Kansas Basketball: Jayhawks to Retire Mario Chalmers' Jersey
A glance across the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse reveals five national championship banners and a host of retired jerseys, all of which carry heavy weight in the Kansas basketball community.
Mario Chalmers will join the likes of recent stars Drew Gooden, Kirk Hinrich and Wayne Simien, whose jerseys currently reside alongside legends Wilt Chamberlain, Darnell Valentine and Clyde Lovellette.
According to TheShiver.com, Chalmers' No. 15 jersey will be retired at halftime of the Jayhawks' February 16 game vs. Texas, a game that will be featured on ESPN's College Gameday showcase.
The shooting guard played three seasons at KU, the last culminating with the single most historic shot in Kansas basketball history: A desperation game-tying three-pointer in the waning seconds against Memphis. He earned the Most Outstanding Player Award for the 2008 NCAA Tournament following their victory.
Chalmers provided tremendous consistency on both ends of the court, averaging at least 11 points, 3 assists, and an astounding 2.5 steals per game during each of his three seasons. He also received the co-2007 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Award.
"Mario cares about winning,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. "Points are great and steals are great and he was the best stealer of the ball we’ve ever had here, but he cares about winning. Guys that play here understand that winning trumps everything and he understood that."
The former five-star recruit tallied plenty of wins in his career, leaving Lawrence with a 95-16 record. Those 95 wins helped KU win three conference regular season titles, three conference tournament titles, and the one national title in 2008.
