In our first-ever installment of the “Forever a Jayhawk” series, we took a trip down memory lane to remember legendary Kansas basketball point guard Aaron Miles.
If anyone has ever made a list of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the history of the Kansas Jayhawks (and I’m sure somebody has), that list better include Aaron Miles. If it doesn’t, they are missing out on one of the best glue guys that have ever donned the Crimson and Blue uniform.
Miles was the 11th-ranked recruit in the 2001 class and the seventh-best player to actually go to college (due to there not being a one-and-done rule back then). He was the highlight of KU’s class, with 67th-ranked Wayne Simien and Jeff Hawkins (who was outside of ESPN’s Top 100) as the only other incoming freshmen.
He was a big-time player as soon as he stepped onto campus. While starting 36 of the team’s 37 games as a freshman in 2001, he averaged 7.1 points and 6.8 assists for a team that featured three future long-time NBA players. While his numbers never jumped off the page (8.6 points and 6.9 assists for his career), he was always a steadying force on the floor.
Miles ended his career as KU’s and the Big 12’s all-time leader in assists, good for No. 8 in NCAA history. He is also KU’s leader in assists per game, for those of you that were about to argue that he was only the leader due to playing so many games. On top of the assists, he is fourth in minutes played, 10th in minutes per game, third in total steals, fourth in steals per game, and sixth in defensive win shares. Clearly, he left his mark on Kansas basketball.
Yet, for all of those accolades and for as good as the teams were during his career — 110-28 record, three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and a title runner-up in his four years — he hardly ever gets talked about amongst the great Jayhawks. If he had averaged 20 points and no assists for his career instead of the 8.6 points and 6.9 assists that he did, he would be considered one of the best players in KU history. Instead, his style of play was more geared toward making everyone around him better. That is why he is underrated. That is why he is underappreciated.
After bouncing between the D-League (now known as the G-League) and Europe, Miles came back to Lawrence as an assistant coach for the Jayhawks. He then followed Joe Dooley to Florida Gulf Coast, where he served as his head assistant coach. After one year there, he was named the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors (G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors). Two years there was enough for the front office to promote him to player development coach of the Warriors. Climbing the ladder once more, he has been the assistant coach of the Boston Celtics since 2021.
I think even his coaching resume reflects how he played the game. He could have easily been a head coach somewhere and gone on his own path. Instead, he chose to make many different programs better in smaller roles, which has now led him to one of the most prestigious franchises in all sports.
While the basketball world may not remember him or his impact on the game, Aaron Miles is Forever a Jayhawk.
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