
in January of 1997
•
Originally considered signing with Kansas after a standout
high school career before settling on LSU
• One of
19 KU student-athletes to receive the Hale Achievement
Center Academic Award last May
•
Underwent surgery in May to repair tissue damage to his knee
and ankle
• Was not
able to run until late summer but should be close to 100
percent when preseason drills begin
Sophomore Season
(1997-98)
Played in 26 consecutive games after
becoming eligible Dec. 20
• Started
nine games, beginning in late December, after Raef LaFrentz
went down with an injury
• Made an
immediate impact for the Jayhawks
•
Recorded a double-double in just his fourth game
•
Averaged 7.6 points per game -- the most by a non-starter
• His 6.5
rebounds per game trailed only KU All-Americans LaFrentz and
Paul Pierce
• Shot
49.7 percent from the field and was one field goal shy of an
even 50.0 percent for the year
• Blocked
24 shots
•
Averaged 11.5 points and 8.5 boards per game in NCAA
Tournament play
• Scored
in double figures eight times and enjoyed three
double-doubles
• Named
to the Big 12’s all-bench and all-newcomer teams
• Turned
in a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in a win over
Vanderbilt
• Enjoyed
a double-double (11 points, 10 boards) and went 5-of-5 from
the line in the Big 12 opener against Nebraska
• Scored
a KU career-high 20 points and added nine rebounds in a home
win over Colorado
• Scored
18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a road win at Iowa State
• Scored
16 points in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals versus
Nebraska
•
Recorded a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) and added
two blocked shots against Prairie View A&M in the NCAA
Tournament
LSU
(1996-97)
Played in 11 games and started six
games as a freshman
•
Averaged 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game before
transferring to KU
• Had 15
steals, 13 assists and six blocked shots in his abbreviated
season •
His second college game came against Kansas in the first
round of the Maui Invitational
• Scored
eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in KU’s 82-53
win •
Showed potential in his career debut with 26 points, seven
rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes against Troy State
• Scored
13 points and grabbed seven rebounds against
nationally-ranked Michigan
• Scored
14 points and pulled down six caroms against 12th-ranked
North Carolina
• Made
1-of-3 three-point field goal attempts
High
School
Glen Oaks (La.) High School, 1996
• The
Class 5A Louisiana player of the year as a senior
• Led the
Panthers to consecutive Class 4A state titles
• Earned
the first Mr. Basketball Honors in the state
• Team
was 104-29 in four years, including 32-2 in district play
• Earned
Parade All-America honors, was Louisiana’s Gatorade
Circle of Champions Player of the Year and a finalist for
the James A. Naismith Award, given to the nation’s top
prep player
•
Averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds per game
•
Finished career with 2,763 points and 1,915 rebounds
• Was the
state champion in track in the triple jump
Personal
Earl has one sister, LaWanda, and
three brothers -- Louis (a former forward at LSU), Leon
Jones and Jason Sanders
• Owns a
34-inch vertical leap
Notes
• As a
high school junior, Earl won the Louisiana state triple jump
title.
•
Underwent surgery in May to repair damage to his knee and
ankle.
• Played
against Kansas as an LSU freshman when the Jayhawks and
Tigers met in the first round of the Maui Invitational.
•
Division I transfers to recently find a home at KU: Earl
(LSU), Jerod Haase (California), Rex Walters (Northwestern),
Rick Calloway (Indiana) and Luke Axtell (Texas).
Major
Communication Studies
|
Season/Career
Highs
Points
16 vs. Iowa St.
(1-9-99) Season
20 vs. Colorado
(1-7-98) Career
Rebounds
11 vs. Fort Hays St.
(11-21-98) Season
15 vs. Texas A&M
(1-14-98) Career
Field Goals
6 vs. Iowa St.
(1-9-99) Season
8, Two Times Career
Field Goal Attempts
8 vs. Texas Tech
(2-13-99) Season
15 vs. Texas
(1-10-98) Career
Three-Point Field Goals
0 Season
0 Career
Three-Point Attempts
0 Season
0 Career
Free Throws
5, vs. Oklahoma St.
(3-7-99) Season
5, Four Times Career
Free Throw Attempts
7 vs. Missouri
(1-11-99) Season
7, Two Times Career
Assists
2 Two Times Season
5 vs. Texas (1-10-98) Career
Steals
2 Two Times Season
6 vs. Kansas State
(1-17-98) Career
Blocked Shots
1 vs. Pennsylavania
(11-17-98) Season
4 vs. Vanderbilt
(12-29-97) Career
Minutes Played
23 vs. Fort Hays St.
(11-21-98) Season
34 vs. Hawaii
(12-30-97) Career
Miscellaneous
|
|
1998-99
|
Career
|
|
Double-Figure Scoring Games
|
3
|
11
|
|
Double-Figure Rebound Games
|
1
|
6
|
|
Double-Doubles
|
1
|
4
|
|
Games Led KU In Scoring
|
1
|
2
|
|
Games Led KU In Rebounding
|
1
|
6
|
|
Games with 20+ Points
|
0
|
1
|
Honors
• 1998 Big 12 All-Bench Team
• Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
'Hawktalk
Full Name
Lester Earl
Parents
Louis Jones and Carol Earl
Birthdate
September 22, 1976
Birthplace
Baton Rouge, La.
High School
Glen Oaks (La.) HS
High School Coach
Harvey Adger
Up
Close
Favorite TV shows
Just Shoot Me; WWF Wrestling
Best book I have ever read
A Thin, Dark Line
When I played basketball as a kid I pretended to
be
“The Dream” Olajuwon
The thing I like most about KU is
The fans
The first time I met Coach Williams I
thought
He looked a lot shorter in person
Person in history I would like to meet
Martin Luther King
My favorite class at KU is
The shortest one
If I could change one thing about college basketball
I would
Not change a thing
My greatest moment in sports was
Becoming a Jayhawk
My ultimate SportsCenter highlight would
be
Getting a triple-double
My favorite sports announcer is
Dick Vitale
My nickname is
Les
My advice to youngsters is
The sky is the limit and there is no limit to what you can
achieve
If I could add one team to the schedule it would
be
LSU
The thing I like most about the city of Lawrence
is
It’s laid-back
After my KU career is over, I’d like to be
remembered as
A good person
The teammate who makes me laugh the hardest
is
Nick Bradford
If I could switch places with a person for a day,
I’d choose
Bill Gates
|
Kansas student-athletes enjoy first-class facilities in all sports.
Traditions like the Jayhawk, Waving the Wheat, and the Rock Chalk Chant make KU one-of-a-kind.
Lawrence is a vibrant college town where the comforts of home intersect with a unique culture.
Kansas student-athletes have the full attention of a highly-skilled sports medicine staff.
Kansas athletic events are an experience all to themselves, but gameday promotions add extra flair.
Join Kansas Athletics in its fight against cancer at one of its many Jayhawks for a Cure events.
