The University of Kansas basketball program has an enviable record of successfully recruiting the best high school players in the world to play in Lawrence, Kansas (population 90,000). This article will outline the five reasons why, year after year, top prep players desperately yearn to one day don a Jayhawk uniform and specifically why being located in a small Kansas community is an advantage over programs in larger markets. .
1. Success in the NBA
For many top basketball recruits, the ultimate goal is a big paycheck from an NBA franchise. Producing NBA talent is something the University of Kansas does as well as any other program in America. In an era of international competition and increased exposure of late players, it’s less common today than it was in years past for NBA rosters to be filled with players who hail from the same college. Despite the global nature of the League, Kansas still produces NBA stars like Paul Piece and many other alumni (including eight other currently active players) who are paid very well to play basketball. In addition to the nine current NBA players, KU has produced almost seventy former NBA players, with the highest profile name on the list being Wilt Chamberlain, arguably the greatest player to ever play.
2. College success
Whether a youngster is a prospect planning to join the NBA after one season or a top player hoping to stick around for four years to receive a diploma of team success on the court, it certainly makes the experience more enjoyable. Few universities in the country can offer the winning tradition that KU can. With thirteen appearances in the final four and teams featured each season who are disappointed if they don’t make it that far, KU is clearly a place hoping to win. The opportunity to compete for a conference championship and a national championship each year is very attractive to high school recruits.
3. Historical importance
Playing for a storied program has a certain cachet that both high school prospects and parents appreciate. While the lack of tradition is certainly not a deal breaker, it only helps to be known as “one of the most storied programs in college sports.” In fact, ESPN ranked the University of Kansas as one of the two most prestigious basketball programs in the country (the other being Duke), a claim that’s hard to argue with. When it comes to the historical significance of basketball, no other school can boast of having James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, as its first head coach (1898).
4. Elite Training
According to the mention of Dr. James Naismith, the issue of training is essential to develop a youngster’s game so that it reaches the peak of its potential. The history of coaching at the University of Kansas begins when Coach Naismith took over the team just six years after personally inventing the rules of the game and continues through the decades with a succession of accomplished coaches. Dr. Forrest C. “Phog” Allen played for Naismith and was his eventual successor as head coach at Kansas. In honor of the contributions Coach Allen made, the current arena in which the basketball team plays was named Allen Field House and a large permanent banner inside reads: “Pay Attention All Entering – Beware The Phog!” In more recent history, respected NBA coach Larry Brown won a national title at Kansas in the 1980s before Roy Williams took over and ran a program that won an impressive 80% of its games during his tenures. fifteen year career at KU. The charismatic Bill Self is the current coach of the Jayhawks, and despite having held his position alone since the 2003-2004 season, Self has already won a national championship with Kansas.
5. Community of unconditional support
Finally, the fifth reason top recruits love to play basketball for the University of Kansas is because it is a basketball school that lives for its program while respecting and admiring its players. In a city like Lawrence, Kansas, there is nothing bigger than KU basketball. This is how it has been for over a hundred years and this is how it will be for the next hundred years. In the 21st century media age we live in today, a gamer doesn’t have to play in New York City to get national exposure. Lawrence Kansas offers all the exposure without any of the distractions.
Conclusion
To conclude, the University of Kansas (commonly known simply as KU) wins basketball recruits by offering (1) a higher probability of success in the NBA, (2) a winning college basketball experience, (3) an extraordinarily historic program, (4) world class training and (5) an incredibly supportive community that lives for Jayhawk basketball every winter.