Who Could Join Ochai Agbaji in the Allen Fieldhouse Rafters: Pre-2022 Players

No player since 2012 has made it into the rafters yet, but that will change. Which former Jayhawks could be in line for memorialization?

Bill Self put any doubt to rest months ago when he made a comment during an interview that Ochai Agbaji’s jersey would one day be hanging in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse. That comment won’t come with any pushback, as Agbaji capped off a great career with one of the most successful seasons in recent Kansas history.

But before we get there, no player that has suited up since 2012 had made their way into immortality yet, though it’s coming. So, let’s look at who could be in line to have their jersey in the rafters (this is not a prediction, but rather a list of options) and what their cases look like.

Tyshawn Taylor

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Career: 1,580 points, 575 assists, 324 rebounds, 172 steals

Accolades: All-Big 12 Team, NCAA All-Tournament Team

Taylor and Robinson are interesting to look at side by side. T-Rob had the best individual season, which is key to being memorialized, but Taylor had the more sustained career. Only five Kansas players since 1992 have racked up at least 1,500 points and 550 assists in their careers. Two of those have jerseys already hanging (Sherron Collins and Kirk Hinrich) and two are near locks (Frank Mason and Devonté Graham. The fifth is Taylor. If you take it further to 1,500 points, 550 assists, 300 rebounds, and 150 steals, the list shrinks to Hinrich, Mason, Graham, and Taylor.

Perry Ellis

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Career: 1,798 points, 834 rebounds

Accolades: All-Big 12 x3, Consensus Second-Team All-American

Ellis had an extremely productive collegiate career that culminated in a senior year where he averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 boards. Ellis is ninth all-time in scoring, 30 points ahead of Paul Pierce at No. 10, and since 2002 is fourth in defensive rebounds only behind Cole Aldrich, Nick Collison, and Wayne Simien. The biggest obstacle against Ellis is his postseason resume, having only one Elite Eight appearance and two second-round exits.

Frank Mason

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Career: 1,885 points, 500 rebounds, 576 assists, 165 steals

Accolades: AP National Player of the Year, Wooden Award, Naismith Award, Consensus First-Team All-American, Big 12 POY, All-Big 12 x3

Mason’s senior season alone warrants discussion. Just look at the accolades above. His 20.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 5.2 apg is one of the best statistical performances in recent history at KU. But Mason also had two solid years before that after averaging 16 minutes per game as a freshman. It’s why he’s currently No. 6 all time in scoring and No. 7 in assists.

Devonte’ Graham

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Career: 1,750 points, 439 rebounds, 632 assists, 197 steals

Accolades: Consensus First-Team All-American, Big 12 POY, All-Big 12 x2

Man, has Kansas had a run of amazing point guards. Graham is right outside the top 10 in points all time (finishing 18 behind Pierce), fifth in assists, and seventh in steals. And while Mason’s senior year was arguably slightly better (Graham averaged 17.3 points, 7.2 assists, and four rebounds as a senior), Graham does have a Final Four appearance on his resume.

Other Players

Having your name retired at a place like Kansas should not be easy or massively inclusive. The intention is to honor the best of the best to wear a KU uniform.

So this is where the debates can really get going. Because while guys like Thomas Robinson, Devon Dotson, and Udoka Azubuike (all of which were All-Americans) had some truly great seasons, the overall numbers might not wow in comparison to the ones above. Are those abbreviated careers enough to get these fan favorites in? That’s unclear.

Dotson not quite cracking 1,000 points in his two seasons is probably not enough. Who knows where he and Doke would be had there been a 2020 NCAA Tournament. Robinson and Doke barely got over that mark, but it’s the combination of that and the rebounding (and frankly, the eye test of pure dominance) that help their cases. T-Tob finished his career with 1,026 points, 763 rebounds, 101 assists, 88 blocks, while Doke ended with 1,069 points, 685 rebounds, and 172 blocks (which is eighth all time).

Another interesting case is Aaron Miles, who doesn’t jump off the page with accolades and points, but also occupies a space no one is likely to catch. Miles is KU’s all-time leader in assists, and it’s not close. His 954 career assists is 150 more than second place Jacque Vaughn. In fact, only seven players at any school since 1992 have recorded more than 900 assists for a career, and Miles is fourth on that list. He is also third all-time at KU in steals with 264. How do you measure warranty when maybe the overall numbers don’t overwhelm but a player was the best to ever do it in an important aspect of the game?

In the next part of this series, we'll look at the members of the 2022 team that could one day be cemented in Kansas' top honor.