Kansas Jayhawks Basketball: Top 10 Players in Last Five Years
Former Kansas Jayhawks center Jeff Withey (5) – Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
3. Jeff Withey
Before Jeff Withey played at Kansas he was an Arizona Wildcat. He played his freshman season there until he transferred to KU. Originally committed to play at Louisville, Withey decimated and decided to play at U of A.
Withey spent 5 years at Kansas until he was drafted in 2013 by the Portland Trailblazers 39th overall.
Later that season he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans where he still is today. His rookie season he averaged 11 minutes a game with a little over 3 points. He played in 58 games but only started in 4 of them.
This past season with New Orleans was a tough one as he only played in 37 games averaging 2.6 points a game. The 7’0 center is still with the Pelicans and will look to have a bounce back season.
At KU, Withey was a blocking monster. He took over the starting role in 2012 from the loss of the Morris twins and took the job and ran with it. That year he had great numbers on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
His best season was in 2012 where he put up just over 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks a game. In the 2012 NCAATournament he blocked 31 shots, breaking Florida center Joakim Noah’s record of 29, through the championship game after losing to Kentucky. He was a consensus second team All-American in 2012 and a two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year.
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