How did Mario Chalmers—a kid from Alaska who wanted to go to North Carolina—end up hitting the biggest shot in Jayhawk basketball history? Kansas would win that 2008 national championship in overtime, and Chalmers would be instantly immortalized for his role. But his story doesn’t end there. Chalmers was overlooked by NBA teams, falling into the second round of the draft before eventually ending up with the Miami Heat. And he would win back-to-back world championships with the Heat, playing a major role on both teams. So, how’d he do it? How did he go from Anchorage to Lawrence to Miami—winning titles at every stop—and showing up in a big way when it mattered most? This is one clutch story.

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These are unprecedented times. Dealing with mass cancellations and a sports world on hiatus isn't exactly something you can anticipate. Yet college and university leaders—like Kansas athletic director Jeff Long—have been tasked with figuring it out. So where do you even start? There are a lot of details to work through, and everything is on the table. So how do you plan for the unplannable? What goes into guiding an entire athletic department through a historic shutdown? In this special episode of The Jayhawker, Long answers those questions and more, as we sit down with the KU AD.

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Nobody wanted the season to end like this. The unprecedented decision to cancel the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments stung Kansas players, coaches and fans more than most. After all, we’re talking about a team ranked No. 1 in the country at the time the season ended. But as disappointing as the end was for all involved, this was still one of the best Jayhawk teams in recent memory. And that is something worth celebrating. But what made them great? And how did this team help carry their head coach? With the help of Bill Self, we’re bringing you the story of the 2019-2020 Jayhawk basketball team.

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Brian Hanni and Greg Gurley's call of Kansas at Baylor in Waco on February 22, 2020.

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Brian Hanni and Greg Gurley's call of Kansas vs. Dayton in the 2019 Maui Invitational.

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Athletes can impact lives. They have a platform, and legions of fans—young and old alike—who they influence. But what happens when an athlete decides he wants to have a bigger impact, a larger purpose? In the case of Wayne Simien, he simply walked away. Simien was a Big 12 Player of the Year at Kansas who went to two Final Fours. But it wasn’t enough. Later, he got drafted and won an NBA title. And yet, after two seasons in the league and one overseas, he abruptly retired. So why’d he do it? And how is he having a bigger impact now than ever before?

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The Voice of the Jayhawks, Brian Hanni, discusses the 2019-20 Kansas basketball team with Head Coach Bill Self.

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Everybody deals with pressure at some point. It’s part of life. But for some, that pressure comes when you’re not necessarily ready for it. That’s what Perry Ellis had to learn how to deal with. How’d he do it? And how did that lead to him heading to Lawrence, where he’d have an All-Big 12 career? We sat down with the former KU standout to talk about that, as well as rehabbing from a knee injury and trying to resume his professional career. He made a unique choice about where to rehab and how to stay busy: In Lawrence while working with the KU basketball support staff. It’s a move with one eye toward the future. But Perry Ellis isn’t ready to close the chapter on his playing career quite yet.

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Jimmy Chavez and head coach Brandon Schneider discuss the 2019-20 Kansas Women's Basketball team.

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