2008-09 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Jayhawks' 111th basketball season. The Head Coach was Bill Self

Bill Self

Bill Self is an American college men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship....

, serving his 6th year. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse

Allen Fieldhouse

Allen Fieldhouse is an indoor arena at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The arena, named in honor of Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, who coached the university's men's basketball team for 39 years, is one of college basketball's most historically significant and prestigious buildings...

in Lawrence, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, and were the defending National Champions.

Pre-Season

The 2007–08 Jayhawks

2007-08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

The 2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2007–2008. The team was led by Bill Self in his fifth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence,...

finished the season 37–3 overall with a 13–3 mark in conference play. They won the Big 12 regular season men's basketball championship, which they shared with the Texas Longhorns

Texas Longhorns men's basketball

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference....

. In post season play, the Jayhawks won the Big 12 conference tournament championship and received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament

2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...

. The team went on to win the national championship, 75–68, in overtime vs. the Memphis Tigers

Memphis Tigers

The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...

. The Jayhawks finished the season #1 in the final Coaches Poll after the tournament and were ranked 5th in the final AP Poll before the tournament. The team raised a temporary NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

banner to the rafters in an official ceremony to celebrate its 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

victory during Late Night in the Phog

Midnight Madness (basketball)

Midnight Madness is an annual event on college campuses that celebrates the first day in mid-October that the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits formal basketball practices each college basketball season. In some cases, the name has literal meaning since an event is scheduled...

event. The official championship and final four banners were raised during the November 18 game against Florida Gulf Coast.

The Jayhawks lost five scholarship seniors from their national title team in addition to three underclassmen (Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, and Darrell Arthur) who opted to enter the NBA

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

draft and eventually signed with agents. Returning from the national championship team are stars Sherron Collins

Sherron Collins

Sherron Marlon Collins is an American professional basketball player who plays for Hacettepe Üniversitesi, in the Turkish Basketball League. He formerly played for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. He has also played for Lietuvos Rytas, Maine Red Claws and Quebradillas...

, point guard, and Cole Aldrich

Cole Aldrich

Cole David Aldrich is an American basketball player who is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association . He completed his junior year at the University of Kansas in March 2010. Aldrich was selected as a McDonald's All American in 2006. He attended...

, center. Other players returning are: seniors Matt Kleinmann and Brennan Bechard, and sophomores Brady Morningstar, Chase Buford, Tyrel Reed, and Connor Teahan.

Recruiting

Coach Self signed seven recruits for the 2008–09 season. The class was led by New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

twins Marcus and Markieff Morris who both played the power forward

Power forward (basketball)

Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...

position. Another signee from New Jersey was Quintrell Thomas, who also played the power forward position. Travis Releford, a Kansas City product was the first signee for the Jayhawks and was in the mix for departed star Brandon Rush

Brandon Rush

Brandon Leray Rush is an American basketball player. On July 15, 2008, Rush signed a contract to play basketball for the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted in 2008 by the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Rush played for the University of Kansas in college for three seasons, including the 2007–2008...

's spot in the starting rotation. Coach Self also managed to lure point guard Tyshawn Taylor to Lawrence, after he was released from his letter of intent to play for Marquette

Marquette Golden Eagles

The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University....

. The Jayhawks also signed junior college transfers Tyrone Appleton and Mario Little.

Season summary

Kansas finished the regular season 25–6 (14–2). After being picked to tie for 3rd in the conference in preseason, the Jayhawks defied expectations and won their 5th straight Big 12 conference championship and 52nd overall.

Awards

Bill Self
- Big 12 Coach of the Year
- AP Coach of the Year
  Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
  The Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year award was established in 1967 to recognize the best men's college basketball coach of the year, as voted upon by the Associated Press...
- USBWA
  United States Basketball Writers Association
  The United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...
  
  Coach of the Year (Henry Iba Award
  Henry Iba Award
  The Henry Iba Award was established in 1959 to recognize the best college basketball coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association . Five nominees are presented and the individual with the most votes receives the award, which is presented in conjunction with the Final Four....
  
  ).
- Sporting News Coach of the Year
- Athlon Sports Coach of the Year
- USBWA District VI Coach of the Year
- Yahoo Sports Coach of the Year
- CBS
  CBS
  CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
  
  /Chevrolet
  Chevrolet
  Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
  
  Coach of the Year
- ESPN
  ESPN
  Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
  
  Coach of the Year
Cole Aldrich
- All-Big 12 First Team
- Big 12 All-Defensive Team
- Big 12 Defensive Co-Player of the Year
- Big 12 All-Academic Team
- AP All-American Honorable Mention
- Athlon Sports National Most Improved Player of the Year
- NABC District 8 First Team
- USBWA All-District VI Team
- NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional Team
Sherron Collins
- All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous selection)
- AP All-American Third Team
- CBSSports.com All-American Third Team
- Sporting News Third Team All-American
- USBWA All-District VI Team
- USBWA Second Team All-American.
- NABC District 8 First Team
- Finalist, Oscar Robertson Trophy
- Finalist, Bob Cousy Award
Marcus Morris
- Big 12 All-Rookie Team
Tyshawn Taylor
- Big 12 All-Rookie Team (unanimous selection)
Tyrel Reed
- Big 12 All-Academic Team
Matt Kleinmann
- Big 12 All-Academic Team

Roster

Name	#	Position	Height	Weight	Year	Home Town
Cole Aldrich Cole Aldrich Cole David Aldrich is an American basketball player who is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association . He completed his junior year at the University of Kansas in March 2010. Aldrich was selected as a McDonald's All American in 2006. He attended...	45	Center	6–11	245	Sophomore	Bloomington, MN
Tyrone Appleton	32	Guard	6–3	190	Junior	Midland, Texas Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
Brennan Bechard	10	Guard	6–0	183	Senior	Lawrence, KS
Chase Buford	41	Guard	6–3	200	Sophomore	San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
Sherron Collins Sherron Collins Sherron Marlon Collins is an American professional basketball player who plays for Hacettepe Üniversitesi, in the Turkish Basketball League. He formerly played for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. He has also played for Lietuvos Rytas, Maine Red Claws and Quebradillas...	4	Guard	5–11	200	Junior	Chicago, IL
Jordan Juenemann	40	Guard	6–4	195	Freshman	Hays, KS
Matt Kleinmann	54	Center	6–10	247	Senior	Overland Park, KS
Mario Little	23	Forward	6–5	210	Junior	Marianna, FL
Brady Morningstar	12	Guard	6–3	185	Sophomore	Lawrence, KS
Marcus Morris Marcus Morris (basketball) Marcus "Mook" Morris is an American basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at Kansas.-Early years:...	22	Forward	6–8	230	Freshman	Pennsauken, NJ
Markieff Morris Markieff Morris Markieff Morris is an American basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at Kansas.-Early years:...	21	Forward	6–9	220	Freshman	Pennsauken, NJ
Tyrel Reed Tyrel Reed Tyrel Reed is a 6'3" American basketball player who played for University of Kansas and is currently with VOO Verviers-Pepinster of the Ethias League in Belgium...	14	Guard	6–3	180	Sophomore	Burlington, KS
Travis Releford	24	Guard	6–5	190	Freshman	Shawnee Mission, KS
Tyshawn Taylor Tyshawn Taylor Tyshawn Jamar Taylor is a 6'3" American basketball player who currently plays for University of Kansas in the Big 12 of the NCAA.-High school:...	15	Guard	6–3	160	Freshman	Jersey City, NJ
Conner Teahan	2	Guard	6–5	200	Sophomore	Leawood, KS
Quintrell Thomas	11	Forward	6–8	225	Freshman	Elizabeth, NJ

Schedule

Rankings

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Final
AP	24	24	22	NR	25	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	21	16	15	15	9	11	14	N/A
Coaches	23	24	23	25	23	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	24	16	18	15	9	11	13	10