Kansas Jayhawks Number Rankings: One

Let's see how Joe Yesufu stacks up against the best KU players to ever wear the number one

A few weeks ago, we started a new series ranking current KU players against other KU stars who have worn the same number (since 1983, the year Larry Brown took over). We’ve already ranked all the starters from 2022-23, and if you haven’t already, go back and check those out.

Now it’s time to head to the bench and see how these guys compare to players from the past that have worn their number. The idea behind these lists is as follows: I’ll list the guys who wore the same number, give a few blurbs about each player, and ultimately find a place where the current Jayhawk ranks. These could be tricky as many of these guys played sporadic minutes for Kansas this season and many are transferring.

Today we start with #1 Joseph Yesufu who has recently announced that he is transferring to Washington State.

Other recent number ones:

Jeff Hawkins. Four seasons, 2002-2006.

Jeff Hawkins started twelve games in his senior season which was by far his most productive at 5.4 points and 2.4 assists per game.

Xavier Henry. One season, 2009-2010.

Xavier Henry’s one season in Lawrence was productive to say the least. He scored at a 13.4 PPG clip while pulling down an average of 4.4 rebounds over the course of the season. Raise your hand if it seems like it has been 13 years since this guy played in Lawrence. It sure hasn’t for me. Man, time flies.

Naadir Tharpe also wore number 10. I rated him there.

Wayne Selden. Three seasons, 2013-2016.

Wayne had a productive three year stint at KU, culminating in his junior year where he snatched second team all league honors while averaging 13.8 PPG. Remember that dunk against Baylor? Me too.

Dedric Lawson. One season, 2018-2019.

In his only season at Kansas, Dedric Lawson led the Big 12 in scoring at 19.4 points per game while also grabbing 7.2 boards per contest. Easily the best player on one of the worst KU teams in recent memory, he was a standout on a young team that included five future NBA players.

Devon Dotson. Two seasons, 2018-2020.

This guy got shafted out of an NCAA tournament where Kansas was the outright best team in the nation, and Dotson was the star that made it all go. He played so well that season that he was named second team All-America after averaging 18.1 points and four assists that year. What a player he had become.

Tyon Grant-Foster. One season, 2020-2021.

TGF averaged 3.1 points in his lone season at Kansas.

How does Joe Yesufu stack up?

Well, he doesn’t. Yesufu just didn't get the playing time that the players above him on the list got in their time at KU. And with his transfer, he isn’t moving up on this list. In his two years at Kansas, Joe averaged 3.1 points per game while shooting only 27.9% from three point range.

Final Rankings:

1. Devon Dotson
2. Wayne Selden
3. Dedric Lawson
4. Xavier Henry
5. Jeff Hawkins
6. Joseph Yesufu
7. Tyon Grant-Foster

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