Kansas basketball: 5 most underrated players in Kansas Jayhawks history

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 20: Guard Keith Langford #5 of the Kansas Jayhawks moves the ball past Cardell Butler #15 of the Utah State Aggies during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Ford Center March 20, 2003, in Oklahoma City, OK. The Jayhawks defeated the Aggies 64-61. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Who are the five most underrated Kansas Jayhawks’ players ever?

One of college basketball’s true blue bloods, Kansas basketball is an institution. Suiting up at Allen Fieldhouse is a rite of passage for some of the best NCAA basketball players of all time, including Wilt Chamberlain and Danny Manning.

Stars get all the love from fans, but not all of the great Kansas players get their due from casuals. Let’s take a look at five of the most underrated players in Jayhawks’ history, beginning with Darrell Arthur.

5. Darrell Arthur, F, (2006-2008)

He only spent two years with Kansas basketball so it is easy to forget about Arthur’s time as a Jayhawk. Those two seasons were pretty great, capped off by a key role for the 2008 national champions.

Kansas basketball clearly had high hopes for Arthur when he arrived on campus, making him the first player to wear No. 00 since Greg Ostertag. Arthur was named to the Big 12’s All-Rookie Team in 2007 and got all the way to the All-Big 12 First-Team as a sophomore.

That season saw Arthur average 12.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds a night, including a team-high 20 points in the title game win over Memphis. Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush were bigger stars on that squad, but Arthur’s contributions can’t be ignored.