Kansas University Basketball Legends

The University of Kansas's men's basketball team is one of the oldest and most successful in the history of college basketball; the very inventor of the sport, Dr. James Naismith, was KU's first coach. Its long and illustrious history began in 1898 and includes some of the biggest names in the game, from legends like Wilt Chamberlain to "secret weapons" like Andrea Hudy, the only female strength and conditioning coach in the division. Longtime Jayhawk enthusiast Kenn Johnson offers up a unique and in-depth look at the players, coaches and other personalities who helped make the University of Kansas basketball program the unparalleled tradition it is today.

KU alumnus and Jayhawk enthusiast Kenn Johnson is back with even more legends and firsts. Notable coaches like Danny Manning, who won the national championship as a player in 1988 and again as part of the coaching staff in 2008, have shaped and molded the team throughout the decades. Players like Raef LaFrentz, who became the first Jayhawks player in twenty-seven years to average a double-double over an entire season, keep the fans coming back for more. From the history of the famous Allen Fieldhouse to current coach Bill Self, Johnson offers a closer look at the team's unique contribution to the sport of basketball.

One of the most storied collegiate basketball programs in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks have produced some of the greatest players to ever hit the hardwood. In this updated edition of Tales from the Kansas Jayhawks Locker Room, diehard Jayhawks fans will thrill over the treasure trove of stories and memories from the players and coaches who have made the University of Kansas into a basketball powerhouse. For over a century, Kansas has been the home of storied coaches—from the game’s inventor James Naismith to the current reign of Bill Self—and prominent players including Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Endacott, Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, and dozens more. ,i>Tales from the Kansas Jayhawks Locker Room includes stories of all of them and is a must-read for any Jayhawks fan.

The night of April 4, 1988 will forever live in the hearts of fans of Jayhawks basketball. On that night, the Jayhawks and their fans raucously celebrated the team’s first national title since 1952. This game for the ages is one of 22 contests joyously recalled in this reissue of Steve Buckner’s Game of My Life Kansas Jayhawks. For fans of the Kansas Jayhawks, Game of My Life is a fabulous stroll down memory lane in which several Jayhawks basketball legends detail the events that culminated in the game of their lives. Players from the 1988 NCAA Championship squad share their insights into the collective game of their lives, as well as the defeat of rival Oklahoma in the national championship game. Former players featured include Mark Turgeon, Drew Gooden, Steve Woodberry, Paul Pierce, Nick Collison, Rex Walters, Mario Chalmers, and Kirk Hinrich, along with former coach Larry Brown and many more legends. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The University of Kansas basketball team has the most winning seasons of any team in college basketball. The history of KU basketball goes back 115 years. This volume describes many unbelievable game-stopping moments in the history of the game, as well as the most inspiring coaches and players and infamous team rivalries. It includes some incredible historical images from KU basketball history and a timeline for fast reference for the avid sports fan.

Following the 1972 Olympics one sportswriter referred to Mark Spitz, winner of seven gold medals, as “the first great Jewish athlete.” He couldn’t have been more wrong. As Jewish Sports Legends shows, Jews have excelled at athletics for centuries. This engaging volume illuminates the lives and unforgettable accomplishments of Jews in virtually every major sport played worldwide. Baseball stars Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg, basketball’s Red Auerbach and Dolph Schayes, and football’s Sid Luckman and Marv Levy are only a few notable examples. With photographs accompanying almost every sports personality, this fifth edition introduces some famous and some not-so-famous Jewish sports greats throughout history. More than eighty new entries have been added to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame since 2005, among them Lyle Alzado, Max Baer, Ira Berkow, Kenny Bernstein, Sasha Cohen, Shawn Green, Donna Geils Orender, Aly Raisman, and Bud Selig. While most of those profiled are professional sport champions and Olympic gold medalists, the book also features great coaches, officials, journalists, and other significant contributors in every major sport.

From the clash of college to the best married shooting duo in history, the Lone Star State clears every hurdle the sports world offers. A former Texas Christian basketball player became the first tenured African American professor at Harvard Business School. Aggie football legend John Kimbrough's first professional contract required him to act in movies and serve as the stadium's handyman. For every date on the calendar, Ryan Sprayberry provides a play-by-play of 365 memorable days in the state's athletic history, beginning with the birth of the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1937, and ending with the final snap of the Ice Bowl on December 31, 1967.

Remembered in name but underappreciated in legacy, Forrest “Phog” Allen arguably influenced the game of basketball more than anyone else. In the first half of the twentieth century, Allen took basketball from a gentlemanly, indoor recreational pastime to the competitive game that would become a worldwide sport. Succeeding James Naismith as the University of Kansas’s basketball coach in 1907, Allen led the Jayhawks for thirty-nine seasons and holds the record for most wins at that school, with 590. He also helped create the NCAA tournament and brought basketball to the Olympics. Allen changed the way the game is played, coached, marketed, and presented. Scott Morrow Johnson reveals Allen as a master recruiter, a transformative coach, and a visionary basketball mind. Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, and many others benefited from Allen’s knowledge of and passion for the game. But Johnson also delves into Allen’s occasionally tumultuous relationships with Naismith, the NCAA, and University of Kansas administrators. Phog: The Most Influential Man in Basketball chronicles this complex man’s life, telling for the first time the full story of the man whose name is synonymous with Kansas basketball and with the game itself.