Former KU teammates and Max Falkenstien Blast Darnell Valentine

Darnell Valentine culminated his magical and tremendous career in 1981 as KU’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer (1,821 points) behind Clyde Lovellette, the school’s all-time assist leader with 609, while also ranking first in steals with 336 and free throws made (541).

Forty years later, his steals and free throws made still rank No. 1, while he is No. 7 in scoring and No. 6 in assists.

Valentine, a second-team AP All-American his senior year in 1981, averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 3.6 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game over 118 contests during his career, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 71.8 percent at the free throw line.

He is the only player in Big Eight history to be named first-team All-League four years, while also selected as a three-time Academic All-American. He achieved a 3.3 GPA in pre-law.

 

Valentine received the ultimate honor when his No. 14 jersey was retired for eternity in the hallowed Allen Fieldhouse rafters on Dec. 1, 2005 at halftime of the KU-Georgia Tech game.

 

“This is large, this is an incredible opportunity for me just to come back,” Valentine said before the game. “This is like the crowning moment for me. I don’t know how involved, or what my presence will be from this point forward, other than another time for them to recognize me. This is the crowning of my adult life right now.”

 

Asked about it taking 24 years since he left KU for his jersey to be retired, Valentine gave an eloquent reply.

 “I was just looking at the media guide. There was a gentleman in 1927 whose jersey was retired in 2002. I forget this name,” Valentine said. “That was a great era. ... Jo Jo, he left here in ‘69. His jersey wasn’t retired until 2001. It seems like 24 years is a nice place. I can certainly appreciate it and I can relish that it is happening now and come back and be excited about it and fully appreciate what it means.”

 D.V. definitely has a special place in his former KU coach Ted Owens’ heart. He couldn’t have been more elated to see his jersey retired.

 “Darnell Valentine is one of the greatest players we’ve ever had here,” Owens told the Jayhawk Radio Network on Jan. 1, 2005. 

“It’s a wonderful day. To see him honored is a blessing for all of us.”

 

Despite all of Valentine’s accomplishments, he also had critics. Former teammates Donnie Von Moore and Tony Guy blasted Valentine during interviews with me many years ago. 

"Darnell Valentine, he was supposed to be the Academic All-American and all that crap, but (he got) a general studies degree,” Von Moore told me in 2000. “They don’t talk about that. I’m not saying there’s nothing wrong with a general studies degree if you know what you’re doing with it, if there’s an interest in it or something that you really want to do. But it can be used for something negative, too, to get you a lot of easy, bullcrap classes that don’t amount to a hill of beans. You get your degree and you go out there...(They find out) you took basketweaving one through eight for 20 hours. I kind of blew the whistle on that. Mike Fisher (KU academic counselor), he kind of took the fall for all that. That was a big story. It kind of led to Ted Owens being fired. He was pissed off at me for a long time. Ted didn’t speak to me for about 10 years because it kind of blew the lid off the thing.”

Von Moore was just getting started in firing criticism at Valentine, whom he played with for one year in 1977-78 when Donnie was a senior and D.V. a freshman sensation. KU won the Big Eight championship, but Final Four dreams were crashed when Kansas lost to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. I cried after the loss having dinner with my parents. This was one of my all-time favorite KU teams and I got chills every night in Allen Fieldhouse watching KU play next to my dad each game with our season tickets knowing I was watching the No. 5 ranked team in the land.

Darnell, Donnie, Paul Mokeski, Clint Johnson, John "The Franchise" Douglas, Wilmore Fowler...These were my childhood heroes and I loved them dearly, much more than words can show.

 

Von Moore was angry at Valentine and Owens. He said Valentine was a very selfish player.

 

“Darnell got something he didn’t deserve. He was one of the reasons we lost the UCLA game,” Von Moore said. “He tried to have a personal one-one-one contest with Hamilton (Roy, star UCLA point guard). Darnell had two or three charges trying to take the man. Ted let him do it. It changed whole momentum and led them back in. (He got in) foul trouble (and fouled out when UCLA then took control of the game). (It was) stupid, so pissed off. We could have went somewhere with all the players we had.  

“They put the game in (Valentine’s) hands,” Donnie added. “Other than Darnell bringing the ball up the court, no shot. Had no jumper, no real overall game. He was just Darnell Valentine who had the ball all the time.”

 

Von Moore was so upset that he didn’t return with the team to Lawrence. Instead, he went with teammate Clint Johnson to California to stay with Johnson’s brother for two weeks before coming back to Lawrence.

 

Valentine and KU assistant Lafayette Norwood also hurt chemistry on the squad. Norwood, Valentine’s high school coach at Wichita Heights who came to KU as a package deal with D.V., was always inseparable with Valentine at KU, apart from the other players and coaches. Max Falkenstien, the legendary KU announcer, wrote about this in his 1996 book, Max and the Jayhawks:

 

“In fact, it was a strange coach-player relationship. They were always together. In airports, hotels, they were generally in tandem, separated from the rest of the team. I always questioned whether this was a good situation for team unity, but we never talked much about it.”

 

Norwood even had a picture of Valentine in his office. Owens got angry, and told Norwood to take it down, and said if he’s going to have a picture, make it be a team picture.

 

Even the great players, leaders, and tremendous people have their faults and imperfections. Valentine certainly did. He had a big ego and didn’t seem to care about his teammates. Tony Guy, a starter for four years from 1978-82 whom played with Valentine for three seasons, said teaming with Valentine was very troubling.

 “I think that Darnell Valentine was a great basketball player, there’s no doubt about it. But Darnell did not have a lot of confidence in the guys he was playing with,” Guy told Mark Stallard in his 2005 book, Tales from the Jayhawks Hardwood.

 

“It was almost as if we had to prove to Darnell that we were worthy to be his teammates. I always found that interesting, in that you’re talking about a guy who was a great athlete, but he was just an okay basketball player. I thought he was a great athlete, you couldn’t help admire him as an athlete. But as a basketball player, he was just an average shooter. If you look at the overall statistics, it’s not like he lit the place up. He didn’t pass the ball a whole lot, to be totally honest. I was a shooting guard, and trying to get the ball of out of his hands was like pulling teeth. 

 “It was interesting, because it was almost like we had to prove that we could play.”

 

This is painful to write, because I truly idolized Valentine growing up and he meant so much to me and I followed his NBA career so religiously and had pictures of him all over my wall as true inspiration. I put him on a pedestal; to me, he could do no wrong. I always thought his work ethic and defense were peerless, and he could penetrate the lane with the best.

Darnell Valentine was always my all-time favorite Jayhawk before Tony Guy replaced him in my heart as my No. 1 KU player ever.

Guy told me in 1999 that Valentine was a very egotistical player who was only concerned about furthering his career, instead of winning.

 

Guy gave an example of Ricky Ross, Valentine’s teammate in 1979-80 who was well-known to be extremely selfish with a big ego. One game, Guy told told me, Ross had a big scoring night but KU lost. Everyone was despondent in the locker room except Ross. Ricky couldn’t understand why his teammates were down after his high-scoring game.

 

“That’s how Darnell was,” Guy said.

 

However, Guy greatly admired Valentine’s defense and work ethic.

 

“I wouldn’t say we were friends,” he said. “I had a great deal of respect for that guy. The guy was an incredible athlete, his work ethic was phenomenal.” But?

 

“Darnell could have made it possible for two or three other guys to have gone to the NBA,” Guy said. “That’s how good Darnell was. That’s what Magic (Johnson) did (for Michigan State). Jay Vincent (he played nine years in the NBA) and Gregory Kelser (No. 4 overall pick in 1979 by Dick Vitale's-coached Detroit Pistons who played five years in the NBA) weren’t great basketball players. But every time time you saw them, they were dunking it. That was Magic. They were just average basketball players. Magic was about winning championships. How do you measure a great player? You measure a great player by his ability to make those around him better than they actually are. It’s about winning. Team sports is about winning

 “... Darnell was a phenomenal player,” Guy continued. “Trust me, I had to play with him every day and against. The guy was incredible. There was not a guy that I played against that I had to worry about another team’s point guard. Other than one--Larry Drew (Missouri star). One of the best players that we played against. He could shoot, but more important, he used his skills to help his team win. He could have shot more than he actually shot.”

 

Despite these critical comments about Valentine, Guy admitted that “Darnell was a lot of fun to play with. We had a lot of laughs. Had a great time with him. But we had a lot of disappointments, too.”

Former KU assistant Bob Hill, who coached Valentine all four years, was also critical of this All-American. Hill spoke to my Coaching Basketball class at KU in 1985, when I asked him who was the best player ever coached.

 

Without hesitation, Hill replied:

“Darnell Valentine.”

 

Hill, though, quickly added that Valentine wasn’t the most coachable player. He said that Valentine would break down plays at the end of the game and KU would lose. Hill added that everyone blamed Owens when it was Valentine’s fault.

 

While Valentine told the local media that he was elated that Jan. 1, 2005 day when his jersey was retired, he had a different opinion when talking to a Portland newspaper, his longtime hometown. Valentine fell in love with the Portland community and area since entering the NBA as a first-draft pick of the Blazers in 1981. 

 

“I am excited, no question,”  Valentine said. “But they retired the numbers of so many of their recent players — Raef LaFrentz, Nick Collison, Jacque Vaughn — within a year or two after they left Kansas. I think the timing for me is a little bit off, to say the least.”

 Falkenstien came close to summing it up best about Valentine’s huge ego and how it hurt the Jayhawks in his book:

 

“Darnell was a fabulous player for KU, but I felt that often he tried to do too much at the expense of the team.”

 

A longtime journalist and sports editor in Kansas once told me that Valentine had no friends on the team. However, I saw Valentine playing tennis with teammate David Magley at KU one time. Magley has also repeatedly talked very warmly of Valentine, his longtime friend who he first met on his recruiting trip to Lawrence.

As has Drew, who battled against Valentine in college and then the NBA, while also teammates with Valentine with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“He was a warrior,” Drew told me once of Valentine.

 But in the end, Guy said Valentine extremely hurt KU too often during his career. 

 

“He was very selfish and it cost us dearly,” Guy said. “He wanted to get his. When I played, Darnell was basically allowed to do whatever he wanted and whenever he wanted to do it. And it cost us. We weren’t nearly the teams we could have been under Darnell. A tremendous basketball player, but he used all of his skills to enhance his own career. That’s all he was about.”

 

 

Darnell Valentine led KU to a magical season as a freshman in 1977-78

Darnell Valentine, the prep phenom from Wichita Heights, took a recruiting visit to North Carolina with fellow high school sensation Al Wood from Gray, Georgia, during his senior year. Valentine could see himself playing for legendary coach Dean Smith and the Tar Heels, a school with such rich tradition that was competing with Kansas for Valentine’s services.

“I was feeling very comfortable at North Carolina, and Lafayette (Norwood, Valentine’s coach at Heights) and I said, ‘Let’s go back to Wichita and sit down and gather ourselves and make the decision,’” Valentine recalled before the KU-Georgia Tech game on Jan. 1, 2005 in Allen Fieldhouse, where his jersey was retired at halftime.

However, everything changed for Valentine and KU when head coach Ted Owens soon made Norwood his assistant coach and the first full-time African-American assistant in KU basketball history.

“A week later I believe or somewhere in that space of time, they brought him as a staff member,” Valentine said. “It certainly laid things in Kansas’ favor.”

So Valentine picked KU instead of Smith and North Carolina while Wood chose UNC. D.V., a tenacious defensive player, was expected to have an immediate and profound impact after two down seasons for Kansas (13-13 in 1975-76 and 18-10 in 1976-77).

Valentine and Norwood were — and have always been — extremely tight.

“Lafayette, I don’t know if he adopted me or I grabbed his leg, but we’re attached,” Valentine said. “His family, we’re still very close.”

A reporter asked Valentine if he would have gone to Wichita State had the Shockers hired Norwood as an assistant coach.

“That’s a good one. I think he would have done very well, but I probably would have gone to North Carolina,” Valentine said. “Oh, Dean Smith and the tradition of North Carolina and the players that were there. It’s a phenomenal program, a phenomenal program. Phil Ford (star point guard) was a senior, I would have had the opportunity to learn and expand my game. That would have been incredible.”

But Valentine certainly has no regrets about becoming a Jayhawk.

  

“It’s something that I’ve never looked back on,” he said with a smile. “I’m 300 percent sure that it was the right decision to me.”

Valentine started from day one for that great and magical 1977-78 team, which was ranked as high as No. 5 nationally and finished at 24-5, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 2 ranked UCLA. Joining Valentine in the starting lineup were senior guards Clint Johnson and John Douglas and junior Paul Mokeski and senior Ken Koenigs up front. Senior forward-center Donnie Von Moore and freshman guard Wilmore Fowler were invaluable as the team’s Super Subs. 

That squad, which had seven players average over 20 minutes per game with Douglas a team-high 27.8 mpg, had very good chemistry after some tough years, but throughout Valentine’s career, his extremely close and unique relationship with Norwood hurt team unity. Norwood once had a picture of Valentine in his office, which upset Owens. Ted told Norwood to take the picture down and told his assistant that if he’s going to have a picture, make it a team picture.

Valentine and Norwood were always inseparable at KU, apart from the other players and coaches. Max Falkenstien, the legendary KU announcer, wrote about this in his 1996 book, Max and the Jayhawks:

“In fact, it was a strange coach-player relationship. They were always together. In airports, hotels, they were generally in tandem, separated from the rest of the team. I always questioned whether this was a good situation for team unity, but we never talked much about it.”

A source inside the Kansas basketball program at the time told me Norwood’s salary was being paid by KU boosters in Wichita. This source called these boosters the “mafia.” While Norwood was taken care of, he had other issues to worry about.

“It wasn’t all peaches and cream when I took the assistant coaching job at the University of Kansas,” Norwood told the Johnson County Community College Campus Ledger on April 17, 2014. “It just wasn’t popular to always have black coaches at that level, so I ran into obstacles of opponents and even some of our own fans.”

While Norwood tried his best to do his job with fellow assistant Bob Hill and coach Owens, KU was having a dream season. This was a balanced, senior dominated team led by a freshman phenom in Valentine with four players averaging in double figures that season. KU was paced by Valentine (13.5 ppg), followed by Douglas (12.7), Keonigs (11.1) and Von Moore (10.7), while Mokeski averaged 9.3 points and Fowler 7.0 points per game.

Each player had its role and performed it to near perfection. Valentine was the playmaker, defensive stopper and scorer; Douglas, who sacrificed his game (team-high 19.2 points per game as a junior last season as an honorable mention All-American), was very athletic who could score and defend taller players; Johnson was a defensive scrapper who never saw a loose ball he didn’t like; Koenigs was a smooth shooting 6-10 forward and good rebounder; Mokeski added great size at 7-foot who could score and defend in the low post, rebound and block shots; and Von Moore was a great shooter who could rebound and block shots off the bench. Fowler, meanwhile, added outside scoring. He was a prep phenom from Palmetto, Florida, who the Detroit Pistons considered drafting out of high school.

The high-powered Jayhawks won seven of their first nine games (eclipsed century mark in three of the first four games) with only losses to No. 1 ranked Kentucky and No. 4 Arkansas. KU then caught fire winning its next 17 of 18 games with the only defeat at Nebraska (62-58).

Leading KU’s charge was Valentine. Falkenstien wrote about his great addition:

“Although he was just one year removed from high school, Valentine was an instant hero. He arrived at Kansas and played an extraordinary role from the start. He was a tremendous athlete and was impressive in all phases of the game.”

I vividly remember going to the games at Allen Fieldhouse with my dad and getting chills knowing I was watching the No. 5 ranked team in the country and watching my heroes like Valentine, Douglas and Von Moore. To this day, that squad remains one of my all-time favorite KU teams.

KU won the Big Eight title (13-1) and all roads look paved to opening the NCAA Tournament in Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas was expected to win the Big Eight Tournament and become the automatic qualifier in the NCAA Midwest Region. All the ‘Hawks would then need was to win two games to advance to their first Final Four since 1974.

Koenigs, a two-time Academic All-American, a longtime doctor in Springfield, Massachusetts, and one of the smartest players in KU history, raved about KU’s team chemistry.

“I think we all got along well,” he told me in a 2001 interview. “That whole season kind of fell into place. There were some good guys on that team.”

But heartbreak happened in the semifinals of the Big Eight postseason tournament in Kansas City at Kemper Arena, when K-State upset KU 87-76. Kansas had already beaten the Wildcats three times that season, but on this night, the fourth win was not the charm.

“It is very tough to beat your arch rival four times in a row, especially in that day and age,” Keonigs said.

So instead of being the automatic qualifier and having homecourt advantage in Allen Fieldhouse, the 24-4 Jayhawks were shipped to Eugene, Oregon, for a first-round matchup against heavyweight UCLA in the West Region.

It would be a tough test to get out of the first round. But KU held a 10-point lead in the second half with nine minutes left and seemed in command when Valentine picked up his fourth foul. Owens then had a huge decision to make.

“Ordinarily, I would have substituted for him, but the momentum was ours and I couldn’t allow the UCLA guards to take over the game,” Owens wrote in his 2013 book, At the Hang-Up. “I decided to leave him in the game...and on the very next possession of the ball, he was called for a charge. I must have looked like the dumbest coach in America--and I might have been. But if I had to do it over, I would do the same.”

Without Valentine in the game, the Bruins rallied and won 83-76. And just like that, KU’s magical season — a year where the Jayhawks had the talent to make the Final Four — was now over.

“I thought it was a great season,” Koenigs said. “It kind of ended abruptly.”

Valentine finished the season against UCLA with 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting and 1-of-2 from the free throw line in 29 minutes. He added six assists, three rebounds and one steal. Mokeski led KU with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Von Moore, who posted eight points and four boards in 21 minutes, was so disgusted in the loss that he went to California with Clint Johnson and spent two weeks with Johnson’s brother before returning to Lawrence.

That loss still pains Von Moore all these years later.

“Especially after we were killing them, it was disaster,” Von Moore told me in a 2000 interview. “All those seniors. ... We lost to UCLA and had to go home.”

Von Moore was angry at Valentine and Owens. He implied D.V. was a very selfish player.

“Darnell got something he didn’t deserve. He was one of the reasons we lost the UCLA game,” Von Moore said. “He tried to have a personal one-one-one contest with Hamilton (Roy, star UCLA point guard). Darnell had two or three charges trying to take the man. Ted let him do it. It changed whole momentum and led them back in. (He got in) foul trouble. (It was) stupid, so pissed off. We could have went somewhere with all the players we had.  

“They put the game in (Valentine’s) hands,” Donnie added. “Other than Darnell bringing the ball up the court, no shot. Had no jumper, no real overall game. He was just Darnell Valentine who had the ball all the time.”

While Von Moore’s college career came to a bitter end, Valentine’s magical career was just getting started. He had an outstanding season and established himself as one of the best freshmen in the country with the likes of Michigan State’s Magic Johnson and Duke’s Gene Banks. 

The star point guard was named first-team All-Big Eight (along with Koenigs) and set a school record for steals (80), free throws made (106) and assists (130) in a season. His 13.5 points per game was also the highest of any freshman in KU history.

While Von Moore was extremely critical of Valentine, Koenigs loved playing with him.

”I think he was one of the final steps that helped us set it over,” Koenigs said. “His addition to that team was big. It was kind of a key issue and a key component. He blended in pretty well. Obviously, Darnell brought a lot to the table and helped finish off the picture and make a great contribution.”

Former KU All-American Darnell Valentine had a legendary high school career at Wichita Heights

In two previous blog posts, I wrote about Darnell Valentine’s Allen Fieldhouse jersey retirement ceremony and his NBA career. Now, I revisit Valentine with this in-depth and multi-part series on his high school, college and NBA career.

...

Darnell Valentine first became a magical name at Wichita Heights, where he was one of the first Kansas high school players to be recruited nationally. He was invited to the prestigious Howard Garfinkel Five-Star camp the summer after his junior year in Wheeling, Virginia, where he exploded on the national scene.

In an AP story on Feb. 14, 1977, the reporter wrote that “Garfinkel was so impressed that he calls Valentine the greatest guard in the history of the camp, which graduated such guards as Phil Sellers of Rutgers and Butch Lee of Marquette.”

The ultimate praise, indeed, for this Wichita native.

Valentine continued to excel at Heights, averaging 26.0 points per game as a senior leading his team to the state championship (23-0 record) in what is considered the greatest Kansas team in prep history. Along with Valentine, who played nine years in the NBA, that squad included Antoine Carr, who played 16 years in the NBA, Doc Holden, who played at Cincinnati, and Calvin Alexander, who became a great heavyweight boxer.

Heights, who was coached by future KU assistant Lafayette Norwood, blew out opponents by an average of 40 points per game. That was the margin of victory in the state title game against Wyandotte, where Heights opened with a 25-0 lead and won 92-52.

In that AP story, the headline wrote: “Valentine continues to wow ‘em in Wichita.” 

The lead paragraph: “Darnell Valentine is his name, basketball his game. And college coaches who seen the affinity of the two consider him to be the finest high school player to come out of Kansas in more than a decade.”

The story wrote that his “aggressive style and jumping ability make an inside threat beyond his size.

“Nearest thing to a can’t miss prospect from Kansas since UCLA plucked Lucious Allen out of Kansas City Wyandotte 12 years ago.”

KU coach Ted Owens, who was in hot pursuit over this phenom, gushed over hs play.

”They used to ask me the same things about JoJo White (former KU All-American and Naismith Hall of Famer) and I gave them the same answer. His great strength is he has no weakness. He has all the physical tools to be a complete player,” Owens said.

Owens continued:

“I don’t think scoring will be Darnell’s strength in college. I think he’ll be a Phil Ford (North Carolina star point guard) type of player. He plays great defense and he finds the open man. He’ll be a great player wherever he goes to college.”

Valentine, who was named to the first McDonald’s All-American team in 1977, talked about his recruitment.

“Coach (Norwood) doesn’t want them to pressure me or my mother much, so they all talk to him first and then if I want, I talk to them,” Valentine said.

Valentine insisted he wants to “go to a place where freshman can start and play a strong schedule.”

“The main thing is that I don’t want to go somewhere where I’ll lose,” he said. “I won’t go anywhere that I’m going to lose.”

He certainly hardly ever lost at Heights. Valentine loved his time there and cherished playing with his beloved teammates and friends.

"These guys are my history," he told KWCH in 2016. "They're the guys who have gone through the times that I know they have always supported me and we have a kinship and truly, when I'm happy, they're happy for me. And when they're happy, I'm truly happy for them."

Former longtime writer and columnist Bob Lutz with the Wichita Eagle, has seen his share of Wichita City League greats since the early 1960s. He raved over Valentine’s extraordinary skills.

“I wanted the world to witness Darnell Valentine playing basketball. So in my early years at The Eagle, I told all of my friends about what a marvel he was,” Lutz wrote in 2017.

“My father, who introduced me to City League basketball in the 1960s by taking me to tripleheaders at the Roundhouse, was an easy target. I remember him being with me when Heights, Valentine’s team, played at Winfield during Valentine’s junior season. Also in the stands that night was then-North Carolina assistant coach Eddie Fogler, whom I had come to know a little bit because of his determined recruitment of Valentine, who ultimately ended up at Kansas.

“Valentine was 6-foot-1 of pure muscle. He could run and jump like no athlete I had ever written about. He was so strong, so athletic, and he took over games defensively, at the point, with sheer intimidation.”

In 2012, Lutz ranked Valentine the No. 2 City League player he had ever seen behind fellow KU teammate Ricky Ross, who was also a McDonald’s All-American two years after Valentine.

“It’s tough to rank Valentine, who could take over a game as a point guard, second in anything. Watching him intimidate his opponents was one of the most enjoyable parts of my job during my early years at The Eagle, “ Lutz wrote. “Anybody who played against Valentine in those days knew they were in for one of the longest 32 minutes of basketball in their lives. He was so physical and so strong with thighs the size of tree trunks. And while nobody wanted to give Valentine much credit as a shooter, he was much better than average. I still get chills thinking of him locking down a poor, unsuspecting opponent.”

After his legendary and memorable career ended at Heights in 1977, Valentine was chosen to the  McDonald’s All-American team. They didn’t play the official game that year, but instead competed in the Capital Classic in Washington, D.C., versus the Capital Classic All-Stars. The U.S. All-Stars won 112-92. According to the Capital Classic website, the “1977 US All-Star team is deemed the most powerful visiting squad ever assembled for the Capital Classic. In all, nine of twelve US players went on to play for NBA teams. The US All-Star cast included Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers), Gene Banks (Chicago Bulls), Darnell Valentine (Cleveland Cavaliers), Albert King (Washington Bullets) and Jeff Ruland (Detroit Pistons). The team boasted quickness, speed, power, and finally out ran their local counterparts 112-92.” 

“We made them struggle for three and a half quarters, then they just ran away,” offered Capital All-Star Coach Red Jenkins of W.T. Woodson High School. “I didn’t think they would be that much tougher than us on the boards, it wasn’t a matter of hustle, it was a matter of size.”

Banks led the U.S. team with 22 points, followed by Valentine, Ruland and Ray Tolbert with 12 points each. Valentine shot 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe, while Magic scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and 1-of-2 at the free throw line.

Valentine and Magic would go on to have some hotly contested rivalries in college and the NBA.

Former Jayhawk standout Booty Neal was a long-range bomber

                                                     KU Libraries Digital Collection

Booty Neal was one of the most popular Jayhawks of his era. With his lethal long-range jump shots off the bench, he even had a fan club called the “Booty Bombers.” When Booty was lighting up the nets from distance, Allen Fieldhouse was rocking as loud as ever.

I had a wonderful Where Are They Now? interview with Booty in 2001 for Jayhawk Insider, where he talked to me about developing his deep shot in Boys Club and how he idolized sharpshooters Pete Maravich and Rick Mount. He also talked so fondly of his KU sponsor family Kurt and Sue Watson and what they meant to him.

Booty, who worked in special education after leaving KU, averaged a career-high 7.4 points his senior year as KU’s sixth man in 1980-81, helping lead KU to the Sweet 16. In limited playing time (12.0 minutes per game), Booty posted career averages of 5.8 points and 1.3 rebounds, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 67.9 percent at the charity stripe. He scored 582 career points, which would have been much higher had there been a three-point line back then.

A die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan growing up, Booty was sold on KU once assistant Lafayette Norwood began recruiting him after his performance in the preliminary game of the Capital Classic in Washington, D.C., his senior year.

And Booty and all Jayhawk fans have great memories of his time at Mount Oread.

Here, Booty talks about his recruitment to KU and playing hoops in Boys Club, junior high and high school. I also included that memorable Where Are They Now? story I wrote on him for Jayhawk Insider in 2001. Booty was so fun to talk with, very personable and upbeat.

...

“Back then, what happened is I had an opportunity to play in the Capital Classic (All-Star game in Washington, D.C.)  I played in the prelim game of the Capital Classic, and that’s the game before the big game. I had a pretty good game. Somehow or another, I had gotten a call from the University of Kansas. Coach (Lafayette, assistant) Norwood flew down, and they started the recruiting process. The next thing I know, I went out to visit Kansas, and I liked it. I was ready to go. I signed in the summertime and I was in Kansas. I looked at University of West Virginia, Georgetown University, Howard University in Washington, DC., Roanoke College in Virginia, University of Arkansas.

“You won’t even believe this. Check this out. Ever since I was a little boy, I loved the Kansas City Chiefs. When I heard Kansas, I didn’t even know anything about the tradition. I just wanted to go there because I thought maybe I’d get a chance to see the Chiefs a little bit. So when the University of Kansas came knocking on the door, I just though it was an opportunity for me to go. Then when I got to Lawrence and visited, I found out that Jo Jo White and all these people had graduated from there. I was like, Holy Cow. Bud Stallworth and all these famous people. Wow. I felt honored. To have people tell you about tradition and everything,  I just thought it was incredible. I was like, How did I get myself into this. That sold me even more. Being one of the top academic schools in the nation, I felt good about it. I was sort of sold on going to Kansas anyway. Coach (Ted) Owens sent coach Norwood down to do the recruiting. Jo Jo White was very instrumental, and then all the current players  that were there. I had a chance to meet all of them. They made me feel at home. Donnie Von Moore, John Douglas, (they were) very instrumental. I was All-Metropolitan second team. I was averaging 28 per game. I was second-leading scorer in Washington, D.C.-Virginia area behind only Tracy Jackson, who played at Notre Dame.

“...I remember playing on my junior high team when I was in eighth grade. I went out for the team.  Should have went out my seventh grade year, but I played Boys Cub. We were very successful Boys Club, so the basketball coach said, ‘I got to have you.  You got to play this year.’ I started trying out with the eighth graders. It was like a perfect fit from day one. It was sort of  like, if you got it, you got it. Coach was happy to have me on the junior high team, after successful stint with Boys Club team. I had the deep shot in Boys Club at 12 (years old). I just kept shooting. You just keep putting it up. I don’t know if it was how many shots a day, it was just that constantly in practice, you just do do the same things. You take the same shot. You take your favorite shot.  My favorite shot was shooting from the outside.”

“I loved the wings, but when I was in Boys Club, I was able to kind of shoot in from anywhere-top of the key, off the side, deep corner. Then when I got to  junior high school, it got ridiculous. Then when I got to high school, it got totally ridiculous. I had 50 points in one game game, I had  0 at halftime.  The freedom to know you’re going out to play and you’re that team leader, that puts a lot to sit on your shoulders. Michael Sweetney, who plays for Georgetown, graduated from my high school. He came along and broke a lot of my scoring records. He came in and broke a lot of records. Whatever was standing just about fell now. They still in the neighborhood, they still talk about who was the best player. They tend to get my name out there sometimes.”

And then there were his childhood heroes.

“You wouldn’t believe it. Rick Mount, Pete Maravich, were sort of the two guys I’d sit at home and watch when I was in junior high school. I used to love watching them. They shot the jump shot. They said I needed to work on my ball handling. I think along with everything else, you have to use your players for what they do best. My ball-handling skills were adequate.”

By David Garfield (Jayhawk Insider)

Booty Neal grew up in Oxon Hill, Md., idolizing the likes of Pistol Pete Maravich and Rick Mount on television. When he wasn’t watching them swish jump shots at home, Neal would be at the local Boys Club pretending to be his heroes and practicing his craft. At age 12, he already found his niche on the playground.

“I had the deep shot in Boys Club,” Neal said. “You just keep putting it up. I don’t know if it was how many shots a day, it was just that constantly in practice, you do the same thing. You take your favorite shot. My favorite shot was shooting from the outside.”

And few Kansas basketball players have ever shot the deep ball better than the man they called Booty. Neal brought his jump shot to KU in 1977 and soon established himself as a lethal long range shooting artist off the bench. He had unlimited range, with many of his shots coming from 25 feet. Neal, who became a folk hero of sorts in Allen Fieldhouse, even had a fan club called the “Booty Bombers.”

“They got the crowd roaring when I got up and then the whole place just started yelling my name: ‘Booty, Booty,’” Neal said. “Of course, everyone was under the implication that I was coming in to to put some up. They were right.”

A 6-5 shooting guard, Neal never really saw a shot he didn’t like. He credits the fan support for helping him gradually accept his role off the bench.

“It sort of cleared the fact that I didn’t have to be a starter to be appreciated,” Neal said. “I sort of get teary-eyed when I think about those times because there was so many memorable and special times.”

While he loved his teammates and has no regrets, Neal can’t help but envision what his career would have been like had there been a 3-point line back in his day.

“Of course, I was born way too soon,” Neal said. “A lot of these kids are experiencing this shot in junior high school. I’ve never had the opportunity to do it until I left college and got old. ... If I had the opportunity to play with that mess, I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have given my coach a heart attack. If I had to wish upon something, it just would have been the opportunity to experience that. See the man (official) throw his hands up, hear the crowd go crazy, and then do it about four or five times in a row. The place would have shut down.”

And how did Neal’s coach at Kansas (Ted Owens) react to Neal’s affinity for shooting the “bomb?”

“It got to one point, ‘Well, Booty, whatever. If you catch fire, you got about five minutes to do it,’” Neal said.

And when Neal caught fire, there was nothing hotter in Allen Fieldhouse. In four years at KU, Neal’s teams went 81-38. After his freshman season (KU finished 24-5), Kansas struggled the next two years going 18-11 and 15-14. The pieces finally fit together Neal’s senior year in 1980-81, as the Darnell Valentine-led Jayhawks went 24-8 and advanced to the Sweet 16. Neal was primarily the sixth man that season and averaged a career-best 7.4 points in 15 minutes per game.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Neal said. “We had to fight our way out of the old doldrums of not living up to expectations, and finally, we caught another gear and we were on our way  We were one shot away from getting to the final eight. ...It was a fantastic team. We may have only went seven deep, but all 15 of those players played a very important role that year. Without them, I don’t know where we could have been.”

After KU lost to Wichita State in the Sweet 16, Neal’s collegiate career officially ended. He received a bachelor’s degree the summer of 1981, and then spent the following season as a graduate assistant at Kansas. Next, Neal returned home to native Maryland and embarked on a new profession helping others less fortunate. He’s been teaching special education at various levels (elementary, middle school, and high school) ever since in Maryland and nearby Washington, D.C. Neal, who became recertified as a special education teacher in 1994, has also served as basketball coach at Shaw Junior High in D.C. for the past nine years. He’s currently the boys and girls coach.

Neal, 42, said he became interested in teaching special education because his brother, Ortiz, has an intellectual disability. For the past year, Neal’s taught at Edison Friendship charter school in D.C.

“I thought that would be an interesting field, and I also wanted to know just how my brother functions,” Neal said. “I love it. It’s not that I think about my brother when I’m teaching, it’s just the mere fact that once I came across with those kids, I found out how special it was for me to be able to help them and for them to share their love with me. Their love is so much different than you would get from a normal person. It’s more sincere.”

When he’s not teaching and coaching, Neal still finds time to lace up the sneakers and play basketball once a week. He realizes how far he’s come as a person since breaking records at Oxon Hill High School and finishing his career as the second-leading scorer in the Washington, D.C.-Virginia area. 

Neal, who averaged 28 points his senior season, once erupted for 50 points in a game.

“In the neighborhood, they still talk about who was the best player,” Neal said. “They tend to get my name out there sometimes.”

A Closer Look at Booty Neal:

Years at KU: 1977-81

Career Notables: Member of 1980-81 Sweet 16 team...averaged 7.4 points in 15 minutes per game in ‘81...Career-high 22 points in 22 minutes against Oklahoma on Jan. 17, 1981.

Family: Wife, Tamara. “She’s probably by far one of my dear supporters. I don’t know what my life would be without her.”

Education: 1981, B.G.S. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Since Leaving KU: Neal served as a graduate assistant coach at KU before returning home to native Maryland and working in the helping profession. He’s taught special education at various school levels in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Neal has also served as basketball coach at Shaw Junior High in D.C. since 1992.

Currently: Neal lives in Clinton, Md., and teaches special education at Edison Friendship charter school in Washington, D.C. He’s also boys and girls basketball coach at Shaw Junior High.

Hobbies: Watching sports and KU basketball.

Favorite Memories: Neal’s lifetime friendship with his sponsor family at KU, Kurt and Sue Watson, and their children, Brett and Kelly. “I don’t think anyone will ever know the importance they played in my life at Kansas through the days when I didn’t get a chance to play when I thought I should have played, and the days I played and they were there to support me when my parents couldn’t be there. They are very special people. I just want to tell them that I love them and that I think about them all the time.”...Game-winning layup at K-State on Feb. 16, 1980. “The thing that was so amazing about that is you just never know that you’re going to be the one to do it, and to be able to do it is like a landmark. You place a landmark in that gymnasium. I don’t think those folks will forget me for a while. I don’t think I’m one of their favorites.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “It’s a wonderful team. ...A lot of people think you got to win championships to represent Kansas. We all would like to see that, but there’s a lot of other things they do as far as character is concerned that the University of Kansas should be proud of.  Coach Williams offers a lot of class and he’s a special person.” 

Darnell Valentine made his mark in the NBA

In my last blog entry, I wrote about Darnell Valentine’s jersey retirement in Allen Fieldhouse in 2005. Now, I feature him again with a story about his NBA career. I rank Valentine as the No. 3 former Jayhawk guard with the best NBA career behind Jo Jo White and Kirk Hinrich. And I have D.V. as the No. 11 ex-’Hawk overall with the top NBA career.

Like I did with Paul Mokeski, yet even more so, I followed Valentine’s pro career religiously as my fandom reached new heights. Every time he was on TV, it was like Hanukkah, a time to celebrate and rejoice with my dad in watching my childhood hero perform on basketball’s greatest stage. I remember getting so nervous when he was at the free throw line; I wanted so much for the ball to swish through the net. And when he missed, which wasn’t very often (78.7 percent career free throws), I felt badly for him. 

I would also listen to his games on the AM radio and chart his statistics for the season. Following Darnell in the NBA became a central part of my life in high school and college. The first thing I did when I got the paper was look at the box scores to see how Darnell performed the previous night. I cheered his successes and became saddened whenever he was injured. Once in college at KU, after he suffered an injury while playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, I took a break from studying in the stacks of Watson Library and wrote a long, heartfelt letter to him, closing with an inspirational poem about D.V. taking the ball coast to coast and scoring a layup over Moses Malone.

It was a letter I needed to write; I had to let my childhood hero know how important he was to me.

Several months later, Darnell wrote me back as I leaped for joy when the letter arrived in my mailbox. Oh, I’ll never forget that letter postmarked Dec. 17, 1986 written on stationary from the Holiday Inn Westwood Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles:

“Dear David: How are ya? I’ve spent a lot of time in Lawrence this summer and I’m surprised I didn’t meet you. But I received your letter, and it was really inspiring. I appreciate your support and loyalty. The amazing thing that may surprise you is fan support goes a long, long way and it makes the game of basketball that much more enjoyable. Kansas is truly a beautiful place with beautiful people and I’m proud to be a part of it. Thank you and take care. God Bless, Darnell.”

I’ve always appreciated Darnell for taking the time to write me back, and will forever cherish that letter. 

I ached for D.V. to reach the upper rank of NBA point guards, and while it never happened, I always admired his tenacious defense and how hard he worked and competed to become the best player possible.

...

Darnell Valentine first exploded on the national scene the summer after his junior year at Wichita Heights at Howard Garfinkel’s prestigious Five-Star camp in Wheeling, West Virginia. After Valentine’s performance, Garfinkel simply gushed that he was the best guard in the history of the camp, even superior to Butch Lee of Marquette and Phil Sellers of Rutgers.

Scouts continued to rave over Valentine’s game as the phenom joined Kansas basketball. During his sophomore year in 1978 while scouting at the Big Eight Holiday Tournament in Kansas City, Boston Celtics general manager Red Auerbach was awed over Valentine’s skills.

“Valentine is quicker than Jo Jo (White) and he penetrates better,” Auerbach told The Sporting News in comparing him to the former Celtics’ star (1969-1979) who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame last September.

As Valentine earned All-American honors his senior year in 1981 and prepared for the NBA Draft, Auerbach predicted the Wichita native was destined for stardom.

“He is,” Auerbach marveled, “going to be a great one.”

While Valentine never lived up to the hype, he had a very commendable nine-year NBA career and was a true defensive wizard with an unwavering work ethic. The 6-1 guard’s career all began with the Portland Trail Blazers, who chose him as the No. 16 pick in the first round of the draft.

After learning the ropes his rookie season under starter Kelvin Ransey and averaging 6.4 points per game, Valentine became the starting point guard in Year 2. Portland head coach Jack Ramsay was so high on Valentine that he raved about him to Sports Illustrated just before his second season.

"Darnell Valentine may be the best point guard in the NBA, you'll see," Ramsay said.

Valentine averaged a career-high 12.5 points and 2.1 steals per game in 1982-83, endearing himself to Ramsay and Blazers fans with his nonstop hustle, defensive prowess, and charming personality.

"He's a fierce competitor," Ramsay told "The Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball." "He never stops. He's never going to be outplayed."

Unfortunately, Valentine never rose to NBA stardom despite his outstanding defense and great playmaking and penetration ability. He was a questionable outside shooter, battled injuries, and was constantly fighting for minutes with fellow point guards Lafayette Lever and Steve Colter in Portland. He also played in a complex halfcourt offense under Ramsay, which restricted his freedom.

Then with the arrival of rookie and future All-Star Terry Porter in 1985-86, the Blazers dealt Valentine to NBA purgatory with the woeful Los Angeles Clippers for a first-round draft pick, where he played in obscurity for two and a half seasons before finishing his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers (two seasons) at age 31 in 1991.

Valentine talked about that trade to Los Angeles to the Oregonian in 2009.

"It was an open competition in training camp (with Colter and Porter), and I came out the starter," Valentine said. "I was playing well, but then they wanted to change directions."

Before the Clippers’ deal, a trade to Indiana fell apart as Valentine became “a lame duck.”

"Everything was so abrupt. So I passed the baton to Terry,” Valentine said of Porter, who became an All-Star and one of the top assist men in NBA annals.

Valentine, who was ranked the No. 33 best player in Trail Blazers' history by the Oregonian in 2009, always elevated his game in the playoffs for Portland. He averaged 12.0 points, 6.8 assists, and shot a scorching 88.4 percent from free throw line during the postseason, and is tied for the team record for most assists in a playoff game with 15. Valentine, who averaged 18.4 points and 8.4 assists in a playoff series with Phoenix in 1984, also ranks fifth all time in Blazer history in playoff assists.

"I was never the greatest player during the season," Valentine said. "But when it got to playoffs, I think teams were so intent on stopping our strengths – (Jim) Paxson and (Calvin) Natt – that it allowed me to make things happen."

Valentine, whose trademark was his tree-trunk thighs, has a favorite story about his time in Rip City.

"I had those big legs, which were probably my rite to passage,” he said. “Well, there was another player in the league who had big legs too – World B. Free – and Mychal Thompson would never let me hear the end of it. He always wondered why I couldn't jump like World B. Free. So he always called me 'Ground Jordan'."

While he wasn’t a leaper, Valentine was the consummate and unselfish point guard for Ramsay. The Hall of Famer and late Portland head man loved coaching Valentine and greatly admired his work ethic.

Under the caption, “Heart of a Champion,” here’s what Ramsay wrote in his 2004 book, “Dr. Jack’s Leadership Lessons learned from a Lifetime in Basketball”:

“Many of the players I coached who weren’t among the team’s most gifted players were the hardest workers and made maximum use of their skills. Darnell Valentine was perhaps the most self-disciplined player I ever dealt with.

“DV — who had watermelon-sized quads, a strong upper body and excellent quickness handling the ball and defending — worked fanatically on his conditioning.  He was on the floor an hour before practice, working on his defensive footwork, pull-up jumpers, or full-court drives to the hoop. Then he would stretch for about 15 minutes before the team practice began. He was also extremely careful about his diet. He ate primarily foods high in carbohydrates and supplemented them with enough protein and fat to fuel his extraordinary energy level. Valentine even brought his own food blender with him on road trips and often boarded the team bus carrying large bags of fruit and veggies, which he offered to everyone. In addition to his fierce work ethic, relentless self-discipline and powerful will to win, he always wore a smile and was one of the best team players I ever coached.”

Valentine was overwhelmed with gratitude when I relayed Ramsay’s statement to him before his jersey retirement at KU on Jan. 1, 2005. The two were good friends and fellow fitness addicts; they used to take bike rides together.

“Coming from him, that’s an incredible compliment,” Valentine said. “I appreciate that. We did a lot of things alike. We thought alike. Even when I was traded to the Clippers, I know that I understand the business of basketball now, sometimes it’s not about the coach and it’s not about your playing. It’s a business. Sometimes, things are done by committee. Jack and I, we had a great relationship.”

Valentine, who has lived in Portland since he retired from basketball and worked for Precision Castparts (a Fortune 500 manufacturing company) as employee engagement leader since 2007, richly enjoyed his time with the Blazers.

"Coming out of Kansas, I was afraid that the NBA would be an overwhelming challenge," Valentine said. "But the Blazers — the Stu Inmans the Harry Glickmans — they embraced and cared about us, and I think that eventually was reflected in the community. And it's amazing how that regenerates itself. Portland is a special place. I could feel that right from the start.”

Valentine boasts career averages of 8.7 points (5,400), 5.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 23.2 minutes per game. He started 345 of 620 contests, while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.7 percent at the free throw line.

I asked my childhood hero when he returned to Allen Fieldhouse for his jersey retirement in 2005 how he felt about his pro career.

“I think it could have possibly been better, and it could have possibly been a lot worse,” he replied. “I’m just thankful that it was what it was. I think I had some tough breaks. ... I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish.”

Lafayette Norwood, Valentine’s close friend, mentor and coach at Wichita Heights and assistant at Kansas, believed he caught a tough break by never catching on with the Chicago Bulls and superstar Michael Jordan. The Bulls were close to trading for Valentine after the 1984-85 season (his fourth year with Portland), but the deal never happened.

“I thought that was the turning point in his life,” said Norwood, who added the Bulls didn’t have a point guard at the time. “I thought if the Bulls could have got him, he could have been able to experience some things I thought we had in mind at the beginning of his career. Chicago was in the process of beginning to evolve as far as being a championship final team. If he could have gone to Chicago, obviously with Michael, he could have made that happen and become a critical (part to their success).”

Norwood thought Valentine could have elevated Jordan and his Bulls’ teammates’ games with his tenacious defense and become one of the best NBA point guards. Despite not getting with the Bulls, Norwood was proud of what D.V. accomplished during his nine NBA seasons.

“Oh, he had a great career,” Norwood said with a smile.

Like many others, Norwood was deeply impressed with Valentine’s competitive fire.

“I've never been around a young man so obsessed to be a professional athlete,” Norwood told the Lawrence Journal-World on Jan. 17, 1986.

David Magley, Valentine’s teammate at KU, also greatly admired his work ethic. Magley saw Valentine compete in the NBA when he played briefly for the Cleveland Cavaliers as a rookie in 1982-83.

“I gained even greater respect for Darnell,” Magley told the Journal-World after the Cavs released him. “I respected Darnell at KU because he worked so hard. He’s kept it up in the NBA. Darnell is so devoted. A lot of NBA players just don’t show the intensity he does.”

“He was a warrior,” former Missouri guard and NBA rival Larry Drew told me several years ago.

Valentine credits his mother, Rose, for his superior drive.

“My mother instilled in me was the fact I had a real strong work ethic,” he said. “I was dedicated to the game and I respected the game.” 

And Valentine, of course, loved the game.

Recalling Jayhawk legend Darnell Valentine's jersey retirement ceremony in Allen Fieldhouse

"Without heroes, we are all plain people and don't know how far we can go." --Bernard Malamud in "The Natural"

Darnell Valentine was my childhood hero; I idolized everything about the former Jayhawk star. I shot free throws using his distinctive style and wore my socks high like him. When Darnell played for Portland in the NBA, I bought my beloved dog Snoopy Trailblazer dog food. I used to work out at home gaining motivation by looking at a framed picture of Darnell leading a fast break with Portland. Just when I thought I couldn’t run in place anymore, I focused even more on the picture and kept on running, kept on sweating, kept on persevering. I ran even faster, lifted my legs even higher, doing this all for Darnell. I admired his unwavering work ethic so much, and wanted to be just like him.

In this blog entry, I look back at a historic moment with his jersey retirement ceremony in Allen Fieldouse 12 years ago, when Valentine took his rightful place among the Jayhawk greats to have his No. 14 jersey unfurled from the hallowed rafters in the Phog.

...

It was halftime of the thrilling Kansas-Georgia Tech game in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 1, 2005, as the resounding cheers and memories all came racing back for Darnell Valentine.

Dressed stylishly in a maroon suit, white shirt and glasses and still looking extremely physically fit — “I’m still playing weight, baby,” he  told a small group of reporters earlier that day — Valentine stood at midcourt flanked by his former KU head coach Ted Owens and assistant Lafayette Norwood.

And then it happened. At 2:34 p.m., Valentine’s No. 14 jersey was retired and unfurled from the rafters. The crowd roared in approval while Valentine got chills and flashed a broad smile. After composing himself, he took the microphone and addressed the crimson and blue faithful while speaking from the heart.

“This is such an overwhelming ceremony and opportunity for me,” said Valentine, who starred at KU from 1977-1981. “I'm so proud; I'm so honored. My wife, Cindy, my daughter, Tierra, we are so proud. This has just been a 24-year fulfillment of my desire to be up there among some of the greats of Kansas basketball. First, I'd like to acknowledge our heavenly Father for giving me the gift of basketball. Also, for surrounding me with love and support to allow me to accomplish the things I was able to accomplish. My mother, she instilled in me to always try to leave a place better then I found it. She would be pleased today. Lafayette Norwood and Mrs. Betty Norwood, my adopted parents — I don’t know if they adopted me, or if I just tried to grab a leg and hold on. He’s certainly given me a life full of lessons and guidance, and I’m just honored to have him here with me as well. 

“Coach Ted Owens' 19-year career here at the University of Kansas, and he allowed me to be part of this program and to give me a platform to play and surround me with players that complemented me. Thank you coach. My teammates, oh man, I had some great teammates. I’m so proud that I've been able to go forward and represent them, because without them — team, the acronym 'Together, Everyone Accomplishes More" — I think that epitomizes the unity that we had. 

“Also, I'd like to acknowledge a gentleman that certainly has touched this community in a way that no person ever has, Mr. Bob Billings. He exemplified kindness, generosity, and character — what a great man. Also, I’d like to acknowledge Jamie Coulter, who played a big role in me coming here to the University of Kansas, and without the tireless efforts of Mr. Bemie Morgan, we might not be having this ceremony today. Thank you, Bernie.

“I hope that as you come to Allen Fieldhouse, and you young people, I’m going to give a shout out to you guys as well. As you come into Allen Fieldhouse, I hope that these jerseys up here will inspire you to in the tradition of Kansas, to pursue excellence, because it’s so short lived. It’s an opportunity for you to really define yourself. I had the opportunity here at the University of Kansas to have the springboard to allow me to have a lifestyle and life that I have. You guys take advantage of this. I challenge you to leave this place better than you found it.  

“Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!

The packed crowd of 16,300 cheered again — even louder this time. It was a wonderful and heartfelt ovation for a man and player who accomplished so much during his collegiate career. KU’s first McDonald’s All-American from powerhouse Wichita Heights, Valentine is the lone Jayhawk to be named first-team All-Conference four times and the only KU player to be selected as a three-time Academic All-American (1979, ‘80 and ‘81).

Valentine, who was named an All-American on the hardwood after his senior season in 1981, is one of just three Kansas players to earn All-American honors both on the floor and academically.

“He was a complete person,” Owens said. “He did it all.”

Blessed with great instincts and extremely quick hands and feet, Valentine was arguably the greatest defensive guard to wear a KU uniform. He still holds the school record for career steals with 336, while ranking first in free throws made with 541. A deadly penetrator who could blow by opponents at will, Valentine is also fifth in career scoring with 1,821 points. In addition, D.V. was a four-time team MVP and ranks fifth on the career assist list with 609. 

Valentine started from day one, leading the 1977-78 team his freshman year to a 24-5 season and Big Eight championship. After Kansas went 18-11 his sophomore year before stumbling with a 15-14 record as a junior, Valentine guided the Jayhawks to a 24-8 record his senior season, a Big 8 Tournament championship, and a Sweet 16 finish.

It was, quite simply, a career he will never forget. He remains grateful for his decision to attend Kansas over North Carolina and legendary coach Dean Smith. Valentine’s decision was clinched when Owens named Norwood — his high school coach — an assistant at Kansas.

“It’s something that I’ve never looked back on,” Valentine said before the Georgia Tech game. “I’m 300 percent sure that it was the right decision for me.”

Owens remarked that day it was a joy to coach Valentine. He considers Valentine as perhaps the hardest worker he’s ever coached.

 “He wasn’t good by accident,” Owens said. “He was good because he worked at it every single day. Just the opportunity to work with someone with that kind of attitude really was a highlight.”

And No. 14 honored his mother’s wish by leaving Kansas “better than I found it.” The Jayhawks went two seasons without an NCAA berth before Valentine arrived in 1977 and lifted KU back to national prominence. Of course, KU has continued its basketball excellence with reaching phenomenal heights ever since.

“They went on to win the championship since I (was there); they’re still highly touted as a program, and the leadership that they brought in with Larry Brown, Roy Williams, Bill Self, it’s just spectacular,” Valentine said. “I think I did my role.” 

Did he ever.

Whatever more he accomplishes, Valentine will always cherish New Year’s Day, 2005 when he realized a longtime dream with his jersey retired alongside the other KU legends in the hallowed rafters of Allen Fieldhouse.

“This is the crowning of my adult life right now,” he said with a big smile that afternoon before his jersey retirement. 

Then moments after he spoke to the crowd at halftime, Valentine stood near the north goal and continued to soak in the moment.

“I’m looking at 13, that’s Wilt Chamberlain (jersey number in the rafters). I’m looking at 14, that’s me, and I’m looking at 15, that’s Jo Jo White,” Valentine said. “That is just a crowning moment, amongst the great players of all at Kansas, that No. 14 is there. My family and I, we’re very proud.”

Owens certainly was that magical and memorable day.

“Darnell Valentine is one of the greatest players we’ve ever had here,” he said. “To see him honored is a blessing for all of us.”