Basketball wasn't invented at Kansas but basketball tradition was. It's where James Naismith taught, Phog Allen coached, Wilt Chamberlain dominated, Danny Manning performed a miracle and Roy Williams wins like no other coach in the college game. It's been a century of national championships, All-Americans, Olympic heroes and remarkable games. A Century of Jayhawk Triumphs relives the top 100 victories in the program's storied history.

This is a coffee table, commemorative book celebrating the 100th year anniversary of the University of Kansas basketball. While James Naismith invented the game of basketball at Springfield College, it was not until he arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, that the game matured, under the coaching of the legendary Phog Allen. TheKansas Century will present essays by current sportswriter on:

The University of Kansas basketball team has the most winning seasons of any team in college basketball. The history of KU basketball goes back 115 years. This volume describes many unbelievable game-stopping moments in the history of the game, as well as the most inspiring coaches and players and infamous team rivalries. It includes some incredible historical images from KU basketball history and a timeline for fast reference for the avid sports fan.

The storied history that is KU basketball is revealed in this compilation of the most critical moments and important facts about past and present players, coaches, and teams. Most Kansas basketball fans have attended games at Allen Fieldhouse, seen highlights of a young Paul Pierce, and remember watching the Jayhawks cut down the net in 2008. But only real fans know the origins of the Rock Chalk Jayhawk Chant, where the Jayhawks played prior to calling Allen Fieldhouse home, and can name the former Jayhawk who went on to earn the Republican nomination for president. Scattered throughout the pages are pep talks, records, and Jayhawks lore, including lyrics to “I’m a Jayhawk”; stories from Wilt Chamberlain’s years at Kansas; Phog Allen’s 39 seasons on the Kansas bench; Roy Williams’ memorable 15-year run, including three trips to the Final Four. Whether a die-hard fan from the days of Larry Brown or a new supporter of Bill Self and Mario Chalmers, readers will find that this book contains everything Jayhawks fans should know, see, and do in their lifetime.

Remembered in name but underappreciated in legacy, Forrest “Phog” Allen arguably influenced the game of basketball more than anyone else. In the first half of the twentieth century, Allen took basketball from a gentlemanly, indoor recreational pastime to the competitive game that would become a worldwide sport. Succeeding James Naismith as the University of Kansas’s basketball coach in 1907, Allen led the Jayhawks for thirty-nine seasons and holds the record for most wins at that school, with 590. He also helped create the NCAA tournament and brought basketball to the Olympics. Allen changed the way the game is played, coached, marketed, and presented. Scott Morrow Johnson reveals Allen as a master recruiter, a transformative coach, and a visionary basketball mind. Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, and many others benefited from Allen’s knowledge of and passion for the game. But Johnson also delves into Allen’s occasionally tumultuous relationships with Naismith, the NCAA, and University of Kansas administrators. Phog: The Most Influential Man in Basketball chronicles this complex man’s life, telling for the first time the full story of the man whose name is synonymous with Kansas basketball and with the game itself.

The University of Kansas's men's basketball team is one of the oldest and most successful in the history of college basketball; the very inventor of the sport, Dr. James Naismith, was KU's first coach. Its long and illustrious history began in 1898 and includes some of the biggest names in the game, from legends like Wilt Chamberlain to "secret weapons" like Andrea Hudy, the only female strength and conditioning coach in the division. Longtime Jayhawk enthusiast Kenn Johnson offers up a unique and in-depth look at the players, coaches and other personalities who helped make the University of Kansas basketball program the unparalleled tradition it is today.

KU alumnus and Jayhawk enthusiast Kenn Johnson is back with even more legends and firsts. Notable coaches like Danny Manning, who won the national championship as a player in 1988 and again as part of the coaching staff in 2008, have shaped and molded the team throughout the decades. Players like Raef LaFrentz, who became the first Jayhawks player in twenty-seven years to average a double-double over an entire season, keep the fans coming back for more. From the history of the famous Allen Fieldhouse to current coach Bill Self, Johnson offers a closer look at the team's unique contribution to the sport of basketball.