Jayhawks Remembered

After Kansas’s thrilling victory in the National Championship game, a game that featured and unbelievable collection of athletes and last minute drama, I started to think about who and what will be remembered about this KU squad. The truth is that while you might recall Marion Chalmers’s shot to send the game to overtime, it is quite likely that the Kansas team, by virtue of its balance and lack of NBA-caliber talent will be hard to remember 10 or 20 years from now (unlike Danny Manning’s 1988 team). This Kansas team did not have a single First Team All-Big 12 performer, and Brandon Rush is likely the best NBA prospect.

Thinking back in history, this #1 seeded KU team may turn out to have the most unmemorable group of championship-winning players in the modern era (post-1980). Even much lower seeded champions (e.g., Villanova #8 seed in 1985 and NC State #6 seed in 1983) as well as a balanced but not star-filled teams (e.g., North Carolina 1993), had all-conference players and produced several first round NBA draft picks that went on have productive NBA careers, including Thurl Bailey, Ed Pinckney, and George Lynch.

Despite their lack of star power, try to remember this KU team for its balance, team work and an incredible 2:12 run to end the forth quarter and take the championship out from under Memphis (a team with several NBA prospects).