Through the Phog
Fansided

8 Things Every Kansas Jayhawks Fan Should Know

By Ryan Noel

Nov 23, 2015; Lahaina, HI, USA; Kansas Jayhawk cheerleaders perform a cheer during a game against the Chaminade Silverswords at the Lahaina Civic Center during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2015; Lahaina, HI, USA; Kansas Jayhawk cheerleaders perform a cheer during a game against the Chaminade Silverswords at the Lahaina Civic Center during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 30, 2016; Lawrence, KS, USA; A close up view of the original Rules of Basketball written by James Naismith presented to Kansas University at the halftime of the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Kentucky Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Lawrence, KS, USA; A close up view of the original Rules of Basketball written by James Naismith presented to Kansas University at the halftime of the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Kentucky Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The Legendary Phog Allen Coaching Tree

Kansas fans tend to be all too aware of their place in basketball history, tracing their lineage back to the founder of the game – James Naismith. But that history is richer than most even realize, thanks in large part to Forrest “Phog” Allen, who won 24 conference championships and three national titles in 39 seasons at Kansas.

Jan 2, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Larry Brown reacts during the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Larry Brown reacts during the first half against the South Florida Bulls at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Allen’s influence extends into the modern era, though, as programs like Kentucky and North Carolina owe much of their prominent history to Kansas. Coaching icons Dean Smith (UNC) and Adolph Rupp (Kentucky) both played at Kansas under Allen.

Extending from that, Larry Brown played under Dean Smith at UNC, and went on to coach (and put on staff) some of today’s elite coaching names. Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and widely considered the best coach in basketball, is one of those elite names. Popovich was a volunteer assistant on Brown’s staff for one year at Kansas and more famously was one of his assistant coaches with the San Antonio Spurs. Dean Smith is also directly responsible for former Kansas and current UNC head coach Roy Williams, as well as former NBA coach George Karl, among others.

On the other side, Rupp has coached just as many top-tier coaches in his tree, starting with Miami Heat President Pat Riley. Riley has coached a myriad of modern names, most notably Jeff and Stan Van Gundy, both of whom have extensive NBA coaching trees of their own.

It’s impressive to see just how close much of the modern basketball world is to its founder, as many of these names are only a few generations removed from Naismith in his tree.

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