Alonzo Jamison made his mark as one of best defensive players in KU history

Alonzo Jamison's road to Kansas first began at Valley High School in Santa Ana, Calif. He lettered in four sports (track, football, baseball and basketball) and admits baseball was his favorite sport.

“It was the first sport I ever played,” Jamison told me in 2002 during our Where are they Now? interview. “It will always be near and dear to my heart.”

However, he “adopted” basketball as a sophomore, when he played on the varsity.

Jamison’s thought about his new sport at the time?

“I can get something out of this.”

The 6-6 forward, who idolized Julius Erving, Darryl Dawkins and Magic Johnson, was named All-League and All-County as a senior and selected team MVP four straight years for the Falcons.

Jamison then went to Rancho Santiago Junior College in 1987-88, where he was co-player of the year in the California junior college system, averaging 19.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. He shot 58 percent from the field and named MVP of the Orange Empire Conference and was a third-team junior college All-American. He was his team’s MVP, leading them to a 25-8 record.

Jamison, who then signed with KU in May 1988 over San Diego State and Oregon State, was KU coach Larry Brown’s last recruit.

He talked about his recruiting visit.

“As soon as I went to KU, two weeks after they won it (national title), I saw the campus and met the people,” Jamison said. “Scooter Barry and Milt Newton were my hosts. I knew that was the place I wanted to be.”

After sitting out the 1988-89 season because he didn’t meet the Big Eight junior college transfer rule requiring 24 transferable credit hours in the previous fall and spring, he was then not eligible to play in the fall semester of 1989 based on NCAA eligibility requirements.

Jamison finally became eligible in the 19th game of the season, averaging 11 minutes per game and shooting a scorching 61.4 percent from the field.

Then this California native had his coming out party during the 1990-91 Final Four season, arguably KU’s most consistent performer throughout the season while developing into a leader on the court in the later part of season.

He elevated his game during the NCAA Tournament, posting a double-double  (14 points, 10 boards) against Indiana in the Sweet 16 before exploding for a career-high 26 points and nine rebounds versus Arkansas in the Elite Eight. Jamison shot a sizzling 72 percent from the floor in the first four games of the Big Dance, including 18 of 24 in the Southeast Regional (Most Outstanding Player).

Jamison recorded a team-high 80 steals that junior season and set a KU single-game record with eight steals against Marquette. Only Darnell Valentine and Danny Manning had posted more steals in one season. He averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.5 percent from the field, one of the top 10 percentages in KU history.

Entering his senior season, Jamison was one of 20 players on the preseason list for the John Wooden Award, given to college basketball’s best player. Considered one of the top defenders in the country, Jamison had the skills to guard quick, smaller players as well as opposing big men.

KU coach Roy Williams called Jamison “the quickest learned I have ever coached.” The 225-pounder was also the strongest player on the team with a 455-pound back squat and 302-pound power clean.

After helping lead KU to the Final Four the previous season, Jamison concluded his senior season averaging 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds while recording a career-high 83 steals (2.59 spg) in 26.9 minutes per game. He shot 55.6 percent from the field and a career-best 67.6 percent at the charity stripe.

He told me he wanted to be “remembered for defense, tenacious defensive player.”

Indeed, he was.

Jamison also showed tenacity and perseverance after leaving KU in 1992 after majoring in communications. Fifteen years later, he received a bachelor’s degree.

He eventually developed type-2 diabetes and lost kidney function. By April 2015, Jamison was on dialysis eight to 10 hours daily. His life was eventually saved when Army veteran Shekinah Bailey donated his kidney to Jamison on Jan. 24, 2017. Just before he headed into transplant surgery, Jamison talked to KSHB about what Bailey’s gift meant to him.

"I think it's going to be gratefulness and I feel that now and I'm going to continue to feel that for that man over there," he said.

Bailey was also grateful to help Jamison.

“I saw the interview actually you did on Facebook," Bailey said. "It kind of dawned on me that it's like, if I'm willing to be a soldier and go out there and lay down my life what's a few months of inconvenience to give somebody a kidney?”

The surgery was successful and Jamison is feeling like a new person.

"You just don't know how it feels to have a gift like this,” he said. “This is just once in a lifetime type of situation and I can't put it into words.”

Jamison, a registered organ donor, is now giving back by being a Green Ribbon Champion for Midwest Transplant Network. His goal, as MTN reported on Nov. 1, 2018, “is to encourage more people in Kansas and Missouri to join the organ donor registry.”

Jan Finn, president and CEO of Midwest Transplant Network, greatly encourages more people like Jamison and Bailey to become organ donors and save lives.

“Nationwide, an average of 22 people die every day due to lack of available organs for transplants,” she said. “We have the power to change that. Alonzo and Shekinah are proof of it.”

Here is my 2002 Where are they Now? story on Jamison, where he talked about overcoming adversity to make his mark at KU and his fond relationship with Roy Williams. He called Williams “one of my closest friends.”

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Alonzo Jamison’s road to basketball glory at Kansas had a few bumps along the way. After signing with KU out of Rancho Santiago Junior College (Santa Ana, Calif.) in May, 1988, Jamison saw KU coach Larry Brown leave for the pros a month and half later. Then, Roy Williams was hired in July when Jamison learned he was academically ineligible and would have to sit out the 1988-89 season.

“Coach Williams had told me he would recruit me again if I wanted to go back to junior college another year,” Jamison said. “That’s when I knew he was genuine and really on a level that you don’t see that often in Division I. I decided it would be a lot better if I sat out a year and learned the system and try to help the team out the year after.”

After sitting out the season, Jamison was then sidelined an additional semester for failure to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. The year and a half layoff was a trying time for Jamison, who learned a great deal about perseverance and overcoming adversity. He said the struggles made him a better person.

“That’s when I finally knew (being declared academically ineligible the fall of 1989) I was going to have to buckle down and do my job,” Jamison said. “It sort of prepared me for life. Nobody really cares. After you play ball, you’re a has-been. You got to make your own way in life.  Nobody’s going to do it for you.”

A tenacious battler and unselfish player, Jamison (6-6, 225) eventually won over the hearts of the KU faithful and Williams with his work ethic and defense. Williams called Jamison the “quickest learner I’ve ever coached” and one of the top defensive players he’s had. Jamison, who ranks No. 6 all time at KU in career steals, possessed the strength and quickness to stop opponents both on the wing and in the post.

“He’s had a lot of good defensive players,” Jamison said. “He’s had a lot of good players, period. To even be mentioned in that type of context is kind of special. ... Anybody could score. At least that was my mentality. It was one of those things where it takes a very special person to go out and shut somebody down.”

Jamison was, indeed, a very special player. He’ll probably be most remembered by KU fans for leading the ‘Hawks into the 1991 Final Four with his career game against Arkansas in the 1991 Elite Eight. Jamison, who scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds, was masterful in keying a second half comeback win. He earned Most Outstanding Player of the Southeast Regional.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t remember a lot,” said Jamison about the victory. “I was more in a zone. People get in a zone and they don’t think about what you’re doing. You just react. I just felt the rim was a little bit bigger than what everybody else was looking at.”

Unfortunately, KU lost to Duke in the national title game. The following season, Jamison’s career ended on a sour note when Kansas was upset by UTEP in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After concluding his collegiate career (10.0 ppg in 1991-92), Jamison tried his luck with professional basketball. He was released by Denver in rookie camp and then sliced by the Los Angeles Lakers in veterans camp. Jamison next played six months in Sweden and two months in France. A few months later upon returning home in 1993, Jamison ruptured his Achilles and had surgery. He then decided to give up the game.

“It was pretty difficult at the time,” Jamison said. “It was one of those things where my body was falling apart pretty good (Jamison also had knee surgery after being cut by Los Angeles) so there wasn’t a lot I could do about it. The mind was willing but the body wasn’t.”

Jamison admits there were other reasons he quit basketball.

“I was so instilled with the team atmosphere and team game in college, I couldn’t take myself out of that realm and put it towards the individual one-on-one game,” Jamison said. “I think that was my biggest downfall. ... The professional level is completely different than the college level. For college, you’re playing for pride of the school. Professionally, it’s a business.”

Jamison moved on with his life and became a manager for Applebees restaurant in 1994. After working there two years, he changed professions and entered the banking business. He was a branch manager for Commerce Bank in Kansas City for four years before switching to Bank of Blue Valley. Jamison works with commercial lending as the business development manager for the past year.

“I enjoy meeting people and getting to know people’s needs and try to fit our product with what their needs are,” he said.

When he’s not working, Jamison keeps busy spending time with his wife and three children. And, of course, he follows the Jayhawks. Jamison calls Williams about once a month, “just to see where his head his and give him a pat on the back and let him know he’s still the man.” The California native will never forget the statement Williams made at the awards banquet in 1992 — that Jamison meant so much to the program, he would give the shirt off his back to him.

“It’s one of those things that is still in my mind,” Jamison said. “He’s a very special person. For somebody to believe in me and my skills when he didn’t even know me to tell me he would recruit me again out of loyalty not only from him but the university, we can just say that coach is one of my closest friends.”

Jamison admits their relationship was rough at first.

"All friendships are going to have a rocky stage,” Jamison said. “Ours was at the beginning.  I’m just glad he saw something in me that he liked, and we just persevered. I’ve been through a lot with that man.”

A Closer Look at Alonzo Jamison:

Years at KU: 1988-1992

Career Notables: Member of the 1991 Final Four team...Most Outstanding Player of the Southeast Regional in ‘91...Tied with Nick Bradford for most steals in one game (Jamison had 8 steals twice)...No. 6 all time in career steals and No. 4 in career field goal percentage (58 percent).

Family: Wife, Jennifer, daughter Michaela, 6, and twins — Elise, 3, Olivia, 3.

Education: Jamison majored in communications. (He earned a bachelor's degree in 2007).

Since Leaving KU: After being cut by Denver and Los Angeles, Jamison played six months in Sweden and two months in France. He then quit basketball and worked as manager at Applebees for two years (1994 and ‘95). Next, Jamison switched professions and was branch manager for Commerce Bank for four years before becoming business development officer for Bank of Blue Valley.

Currently: Jamison is business development officer for Bank of Blue Valley in Overland Park, Kan.

Hobbies: Golf.

Favorite KU Memories: 1991 Final Four. “Having that 1991 team go to the Final Four when there’s only maybe four or five teams that actually did that in the history of KU basketball, that’s special in itself.”...Breaking the basketball support with a dunk during Midnight Madness in October, 1988. “I remember just the crowd going crazy. I was coming down after the dunk on two feet with the rim still in my hand. I didn’t feel any pain or anything, but I got a four or five inch gash on the top of my head. I still have it to this day.”  

Steve Woodberry left his mark at Kansas and in overseas basketball

I had a great Where are they Now? interview with former KU standout Steve Woodberry in February 2000 at Mr. Goodcents in Lawrence. Steve, who was back in Lawrence after playing professionally overseas rehabbing his knee and working at Retirement Management Company, talked to me fondly over his lunch break about his KU career and his professional career in Australia.

Then a young woman recognized Steve and asked him if he played for KU. Steve was very kind and said he did. They had a very nice conversation.

“It’s a good feeling to have,” Steve told me. “When they come up and talk to you, you can tell that you left a mark, along with the other players around you.”

Woodberry, who Roy Williams once said was the best defensive player he ever coached at Kansas, reveled in his KU experience.

“It was too short,” he said. “Four years was too short. It was a great four years.”

Woodberry arrived at KU after a heralded career at Wichita South High School under head coach Steve Eck. The Kansas Naismith Player of the Year in 1990, Woodberry averaged 20.5 points and 10 rebounds per game that senior season with single-game highs of 31 points and 15 boards. He led WSHS to two state championships and three straight conference titles while the Titans only lost three games during his career.

Woodberry, whose most admired athlete is Michael Jordan, improved each year of his KU career, averaging 3.0 points his freshman season, 7.2 points as a sophomore, 10.1 points his junior season, and then a team-high 15.5 points as a senior.

He boasts career averages of 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 23.6 minutes per game (138 games), while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 79.1 percent at the free throw line, and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. Woodberry shot a scorching 87.9 percent at the charity stripe during the 1992-93 Final Four season (No. 3 all time for single season in KU annals), where he was regarded as the best sixth man in the land.

Woodberry’s KU teams went a sparkling 110-28, where he played in two Final Fours (1991 and 1993), won three Big Eight regular-season titles, one conference tournament championship and one Preseason NIT title.

After graduating from KU with an economics degree, Woodberry embarked on a highly successful 11-year career overseas. He played in Switzerland in 1995 before enjoying a six-year career in Australia. He was the league’s MVP with the Brisbane Bullets in 1999 and an all-league selection in 1998 and ‘99. Woodberry then played two seasons in Lithuania, winning a championship in 2001 and voted the league’s Import player of the Year, before playing in Greece, Sweden and Finland.

Woodberry, who retired in 2005, then embarked on a coaching career, serving as an assistant at Missouri State from 2006-12, where he was part of five winning seasons, including three 20-win campaigns and three postseason berths. The Bears played in the NIT twice (2007, 2011) and won the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2010.

In 2012, he joined KU legend Danny Manning as his assistant Tulsa, where he coached for two years. Woodberry was instrumental to Tulsa in winning the 2013-14 Conference USA regular season and tournament titles--the program’s first league title since 2003. Tulsa played in the postseason both years, earning a a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, its first NCAA berth in 11 seasons.

The former KU standout guard then moved to Wake Forest, where he’s continued as Manning’s assistant coach. Woodberry helped lead Wake to the 2017 NCAA Tournament, where the Deacs ranked in the top-10 nationally in offensive efficiency. Wake set school records with 268 three-pointers and 77.8 percent at the free throw line, averaging 82.8 points per game. 

Steve and his wife, Bianca, have three children -- sons Shaylen and Sherron and daughter Sanaa'. He also has two other children, Steven and Kaylen.

Here is my Where are they Now? interview with Woodberry from 2000. Steve, I truly appreciate your kindness and the time you gave me.

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Every now and then, Steve Woodberry will turn on the TV and see a fellow Wichita native, Adrian Griffin, starting at small forward for the Boston Celtics. Woodberry, who played against Griffin in high school (Woodberry starred for Wichita South while Griffin, two years younger, played at Wichita East) and briefly in the CBA, can’t help but beam with pride.

“I’m happy for him,” Woodberry said this recent afternoon at a Lawrence restaurant during his lunch break from RMC (Retirement Management Company). “I’m glad he’s doing well, because there’s not very many guys from Wichita — if any — besides Adrian Griffin in the NBA. ... He does a great job for them.”

While Griffin toiled in the CBA (he played in college at Seton Hall) before getting a shot at the NBA, Woodberry has spent the majority of his time after college playing basketball overseas in Australia. The former Kansas basketball star has been one of the top players in the league for six seasons, and was even named MVP last year (27.0 ppg) despite an injury-riddled campaign.  

Woodberry said he has no regrets about not pursuing a CBA career after college, where he would have received more exposure from NBA scouts.

“I don’t recommend anyone going to play in the CBA,” said Woodberry, who actually played 30 games in the league for Quad Cities in 1997. “If you’re willing to stick it out, that’s fine. But what happens if you don’t make it? He’s (Griffin) an exception to the rule. All it takes is one person to like you. What happens if the coach doesn’t like you? I thought it was better for me to go overseas. You make more money overseas than you do with the CBA anyway.  I wanted to make the money,” Woodberry said, laughing.

After undergoing three knee surgeries in eight months, Woodberry is currently taking a year off from basketball, rehabbing his knee, and working in Lawrence (he’s been living here since November). An economics major, Woodberry is enjoying getting invaluable working experience at RMC, where he’s involved in accounts payable.

Woodberry, who plans on playing basketball three to five more years and then possibly joining the coaching ranks, is fortunate to currently have the opportunity to keep close tabs on the Jayhawks and watch his former coach, Roy Williams, conduct practices. Williams once gave Woodberry the ultimate compliment, saying that he was the best defensive player he’s ever coached at KU.

“That meant a lot,” Woodberry said. “I don’t think many players today take pride in defense.  Nowadays, it’s whose got the best crossover, who can jump the highest and shoot the most. I think him saying that really says a lot about me and how much pride I took playing on both ends of the floor.”

Woodberry admits he compensated for his lack of athletic gifts by learning shortcuts and watching other great defensive players like Alonzo Jamison. With scorers like Mark Randall, Rex Walters and Adonis Jordan, Woodberry wasn’t asked to shoot much his first three years in college  He thrived in the role as Super Sub, and was generally regarded as the best sixth man in the country in 1993.

“It’s good when you can come in and play the point, two and three,” Woodberry said. “I gave us what we needed. ... I took a back seat to be unselfish and make sure other guys got involved.  I thought there was more to my game than just scoring. I enjoyed playing defense, rebounding, getting steals. I’m glad I came here and did it that way.”

Woodberry wound up leading the team in scoring his senior year in 1994 (15.5 ppg) and silently carved his way into the KU record books. He tied the school record for most games played in the NCAA tournament (16), and ranks among the all-time Jayhawk leaders in assists, steals, and three point field goals.  

Of course, Woodberry will never forget going to two Final Fours (1991 and 1993) and hitting game-winning shots throughout his career, including buzzer beaters against K-State in 1992 and Oklahoma State in 1994. Woodberry, who calls the three-pointer against the Cowboys one of the biggest shots of his life, said he lives for those moments.

“Most people are scared,” said Woodberry, whose also hit a couple of game-winners in Australia.  “But why not? Either you miss it or you make it. What’s going to happen? Nobody’s going to kill you. You step up to the challenge and see if you can meet it. Michael Jordan, as many as he’s made, how many did he miss? No one remembers that.”

And how would he like to be remembered?

“To me, everything was about winning,” Woodberry said (he won two state championships in high school). “I’d just like to be remembered as a winner. I did everything I could to help us win.”

And while Woodberry would certainly love to be playing in the NBA with Griffin and former KU teammates Walters, Jacque Vaughn and Greg Ostertag (the Milwaukee Bucks actually asked Woodberry to work out this summer, but he was unable due to his knee injury), he’s perfectly content continuing to play basketball overseas or anywhere but the CBA.

“People are doing worse things,” Woodberry said, smiling. “Basketball is fun. You get paid to do it two hours a day.”

A Closer Look at Steve Woodberry:

Years at KU: 1990-94

Career Notables:  Member of 1991 and 1993 Final Four teams... No. 19 leading scorer in KU history...Among KU all-time leaders in three-point field goals, assists, steals, and games played...  Second team All-Big Eight in 1993 and ‘94.

Education: B.G.S. Economics, 1996

Family: Woodberry has two children (Steven, 2, and Kaylen, 7)

Since Leaving KU: After being cut by Larry Brown’s Indiana Pacers in 1994, Woodberry spent the next six seasons playing overseas in Australia. He also had a brief stint in the CBA (30 games with Quad Cities) in 1997.

Currently: Woodberry is living in Lawrence while rehabbing his knee and working for Retirement Management Company.

Favorite KU Memories: “How close-knit everyone is. We’re lifelong friends.” … Going to the Final Four as a freshman in 1991. “Mark Randall was the star, but everybody did their role and played together. That was a special year.” 

On the Jayhawks Today: “He’s (Roy Williams) getting a lot more talent than what we had back then. ...This team can go as far as any other team, but they have to play together.”

Rick Calloway was one of the best transfers in KU history

Rick Calloway may be one of the most forgotten great players in KU history since he only played at KU one season (1989-90) after transferring from Indiana and head coach Bob Knight, where he played three years and won a national title in 1987.

I had a very revealing Where are they now? interview with Rick in January 2001, where he talked about what led him to pick KU, his decision to transfer from IU and his great memories of being a Jayhawk.

Calloway had a very distinguished career at Indiana, where he scored 1,073 points in 84 games (12.8 ppg) while averaging 4.5 rebounds per game. The 6-6 quick small forward was named 1986 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and freshman All-American by the Sporting News, averaging career-highs 13.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He was selected Honorable Mention All-Big 10 as a freshman and sophomore, while named second-team All-Big Conference his junior season. Calloway, who scored a career-high 26 points versus Idaho his freshman year, shot 52.3 percent from the field and 69.4 percent from the charity stripe for his career while averaging 29.7 minutes per game.

He scored the winning basket in a 77-76 win over LSU in the 1987 Midwest Regional Championship, and recorded career-highs with 13 rebounds and Minnesota and Auburn in that NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, he broke his wrist in the ‘87 national final game against Syracuse.

Calloway, who scored in double digits 19 games as as sophomore, arrived at IU after a sensational career at Winthrow High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, averaging 29.5 points and 13.5 boards per game his senior year, earning Ohio class 3A Player of the year and named a McDonald’s and Parade All-American. Calloway was co-MVP of the Capital Classic All-Star game, scoring 24 points. He also lettered in football and track in high school.

He then competed for KU coach Larry Brown at the National Sports Festival in Houston with KU players Danny Manning and Sean Alvarado, winning the gold medal while named to the All-Tournament team averaging 15.2 points per game.

Calloway also traveled to Taiwan in 1986 as a member of the USA team in the Jones Cup.

After redshirting the 1988-89 season upon transferring, there were high expectations for this former Indiana star and McDonald’s All-American. Before the 1989-90 season, KU coach Roy Williams tried to temper the hype.

“I’m glad Rick Calloway is here,” Williams said. “I hope people don’t make him out to be a savior. Rick is a fine basketball player, but he can’t pick it up on his shoulders and take this team to the so-called promised land by himself. He knows that he has been out of competitive game-like situations for over a year and a half. He’s a hard worker, and that’s what I like about him.”

Calloway prepared for his last college season by playing for the Big Eight Conference select team in the summer of 1989 in Australia. He was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.1 ppg) while scoring 23 points versus Hobart, the highest single-game mark for any Big Eight player.

He then made an instant impact at KU during the 1989-90 season (KU went 30-5 and bounced in and out of the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in America most of the year), starting all 35 games and averaging 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds,  2.97 steals, 1.4 steals (No. 9 in Big Eight) in 23.9 minutes per game, while shooting an impressive 54.4 percent from the field (No. 9 in Big  8 with 55.7 effective field goal percentage) and 73.4 percent at the charity stripe. He scored a season-high 22 points (9-10 FG) against Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Calloway told me he transferred from IU since coach Bob Knight reduced his playing time and benched him in the Hoosiers’ first-round NCAA Tournament loss against Richmond in 1988.

“He yelled and screamed all the time, which wasn’t a problem,” Calloway said. “As long as I played and got my minutes, I didn't have a problem with that. The problems came when he started benching me and taking away my minutes. I just thought that where I wanted to go as a player, I needed to go somewhere where I could be on the floor.”

Calloway, though, candidly admitted he wasn’t crazy about Knight’s verbal abuse.

“It’s not that I was unhappy, I just felt he had mistreated so many people, although he did a lot of good for a lot of people, too,” Calloway said. “(The) game passed him by. ... When you look at 18, 19, 20-year old kids and you’re verbally abusing them on a consistent basis, that has to leave some type of mental scars on you later on in life. Just like a parent that mentally abuses a kid, that has to stick with them. If you got somebody telling you every day, ‘You’re no good, you won’t ever be any good, worse player I’ve ever coached,’ just stuff like that, after that, you might start to believe it.”

During Calloway’s senior year at KU in February 1990, NBA Director of  Scouting commented on Calloway and teammate Kevin Pritchard.

“I think they’ll both be drafted,” Blake said. “Calloway has been outstanding. I like ‘em both, especially Calloway.”

Calloway ended up going undrafted, but played one year in the NBA for Sacramento under head coach Dick Motta in 1990-91. He averaged 3.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 64 games (10.6 minutes per contest), while shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 69.6 at the free throw line.

Here is my 2001 Where are they Now? story on Rick Calloway, one of the best transfers in KU history. He should never be forgotten by Jayhawk fans.

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Rick Calloway’s journey to KU began during the summer of 1985 at the National Sports Festival in Houston, Texas. Calloway, a high school McDonald’s All-American and incoming freshman at Indiana, teamed with KU coach Larry Brown and Danny Manning to win the gold medal.

“He (Brown) told me if things didn’t work out (at Indiana), to give him a call,” Calloway recalled recently from his home in Houston.

Actually, Calloway’s first two seasons at IU under Bobby Knight were pretty successful. He was Big 10 freshman of the year and then started on Indiana’s national championship team in 1987. However, Calloway suddenly found himself in Knight’s doghouse the following season and was benched in IU’s first round loss in the 1988 NCAA Tournament.

 

“I just thought that where I wanted to go as a player, I needed to go somewhere where I could be on the floor,” Calloway said.

And that place was Kansas.  

He took Brown up on his offer three years earlier and called the KU mentor. Just one month after KU had won the national championship in April, 1988, Calloway arrived in Lawrence with high expectations of beginning a new career. Little did he know at the time that Brown would quickly take the head-coaching position with the San Antonio Spurs.

“I was definitely disappointed because I came there to play for coach Brown,” Calloway said. “But I also came to play for the program, because I did want to go to a top-notch program. They had just won the national championship, so it doesn’t get any better than that.”

After Roy Williams became the new KU coach in July, he soon had a meeting with the star transfer.

“I told him I was not interested in leaving,” Calloway said. "We hit off pretty well and I decided to stay. ... I kind of felt like I was at home already.”

Calloway, who sat out the 1988-89 season under the NCAA four-year school transfer rule, immediately found his home in the starting lineup the following year. An athletic, slashing 6-foot-6 forward, he’ll never forget beginning the season knocking off the top two ranked teams in the country (UNLV and LSU) and winning 19 consecutive games.

However, Calloway’s senior season (13.1 ppg) and college career ended on a bitter note, when his 15-foot baseline jumper in the final seconds came up just short in KU’s second-round loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

“I was very disappointed because I’ve made that shot in my sleep,” Calloway said. “Nine times out of 10, I make that shot. But unfortunately, it didn’t fall for me. ... I thought we could have made it to the Final Four.”

Despite losing the game, Calloway cherishes his memories of playing for Williams at Kansas.  

“The experience was great.  Coach Williams yelling — I don’t even call that yelling after being at Indiana for three years,” Calloway said, laughing. “He was tough but fair, and that’s all you want.  And when you did something wrong, he told you what you did wrong so you could fix it. Coach Knight would pull you out of the game, and he wouldn’t tell you why so you wouldn’t know what you did wrong to try to correct it in practice or the next game. Coach Williams, he was honest. Physically, practice was a lot harder than at Indiana. But it was a lot easier mentally.”

Calloway added that he felt like part of the “family” at KU, unlike his days at IU.

“At Indiana, it felt like it was more of a business,” he said. “Things were so tense and so tight all the time because of coach Knight. At KU, we were relaxed. All the guys hung out together. I just thought we were more of a family. That was a big change for me.”

After leaving “home” in 1990, Calloway went undrafted but eventually signed with the Sacramento Kings. He played the entire year in Sacramento, and scored a career-high 22 points vs. Seattle.

“Of course, my dream was to play (NBA) and I did,” Calloway said. “I played very well.”

Calloway, who spent the next season with Albany (Ga.) in a newly formed professional basketball league, took his skills overseas for six years playing in Argentina, Turkey, Israel, France and Poland.

“Every year, I played in a different country,” Calloway said. “I loved it, because I love to travel. A lot of people can’t deal with being overseas, but it didn’t bother me. ... My wife would come over and we would do a lot of sightseeing and things like that. When I played in Israel, we went to Egypt and saw where Jesus walked. It was nice.”

 Calloway decided to take a year off after 1997 and returned home to Houston (he moved there in 1993) with his wife. He eventually started his own swimming pool business (REDC Pools), which builds pools, repairs them, and does regular maintenance. He loves being his own boss, despite the long 65-to-70 hour work weeks.

“It’s wonderful, especially in Houston because it doesn’t get cold, so people use their pools year round,” he said. “Business is really good.”

And life couldn’t be better for the former KU standout. Living in Houston, Calloway has come full circle since he first made his Jayhawk connections with Brown almost 16 years ago in the National Sports Festival in Texas. Asked if he’d trade his NCAA title and three seasons at IU for four years at Kansas, Calloway doesn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, if I would have played there four years with the guys, I definitely think we would have won the championship,” he replied. “If I could have done it all over again...I definitely wish I could have played at KU a lot longer. I’m a Jayhawk.”

A Closer Look at Rick Calloway:

Years at KU: 1988-’90 (sat out the 88-89 season after transferring from Indiana)

Career Notables: 1990 UPI All-Transfer team...Co-UPI Newcomer of the Year...scored season-high 22 points (9-10 FG) vs. Robert Morris in first round of NCAA Tournament...1986 Big 10 Freshman of the Year at Indiana and freshman All-American by the Sporting News...Member of IU’s ‘87 national championship team.

Family: Calloway has a wife, Nancy (she has a 14-year-old daughter, April, from a previous marriage).

Education: Calloway will receive a communications degree this summer after completing two correspondence courses.

Since Leaving KU: Calloway played a year with the Sacramento Kings and one season with Albany (Ga.) in a newly formed professional league. He then spent six years playing overseas before returning home to Houston in 1997.  

Currently: Calloway owns a swimming pool company (REDC Pools).

Hobbies: golf, coaching JV boys high school basketball team.

Favorite Memories:  “Family atmosphere.” ...“Midnight Madness”... Crushing Kentucky 150-95: “That’s probably as good as we played. That game was awesome.” The fan support: “The students were real important. At Indiana, it was more of an alumni crowd. But at KU, the students were right down on the floor behind the basket. It felt more like a college town.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “I try to catch as many games as I can. ... I look for them to do great things in the (NCAA) Tournament this year. Coach Williams deserves a championship.”

Ken Koenigs starred on and off the court at KU

I had a wonderful interview with former KU standout Ken Koenigs in February 2001 for Jayhawk Insider. Koenigs was a smooth shooting 6-10 forward and one of the smartest players to ever wear the crimson and blue.

A two-time Academic All-American in 1977 and ‘78, the Goddard, Kan., native became just 

the second player in KU history to receive the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Award after his senior year in 1978.

While he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fifth round after an impressive senior year, Koenigs declined a career in pro basketball to pursue his dream of a medical career.  He’s been a doctor (gastroenterologist) in Springfield, Mass., since 1988.

“I always liked science,” Koenigs told me. “I think I’m a people person and I like the ability to combine and help people and interact, and use science in that clinical background.” 

Koenigs has fond memories of his KU career, where he excelled academically and on the hardwood, earning first-team All-Big Eight honors his senior year while averaging 11.1 points per game and pacing the team with a 60.3 field goal percentage. He savors the relationships he built with teammates like Paul Mokeski and roommate John Douglas, KU head coach Ted Owens, his chemistry teacher Clark Bricker (he won four HOPE awards for outstanding teaching) and Chancellor Archie Dykes.

Koenigs grew up listening on the radio to Jayhawk heroes like Jo Jo White, Rodger Bohnenstiehl, Roger Brown and Dave Robisch.

Koenigs, who “bled crimson and blue,” and whose dad went to KU, admitted his tough sophomore (13-13) and junior seasons (18-10) ”wasn’t always the greatest times,” but said his career “ended on a high note” with the great 24-5 1977-78 team, which won the Big Eight championship (13-1) and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation.

“I thought it was a great overall experience. Great memories. (It was a) dream come true,” Koenigs said about coming to Kansas. “It kind of worked out as I hoped it would.”

Here is my Where are they Now? story on Dr. Ken Koenigs.

...

Ken Koenigs remembers quite well those late night hours burning the midnight oil studying in the science and law libraries at the University of Kansas.  He even found refuge hitting the books in hotel bathrooms during road trips so he wouldn’t “keep anybody else awake.”

 

And then there were those long bus rides with his KU basketball teammates back from Stillwater, Okla., where he’d return at 3:30 a.m. in time for a cat nap before rising for his 7:30 morning chemistry labs.

“You’d come back on Thursdays and do that and then go to practice,” Koenigs recalled recently from his home in Longmeadow, Mass., where he has a private medical practice in nearby Springfield.  “You were pretty dead by the time the day was over with.”

But the 6-10 smooth shooting forward and chemistry (pre-med) major endured.  Koenigs was an Academic All-American in 1977 and ‘78, and became just the second player in KU history to receive the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Award after his senior year in 1978.

“It was hard making the adjustment, especially my freshman year,” Koenigs said about balancing hoops and academics. “I think in the end it prepares you for med school, because you had to develop the discipline and work ethic.”

Koenigs not only excelled in the classroom, but on the hardwood as well. After two solid years in 1976 and ‘77, he blossomed as a big-time player his senior year.  Koenigs, a co-captain that season, made All-Big Eight and led the team with an amazing 60.3 field goal percentage. It was a dream season for Koenigs and Kansas, which went 13-1 in the Big Eight and finished the year 24-5.

“It was a good team that got along well together,” Koenigs said. “Things kind of clicked. There were some good guys on that team. Obviously, Darnell (Valentine) brought a lot to the table and helped finish off the picture and made a great contribution.”

Unfortunately, KU’s season ended abruptly with a first-round loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

“You’d like to have made it all the way, or at least made it a little farther,” Koenigs said.

Koenigs, who actually played in the NABC All-Star game at the Final Four, was eventually drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  After an impressive showing in rookie camp, Koenigs decided to forgo veterans camp and follow his high school dream of becoming a doctor.

“It was a long-held goal, and that was pretty much my priority,” he said.  “I never thought I’d be good enough to play in the NBA. I was somewhat of a late bloomer and had a very good senior year. It was only at that point where I thought I’d might do it, but that was never my primary goal.”

After graduating from KU Medical School in 1982, Koenigs spent the next  five years at Yale for his residency and fellowship, where he specialized in gastroenterology. In 1988, Koenigs moved to Massachusetts and opened up a private practice in Springfield.  

He’s been there ever since.

The former KU standout said one of his biggest thrills recently was inviting Roy Williams’ Jayhawks to his house for Thanksgiving dinner when the team was in Springfield for the Tip-Off Classic in November, 1998.

“That was a great experience,” Koenigs said.  “Coach Williams has been unbelievable in keeping (ex-KU) players involved and having these reunions and banquets and really keeping everybody in the Kansas family. ... He’s always been very gracious. I think that’s one of the great things about him.  Even if you weren’t a player who played for him, you still feel like you’re part of the program.”

 

Koenigs biggest kick of the evening was when his son, Thomas, got into a “heated” air hockey match with Lester Earl.

“The puck flies off and hits Matt (assistant coach Doherty) in the head.  Now that Matt’s the head man at North Carolina, Tom’s claim to fame is that he about knocked him out with a air hockey puck,” Koenigs said with a laugh.

Dr. Koenigs, indeed, finds lots to laugh and smile about these days knowing just how far he’s come since those long nights quietly studying chemistry equations in motel restrooms throughout the Big 8 conference.  

"It’s an interesting phenomenon to finally get where you want to be,” he said. “I’m very satisfied with what I’m doing and where I’m at.” 

A Closer Look at Ken Koenigs:

Years at KU: 1974-’78

Career Notables: All-Big Eight in 1978...Two-time Academic All-American in 1977 and ‘78... Led team in free throw percentage in 1976 and ‘77, and topped squad in field goal percentage in 1978 at 60.3.

Family: Wife, Laura M. Pinkston (she’s a pediatrician in adolescent medicine) and children: Thomas, 15, Maria, 13.

Education: 1978, B.A. Chemistry; 1982, M.D. (KU School of Medicine)

Since Leaving KU: After receiving a M.D. from the KU School of Medicine in 1982, Koenigs spent the next five years in Yale completing his residency and fellowship. In 1988, he settled into a private practice in Springfield, Mass. 

Currently: Koenigs is a doctor (gastroenterologist in private practice in Springfield).

Hobbies: Skiing, golf, basketball.

Favorite Memories: close-knit 1978 team and special relationships with teammates like Paul Mokeski and roommate John Douglas...Playing in Allen Fieldhouse: “That’s an experience you don’t get in any lifetime.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “They’re having a great year.  They’re certainly in that top 10.”

Donnie Von Moore persevered through illness while having a standout KU career

Donnie Von Moore was one of my true KU basketball heroes growing up in Lawrence. I loved his name, I loved his game, and I loved his personality. Above all, I so admired how he persevered over great adversity after almost dying of pneumonia in 1975. He lay in a hospital bed for eight weeks fighting for his life.

Within two weeks of leaving the hospital and despite losing 45 pounds on his already slender frame, Donnie was back on the court practicing with his teammates. 

 “Just because you love the game so much, you got to get back into it,” Von Moore told me in 2000.

He redshirted the 1975-76 season due to his illness, but came back his final two seasons and played productively as a key reserve big man off the bench.

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Donnie Von Moore. I named my intramural softball team the “Donnie Von Moore’s.” We may not have been that great, but we played with the great heart and courage of Von Moore.

I also have a connection with Donnie through my older brother Michael. My brother attended the University of Chicago in the late 1970s and lived near Wrigley Field. He would hang out with Donnie playing pool and watching him play hoops on the playground. My brother sent me this prized pic of Donnie skying high for a dunk, a picture I deeply cherished of my childhood hero.

I spent about 45 minutes talking to Donnie in 2000, just before he was set to work his graveyard shift at UPS. After years of trying to find himself after KU in his native Chicago, Donnie finally got hoops out of his system at age 35 and that basketball was now “dead.” At the time of this great interview, Donnie was also working as a substitute elementary teacher in Chicago, rekindling his love for teaching that he dreamed about as age 5 and teaching life lessons to the next generation of heroes.

I’m very proud of how Donnie’s life has turned out after graduating from KU in 1980 with a degree in health education.

After averaging just 2.0 points in 13 games during the 1973-74 Final Four season, Donnie greatly improved as a sophomore and averaged 7.1 points in 20.6 minutes per game, while collecting 5.7 rebounds and blocking 37 shots. After redshirting, he came back his junior year in 1976-77 and again averaged 7.1 points in 22.7 minutes per game, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and pulled down 5.5 rebounds and led the team with 51 blocks.

Von Moore also led the ‘Hawks in rebounds 13 times as a sophomore and junior.

The 6-9, 205-pound forward saved his best season for last as a senior on the 1977-78 team, one of the most underrated squads in KU history, which went 24-5 and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the land. I got chills going to games that season with my dad and seeing the No. 5 ranked team in action and watching heroes like Von Moore, John Douglas and Darnell Valentine living out my childhood hoop dreams.

Von Moore averaged a career-high 10.7 points per game while blocking a career-high 53 points and averaging a career-best 6.5 boards per game while recording a career-high 22 steals.

For his career, Von Moore scored 730 points (7.5 ppg) and totaled 518 rebounds (5.3 rpg), while posting 147 blocks, No. 6 all time after leaving KU.

Von Moore came to KU after a highly decorated career at Kenwood High School in Chicago, where he was a prep All-American and recruited by KU assistant Sam Miranda. Donnie was also all-state and all-city. He led Kenwood to a 21-5 record his senior year, averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Donnie, thanks for the memories. Your great heart, spirit, soul, determination and perseverance will live with me forever!

Here is the Where Are They Now? profile I wrote on him for Jayhawk Insider in 2000.

...

By David Garfield

Donnie Von Moore lay in in a hospital bed for eight weeks in November and December of 1975 fighting for his life. Von Moore, who underwent major surgery to remove infections in his chest cavity (caused by pneumonia), was comforted and overwhelmed throughout his illness by the tremendous outpour of support from the Jayhawk community.

“In a way, it was probably one of the things that happened that was negative as far as my career was concerned,” the former Kansas basketball standouts said this recent evening from his home in Chicago, Ill. “But it was positive, because it really showed you how much people cared about you. I received thousands of cards and letters. People I never knew came to visit me.”

His family and friends, as well as his positive attitude, helped in Von Moore’s recovery process.  In fact, Doug Murray (son of Nancy and Jim, a longtime KU women’s basketball statistician), who was just 12 at the time, “almost went into the surgery with me, and then when I came out, it was his voice that woke me up.” 

Despite losing 45 pounds, Von Moore left the hospital and was back on the court practicing with his teammates in two weeks. 

 

 “Just because you love the game so much, you got to get back into it.”

A survivor, Von Moore has always been passionate about basketball and people. It was inspirational people like the Murrays and Sinclairs (Paul and his wife were cooks at the training table) which Von Moore remembers most today.

 Ironically, two of his most vivid game memories are ones he wish never happened. Von Moore, a 6-9 forward-center, now recalls the time he got into a “prize fight” with Missouri forward Jim Kennedy.

 

“The ref walked up to Ted (coach Owens) and said number 22 is out of the game,” Von Moore said. "Ted asked me, ‘What did I do?’ I said, ‘Nothing.’ When I saw the film, I was like, ‘Man, you can actually see what you did.’ I hit that guy about four or five times. It didn’t seem like I had done any of it. It was just a reaction.”

And then there was the infamous nationally televised game against K-State in Manhattan on Feb. 11, 1978. The Wildcat fans threw bananas on the floor in response to the KU faithful tossing hot dogs at showboat Curtis Redding when the two teams played in Lawrence earlier that season. K-State students even called Von Moore “ape man.”

“It was like total shock,” Von Moore said. “To me, it was racist. It was cruel and mean spirited. You wouldn’t think educated, college people would stoop to a level like that in response to people throwing a couple of hot dogs, saying a player is a hot dog, then turning it around and saying you got a gorilla or ape playing on your team and throwing bananas.”

KU ended up that season losing to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Von Moore, who lost to UCLA in the Final Four consolation game as a freshman in 1974, was so upset that he didn’t immediately return with the team to Lawrence. Instead, he went with teammate Clint Johnson to California to stay with Johnson’s brother for two weeks. 

“As a freshman, you think you’ll be back (in the Final Four),” Von Moore said. “You don’t cherish the moment as much as you should.”

Now, 22 years later, Von Moore has learned to cherish the day-to-day moments which capture his imagination. He lives back in Chicago with his wife and daughter, just around the corner from where he grew up. Von Moore is beginning life over again at 45 after spending the previous 11 years representing the union members of Speigels. He was secretary treasurer when he ran for president of the union in 1998.

“I lost the election,” Von Moore said. “Naturally, I got fired. I ran against the establishment.”

Blackballed from the union, Von Moore has finally returned to his first love — teaching.  He currently works as a substitute teacher at an elementary school, as well as working the graveyard shift at UPS. 

“I’ve wanted to do that (teaching) ever since I was 5,” Von Moore said. “Everything else was just like sidetracked. I think it’s what I was meant to do. It’s something I know I’m good at it. I didn’t want to do it earlier, because I didn’t think I was ready and had enough experiences in life. Now, it’s about passing what you know on to someone else.”

Von Moore, who is hoping to get his Illinois teaching certificate, admits he “kicked around for a long time trying to get basketball out of my system.” At 35, he “gave up and said, ‘You got to get it out of your mind that basketball is dead.’ I then started trying to get my life together.” 

Soon, Von Moore says he has to go leave the house and work the graveyard shift at UPS. He is upbeat and persevering, just as did on and off the court at Kansas.

“All of the illness and coming back from that and all the other adversities in life, and just sports in general, prepares you to be strong at this period of time,” Von  Moore said  "The job I had before as a union rep, I was making six figures. Now, it’s like you're starting over at UPS making 10 dollars an hour. But you got to do it, because if you don’t do anything, you’ll just lay down and die.”

A Closer Look at Donnie Von Moore:

Years at KU: 1973-78 (Redshirted 1975-76 season due to illness)

Career Notables:  Von Moore ranks No. 6 all-time at KU in blocked shots (147)...Scored 25 points against Missouri his senior year...Member of 1974 Final Four team.

Education: B.S. Health Education, 1980.

Family:  Von Moore and his wife, Denise, have a daughter, Donese, 4. Donnie also has a son, Mathew, 13.

Since Leaving KU: Von Moore received his education degree in 1980, “bummed around” Chicago, and then worked in the warehouse for Speigels catalog company (1983-1988). He quit his position and went to work as a union representative for Speigels employees for 11 years. 

Currently: Von Moore is a substitute elementary school teacher in native Chicago, and also works at UPS.

Hobbies:  Spending time with his family.

Favorite KU Memories:  The lasting relationships built with people like teammate Reuben Shelton and members of the Lawrence community...The old Allen Fieldhouse floor. “It was bouncy so you could jump off it and do some crazy stuff.”

On the Jayhawks Today:  “I always look in the box scores and see how they’re doing. I think Coach (Roy) Williams is probably one of the best things to happen to KU in a long time.”

T.J. Whatley lived his dream as a Jayhawk walk-on

I had the great fortune and lifetime dream of writing the Where Are They Now? profiles on former KU athletes from 1999-2003 for Jayhawk Insider. I’m very grateful for my editor Lauretta McMillen for giving me this opportunity. I interviewed around 60 former Jayhawks, from legends like B.H. Born, Otto Schnellbacher and George Mrkonic to childhood heroes like Tony Guy, Dale Greenlee, Emmett Edwards and Roger Morningstar. All of these players left an indelible mark on KU athletics.

And then there was walk-on T.J. Whatley, who played for KU from 1992-96 and scored a total of 56 points in 127 minutes during his career, which included a trip to New Orleans for the 1993 Final Four.

I could always identify with walk-ons like Whatley. I was a seldom-used reserve on my South Junior High basketball team, which won the league championship in 1981 during my ninth-grade year. Like Whatley (except for one game), I only got in the game during blowouts in the final minutes, when my coaches Ron Garvin and assistant Jim Nye would huddle up real quickly and make the decision to put in me and a few other bench players.

I always got fired up when Garvin called my name off the bench, bringing the ball upcourt as the point guard, initiating the offense, playing tough defense and just playing 100 percent in limited minutes.

But my real games basically came in practice, when I helped our starters get better by pushing them in sprints, drills, and in our offensive and defensive sets. I took pride in how hard I played in practice, just like Whatley and other KU walk-ons did.

Whatley even got the thrill of practicing with future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce and KU coach Roy Williams actually substituted Whatley in for Pierce during the first half of one close game against Colorado his senior year in Allen Fieldhouse, just to “prove a point” to Pierce.

“He didn’t tell me to do any scoring or anything. He just told me to work my butt off, and that’s what I did,” Whatley told me in March 2001. “... It just happened so quickly that I didn’t really get a chance to think about it until halftime. Then, I kind of sat back and realized what went on. It surprised me, but it was a good surprise.”

This former walk-on, who earned a scholarship for one year (junior season), will always remember the resounding chants during the final minutes of blowouts in the Phog: “We want Whatley! We want Whatley!”

While the South Junior High fans never chanted my name like that, it was still a huge thrill to get into seven games that championship season, where I scored my only point of my career in the championship game against Northern Hills at West Junior High, on a free throw in the closing minutes. I felt it was only appropriate that my only point come on a free throw since I prided myself on being one of the best free throw shooters on the team in practice.

And I can proudly say I was the consummate team player, just like Whatley was. I was the only player on our SJH team not to attempt a field goal the entire season. I just didn’t care about shooting and scoring. That wasn’t my job as point guard. And plus, my dad told me that season that the best way to impress my coaches was to pass the ball; my dad said that everyone likes to score, to separate myself from my teammates by making the extra pass.

While I heeded my dad’s advice, I don’t think I ever impressed my coaches too much, since I rarely played. Still, it was a great experience playing junior high basketball and I look back fondly over my career.

Just like Whatley does at KU. Heck, when I interviewed him in 2001, he said he was in Blockbuster Video in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, when somebody recognized him.

“He called me by my name and said he was a big KU fan,” Whatley said. “It’s pretty neat. ... I wouldn’t trade it (KU days) for the world.  It’s something that will really be in my memories forever.”

...

T.J. Whatley starred at Glen Rose High School in Arkansas, holding school records for career scoring and rebounding. Whatley, who earned several academic honors, was a two-time conference MVP in basketball. He also played football and baseball and ran track for the Beavers, earning all-conference and all-county honors in football.

The 6-4 guard declined offers from small schools to attend KU as a walk-on.

As for his most embarrassing moment in sports? Courtesy of the KU Media Guide.

During a fifth-grade football game, Whatley begged his coach to let him attempt a field goal. After the coach agreed, Whatley kicked the oval into the center’s back.

Here is my Where Are They Now? story on Whatley in March 2001 for Jayhawk Insider.

...

The magical words and resounding cheers will echo in T.J. Whatley’s mind forever.

“We want Whatley! We want Whatley!”

For Whatley, this was a familiar chorus call heard in the waning minutes of many home KU blowout wins during his career (1992-96). And he says the Allen Fieldhouse chant never got old.

“At first, I was a little embarrassed by it,” the former KU walk-on said recently from his home in Jacksonville, Fla. “I didn’t realize that many people actually knew my name, much less to start chanting my name like that. Every time they’d do it, it was just awesome.”

Whatley will never forget one instance his freshman year when the Allen Fieldhouse faithful began the chant.

“I was sitting by Adonis (Jordan),” Whatley said. “He was like, ‘Man, you better start stretching out.’ I got a kick out of that because he was really rooting for me to do well. Everybody roots for everybody and they wanted to see me do well. I was kind of a poor man’s varsity basketball player, I guess you could say, kind of a crowd representative because I was a walk-on. Maybe I was helping some others live out their dreams, too. I really enjoyed it.”

The 6-4 guard never enjoyed it more than the dreamy night against Colorado his senior year on Feb. 14, 1996. With KU struggling in the first half and down a few points, coach Roy Williams looked to his bench and inserted Whatley for freshman sensation Paul Pierce. Whatley responded with a quick layup off a Kansas steal. Allen Fieldhouse was deafening, as KU eventually regained momentum and pulled away in the second half.

“I guess he (Williams) wanted to prove a point,” Whatley said about the substitution. “He didn’t tell me to do any scoring or anything. He just told me to work my butt off, and that’s what I did. ... It just happened so quickly that I didn’t really get a chance to think about it until halftime. Then, I kind of sat back and realized what went on. It surprised me, but it was a good surprise.”

Whatley, a project engineer for Black and Veatch, still treasures his days at Mount Oread and being part of such a rich basketball tradition. He admits, though, that he thought of transferring to a smaller school late in his sophomore year in hopes of receiving more playing time. After discussing the situation with Williams, the Glen Rose, Ark., native decided to continue living his dream at Kansas.

“One, I could get a great education at KU,” Whatley said. “If I got a degree with the University of Kansas on my diploma, that really meant something. And it was just so much fun hanging around the guys. We got to do so much stuff together. It ended up being the best thing for me.”

Whatley said another source of motivation was “getting to play against the No. 1 team in the nation, practically, each day in practice” and guarding guys like Rex Walters, Steve Woodberry, and Paul Pierce.

“It was a lot of fun,” Whatley said. “It made me a heck of a lot better player. I was 10 times better after four years than I was coming in. ... Paul, he’s on his way to a Hall of Fame career. I can say I might have blocked his shot once or twice in practice. He got the best of me the majority of the time, but every now and then, I’d slip up on him and get a steal or something. That’s a good story for my grandkids.”

In addition to scrimmaging and “being around basically 12, 13 brothers,” Whatley relished the invaluable opportunity of learning from a master coach and great human being like Williams.

“The big thing about coach is he is the most professional man I’ve ever met in my life,” Whatley said. “He’s a great teacher as to how to act off the court in a professional setting in dealing with other people. That’s helped me tremendously as far as my professional career. Personally, he works so hard. ...To have some of that rub off on me, I’ve taken that attitude into a lot of things I’ve done. I don’t like letting people outwork me to get something.”

After graduating from KU in 1997 with a degree in civil engineering, Whatley began his professional career working at Black and Veatch in Kansas City. However, he and his wife were soon lured to the warmer climate of Florida. Whatley, who transferred to Black and Veatch in Jacksonville, Fla., in January 2000, loves the beach and working as a project engineer for such a respected company.

“It’s very interesting to actually design something and then go out there and actually see it being built,” Whatley said. “Everybody needs waste water treatment. Everybody needs water from a water plant. The work we do really benefits the community as a whole, so that’s real satisfying.”

Even though he’s over a thousand miles from Kansas, Whatley can’t help but be reminded of his days on the Hill. Why, just a few weeks ago, he was renting a movie in Blockbuster Video when somebody recognized him. 

“He called me by my name and said he was a big KU fan,” Whatley said. “It’s pretty neat. ... I wouldn’t trade it (KU days) for the world.  It’s something that will really be in my memories forever.” 

A Closer Look at T.J. Whatley:

Years at KU: 1992-96

Career Notables: Made first five shots of college career...Member of  1993 Final Four team...Career-high seven points vs. K-State in the Big Eight Tournament on March 10, 1995.

Family: Wife, Dabney.

Education: 1997. B.S. Civil Engineering

Since Leaving KU: Whatley worked as a civil engineer for Black and Veatch in Kansas City before transferring to a branch in Jacksonville, Fla., in January 2000.

Currently: Whatley is a project engineer for Black and Veatch in Jacksonville.

Hobbies: Golf, basketball, fishing.

Favorite Memories: Scoring a career-high seven points vs. K-State in the Big 8 Tournament as a junior. “It was real funny. I don’t know what got into me, but I just kept shooting the ball and they kept going in. It was a lot of fun with the Kemper crowd.”... 1993 Final Four. “I’m still a freshman coming out of little bitty Glen Rose, Arkansas, getting to go to the Final Four in the Superdome in New Orleans. I was just in awe the whole time. Coming out of the hotel, there would be thousands of people packing the streets.” 

On the Jayhawks Today: “They’re doing well. It sounds like coach is getting them whipped into shape, so hopefully they’ll put together a pretty good run and make some noise in the tournament.”

More from T.J. Whatley from the KU 1995-96 Media Guide

Favorite Food: my mother’s crescents

Least favorite food: chocolate ice cream

Favorite movie: In the name of the Father

Favorite Book: The Celebrant

Favorite Musician: AC/DC

Favorite class at KU: Calculus II

The person I admire the most: My Dad

Person in history I’d like to converse the most: Albert Einstein

Favorite Sports Hero: Larry Bird

The Best Athlete I have played against is: Donnie Boyce

Team I would like to see added to the schedule: Arkansas

Who is your best friend from another college team: Vincent Bradford (Arkansas football)

Ten years from now, I hope to be: A civil engineer

If could I could change the world today, I would: Tax the rich

If I were president of the NCAA for a day, I would: Make more scholarships available

When I have time to relax, I: Take long drives in the country

The toughest thing ab out being an athlete is: Time management

When people first meet me, they think: I’m a shy person

If I had one million dollars, I would: Pay off my tuition

My advice to kids is: Work hard at everything

To get psyched up for a game, I: Listen to music (AC/DC)

My biggest thrill in sports was: Playing a lot vs. UMKC in Kemper Arena

Not may people know this about me, but: I’m afraid of heights

I can’t imagine going a week without: Taking several daytime naps

Last Summer I: Attended Arkansas Little-Rock and worked

I chose my jersey number because: 7 is lucky: 14 is twice as lucky

Perry Ellis grew on and off the court at Kansas

After Perry Ellis' magical KU career ended in the Elite Eight against Villanova on March 26, 2016, I wrote this tribute article for Phog.net reflecting on his great accomplishments ---on and off the court and how much he meant to the program and how much he grew off the hardwood. An extremely shy person when he first arrived at KU, Ellis became more comfortable in his own skin as his career progressed and this paid dividends on the court as well. He was a true Jayhawk ambassador and did so much community service. While he had a rough night in his senior swan song against Villanova, there haven't been many more finer players and people to wear the KU uniform. I felt proud to cover his career, from one of the first moments when he arrived at KU in the summer before his freshman season to his senior season and last home game, when I asked him how he'd like to be remembered.

“As a player that tried to do the best he could day in and day out and tried to be a great role model,” Ellis softly told me.

Indeed, he did.

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Perry Ellis first arrived at Kansas in the summer of 2012 after a decorated career at Wichita Heights, where he was a four-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and talked about in the same breath as other City League legends and former KU standouts as Ricky Ross and Darnell Valentine.

I asked the shy freshman then about how he felt about those comparisons and what kind of mark he wanted to accomplish at Mount Oread.

The 6-8 forward called “it an honor” to be mentioned with Ross and Valentine.

“I’m just trying to follow in their footsteps,” Ellis said. “They were great players in Wichita and did big things and I’m just trying to follow behind them.”

Four years later after his career ended in a heartbreaking 64-59 loss to Villanova Saturday night in the Elite Eight at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, it’s safe to say that Ellis certainly followed behind them in amazing fashion and will go down like Valentine as one of KU’s all-time greats.

Ellis, who started 109 of 145 games, finished his storied career ranked No. 8 all time at Kansas in scoring (1,798 points) and No. 12 in rebounding (835 boards). Ellis, who was just 15 rebounds shy of cracking the top-10 list in all-time rebounds, is one of just five players to rank in the top 12 in both the career scoring and rebounding charts with superstars Danny Manning, Raef LaFrentz, Nick Collison and Clyde Lovellette.

He saved his best season for last, averaging a career-high 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game, while shooting 53.1 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.5 percent at the free throw line. Ellis elevated his play during the Big 12 schedule, averaging 17.8 points and scored at least 20 points in seven of eight games entering the Elite Eight. 

He averaged 23 points per game during three NCAA Tournament games, including a season-high 27 points against Maryland in the Sweet 16, before struggling mightily in his swan song against Villanova with just four points.

Ellis went scoreless in the first half and ended the game with just four points on 1-of-5 shooting and 2-of-3 at the charity stripe, while committing four turnovers. He was the sharp focus of Villanova’s defensive game plan, and Ellis could never break free.

“I feel like they did a great job of just trying to swarm me at times and just somebody was always there,” Ellis said. “I could have demanded the ball more at times, you know, but...”

KU coach Bill Self talked about Ellis’ rough night.

“Perry really never engaged himself in the game the first half,” Self said. “They took away the pick and pop with him when they played man, because the way they rotated, so he didn't catch the ball naked at the top like we've been scoring quite a bit during the tournament.

“And they made him make the extra pass, and we missed some shots when we were wide open making the extra pass. But I think you should give Villanova credit. But I don't think that Perry was as aggressive demanding the ball as what he has been at certain times.

“You get two fouls quick, and things like that, and I think that kind of messed with his head a little bit also.”

Despite Ellis’ off night, he should be greatly commended for all he accomplished on and off the court at Kansas. A two-time Academic All-Big First Team selection, a NABC Good Works Team nominee, and a Senior Class Award Finalist (1 of 10), Ellis also became an All-American his senior season and was a two-time All-Big 12 selection on the hardwood.

Ellis, who will walk down Campanile Hill in May with a degree in sports management and a minor in business, was active in the community, a mentor and leader to kids, a great Jayhawk ambassador, and the kind of young man you’d want your son to be. 

Never one for much words, Ellis even became more talkative as his KU career progressed. An extremely shy person when he arrived at Kansas, Ellis used to be petrified giving a speech in class to 15 students. 

But there he was on Senior Night after KU’s victory over Iowa State giving his speech while smiling and cracking jokes to 16,300 fans and feeling so comfortable in his own skin.

Self marveled over how far he’s come.

“It just shows you how much he’s matured,” Self said on Senior Night. “(To have) total command (during his speech), it’s pretty amazing to watch.”

Indeed, it is.

“I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person where I know how to be successful later in life no matter playing basketball or whatever I’m doing,” Ellis said. “It’s (KU) really taught me to not take any days for granted.”

Self, who was at Ellis’ first high school game his freshman year, never took anything for granted when pursuing this high school star, who won four-straight state championships, helped set a Heights’ state-record 62-game winning streak, and finished his career as the conference’s all-time leading scorer (2,231 points), broken by former KU teammate Conner Frankamp a year later.

Self spoke about the recruitment process a day before the Elite Eight.

“We probably spent as much time on Perry, recruiting him, as anybody just because we were so aware of him at an early age and a young age,” Self said. “And Danny Manning (former KU assistant) was our point man in his recruitment for the most part.

“But he was an easy guy to recruit because he wasn't seeking attention. Just like he is now, he's not seeking attention. So he was a fun guy to recruit because it wasn't like you had to talk to him every day, to be honest with you, in order to let him know that you love him a lot, which you have to do with a lot of recruits. If you told him that maybe on Monday, then by Friday he would still believe that there was probably still some love involved, which is a little different for some recruits.

“He was an easy recruit, great family and certainly coaching him, it's been a real treat because -- and it has been for all our guys, because just watching how he's matured off the court so much, in my opinion, which has really spearheaded his development on the court.

“And just see how he's kind of grown not only into a great player, but really an outstanding young man as well.”

Self said nothing about the Elite Eight game will take away from Ellis’ exceptional legacy at Kansas and how much he meant to the program.

“No, no, no. He's a stud,” Self said. “He got a couple of easy looks early and missed them both and kind of probably shied away from being quite as aggressive after that.

“We've ridden Perry pretty hard over the last three years, and he's almost always delivered for us. And so it doesn't take anything away at all. It would have been really nice to see our seniors get to a Final Four because we haven't with this group. But certainly, in my mind, he's been a stud and one of the all-time greats regardless of this outcome of this game.”

After the Villanova loss, Ellis reflected briefly about his career while relaying what ‘Nova coach Jay Wright said to him after the contest.

“He just told me I’m a great player and just keep my head up,” Ellis said. “Just knowing it's over now, how much I've grown, I've grown so much. I'm just so thankful for everybody. Teammates, coaches and everybody. That’s helped me become who I am today.

“Just miss family being able to come to games, the fans, my teammates, just missing -- never going to be practicing again with these guys. My last time,” Ellis added. “I just thank God for being able to be in this position. ... My last time taking off this jersey. Never going to put it on again. Just honored to be able to even play.”

Exactly three weeks earlier on March 5, after he played his final home game in Allen Fieldhouse and scored 22 points with seven rebounds, I asked Ellis how he’d like to be remembered.

“As a player that tried to do the best he could day in and day out and tried to be a great role model,” Ellis softly replied.

There have been few better players or role models to ever wear a Jayhawk uniform.

Perry Ellis left his mark as one of KU's all-time greats

Perry Ellis left his mark as one of KU’s all-time greats. He concluded his memorable career ranked No. 8 all time at Kansas in scoring (1,798 points) and No. 12 in rebounding (835 boards). The smooth 6-8 forward was a consensus second-team All-American his senior year, and an All-Big Eight first-team selection his junior and senior years.

Ellis averaged 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 144 games, leading the Jayhawks to a 115–29 record and four Big 12 titles. 

This all came after a decorated career at Wichita Heights, where Ellis was a four-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and led his team to four straight Class 6A state titles. A McDonald’s All-American, Ellis was Kansas’ first-ever four-time all-state selection. He finished his career as the school’s and conference’s all-time leading scorer (2,231 points) and played a key role in Heights’ state-record 62-game winning streak, the nation’s longest active winningest steak during the 2001-12 season.

A complete person on and off the court, Ellis was valedictorian of his senior class with a 4.0 GPA. He verbally committed to KU on Sept. 21, 2011 over offers from Kentucky, K-State and Wichita State.

And the rest is history.

Ellis received a huge honor on May 25 when he was inducted into the KSHSAA Hall of Fame at the state track and field championships at Cessna Stadium in Wichita.

The former KU standout was overwhelmed with the honor.

"It feels great, I love this city,” Ellis told KSN.com. "I'm born and raised like I said, a smaller city like compared to the bigger cities I played in overseas, like Istanbul. I just love it and you know everybody and just a great feeling.”

After going undrafted in 2016, Ellias has since played for the NBA D-League Greensboro Swarm and also overseas in Italy, Germany and Turkey.

In this two-part series on Ellis, I first include a feature I wrote on him in the December 2015 issue of Kansas City Sports & Fitness. Next, I will include the story I wrote on him on Phog.net, just a few days after his career ended in heartbreaking fashion with KU’s loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight on March 26, 2016.

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Perry Ellis feels like it was about yesterday when he arrived at Kansas in 2012 after winning four-straight state championships at Wichita Heights and becoming a four-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and City League’s all-time leading scorer.

“It went by so fast, so fast,” the 6-8 KU senior forward said. “I’m excited about it (last year). I’ve been getting better each season and having more fun.”

For Ellis, his KU experience has been quite special and a life-changing one. He’s grown as a player. He’s grown as a man. And he’s grown as a leader. Then there’s the three-straight Big 12 championships, one Big 12 Tournament title, a Sweet 16 berth, the bonding with teammates on road trips, and winning the gold medal for Team USA at the World University Games last summer in South Korea.

But Ellis wants more. Much more.

“I want to play in a Final Four,” Ellis said, “and I’m going to do everything I can to try to get there.”

An All-American candidate, Ellis believes this is KU’s best chance to break through and even win a national title after getting knocked out of the NCAA Round of 32 the last two seasons.

“We’ve been playing with each other a lot,” he said. “We have a lot of pieces returning and we’ve been through tough times. We’ve been through adversity with each other, been in a lot of tough games and know what to do.”

After leading Kansas with 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season while earning first-team All-Big 12 honors and becoming the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top seven in scoring (7th), field goal percentage (7th at 45.7) and rebounding (4th), Ellis pondered leaving for the NBA. But he knew he could still elevate his game under KU coach Bill Self.

“Also my degree, I got a chance to get that now,” Ellis said. “It’s just going to be great.” 

Self is certainly glad Ellis returned. He has high expectations for the senior.

“I expect him to be as good as or better than any player in the league,” Self said. “I expect him to play at an all-American-type level. I think he's capable of doing that. I thought last year before he got hurt (knee injury), there was about a six-game stretch where I think he was playing to an All-

American level.

“He seems to be in the best shape of his life. He's stronger. I don't mean from a weight standpoint, but you can just tell the way he carries himself. I expect him to have a big year.”

Indeed, Ellis is more explosive, leaner, and has improved his ballhandling and perimeter skills. While he’s very modest and doesn’t particularly like talking about himself, he believes this could be a breakout season.

“Definitely,” Ellis said. “I’ve been working. My mental (game) is getting stronger and getting more confident in myself as I get older.”

As a senior, he is now chasing greatness. If Ellis averages just over 16.0 points in 2015-16 and hits the glass at his pace of last season, he will likely crack the top-10 on the KU career scoring and rebounding charts. Only three other Jayhawk legends have accomplished that feat in Danny Manning, Raef LaFrentz and Nick Collison, with their jerseys hanging from the hallowed Allen Fieldhouse rafters.

“(Some great) names before me,” Ellis said. “It’s something I don’t want to think about right now. You just want to go and play hard and all the accolades will come later. But it’s definitely an honor to be in position to do that.”

Ellis has already had lot of honors -- both on and off the court -- during his memorable career. He was the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year last season, while also named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. And he received the Honorary Hero Award in Wichita at the Real Men, Real Heroes annual recognition event last July.

“As a kid, my coach, Steve Young, would tell me to try to become a better person and better player every day. That’s something I ran with,” Ellis told the crowd during his acceptance speech. “I got the chance to be a Teen Hero in high school. I got the chance to talk to kids and show them what it takes, what choices they need to make and really how important academics are. That is something that is huge. In college, I also got the opportunity to come home and go with buddies to certain schools and do certain things and that’s been a great opportunity for me. It’s built confidence in myself and even the kids.”

Ellis elaborated over the impact Young has made on his life.

“He helped me out so much growing up,” Ellis said. “It’s not all about basketball. In real life, you got to respect the people around you. He taught me life lessons and basketball lessons.”

Ellis, a former high school valedictorian who has a 3.27 GPA at KU with a major in sports management and minor in business, feels grateful to use those invaluable lessons and give back to the community, whether it’s in his Wichita hometown or helping kids and the needy in Lawrence.

“It’s really important, just the little things you can do,” Ellis said. “The things that can really help somebody and move somebody’s life. I love just being a part of doing that.”

This is Perry Ellis the person at his finest, and why his teammates, Self, fans, and even opposing coaches love and respect him so much.

“Perry's been awesome,” Self said. “He's had a fabulous career and, of course, a better kid than player and has handled everything so well. I don't think we ever dreamed that we would get a better person 

or player when we signed him than what we have.”

Pittsburg State coach Kevin Muff is another huge admirer.

"I love him,” Muff said. “Number one he's a Kansas guy. Being a Kansas native and seeing a guy do that well. Just highly skilled, great hands, and a great feel for the game and understanding. I want nothing but the best for that man, but mainly because of the type of person he is. He does it with class. He does it the right way. Handles himself extremely well on the floor through adversity and he really doesn't change his expression, which I like. He'll be an asset and a weapon for them. I just love the way he plays.”

As Ellis begins his college swan song, he’s prepared to enjoy each victory, each shot, each rebound, each dunk, and all those thunderous cheers from fans in Allen Fieldhouse.

“I’m going to cherish every moment, every game this year, and just have fun,” he said.

It’s December now and Ellis is running and pushing hard. He can’t stop now, not after how far he’s come the last three years at Kansas and all that time in Wichita honing his skills growing up and dreaming of playing in the Final Four and national championship game.

A Final Four would be great, but a national title and having his name mentioned with KU’s 1952 and 2008 NCAA champions would be even more priceless.

“Ah man, it would mean a lot,” Ellis said with a big smile. “Just thinking back on all the work I’ve put in, it would mean the most. That’s definitely what we’re working for, that’s definitely the goal for all of us, but you just got to take it game by game and go from there.”