Keith Langford, Michael Lee, Aaron Miles and Wayne Simien need only one more league win to claim their third Big 12 championship. They will get their chance at the Big 12 title tonight when Kansas plays host to Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse.
"Statistically, Keith's points, Aaron's assists and Wayne's points are big. Certainly, those three have put up great numbers, but I don't think that is what they should be remembered for," said coach Bill Self.
"I think that all four should be defined by winning. If you define a class by winning, than this class has to be one of the best that they have ever had here.
"All of the seniors will graduate in May, and Hawkins will graduate in May as well but he will have a fifth year to come back and work on his master's," added Self.
In addition to success on the court and in the classroom, the seniors will leave other memories behind.
"I think Aaron is ornery, fun and tough and even when he is not playing his best he tries hard. That's what I will remember about Aaron," reflected Self.
Miles also registered his 900th career assist this season.
Fans find plenty to recall about Wayne Simien. Simien is coming off a career-high 32 points against No. 4 Oklahoma State on Sunday. Simien leads KU and the Big 12 in scoring at 19.2 points per game. He was the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, a Wooden Award candidate, and recently broke the KU record by swishing his 34th straight free throw.
"Wayne is balanced. I don't know if I have ever been around a young kid as balanced as he is," said Self.
Like Simien, Langford is also a Wooden Award candidate.
"Keith I will remember as clutch and cool. He is a dynamic personality and he has some great attractive things about himself. Keith is cool, they call him Freeze, that's his nickname and he lives by it," mused Self.
And then there is Michael Lee.
"I think Mike is a fabulous person. He is bright and has a unique way about him. He is our locker room lawyer because he will win every argument that there is. Anybody that thinks that they can beat him is nuts, because they can't. He has a unique way of leading people and being positive, and that is sometimes hard to do when you are not playing a lot," said Self.
"He has been every bit as valuable as the other guys. People on the outside will not see that because he doesn't score as much or get a lot of rebounds, but he does some intangible things that give us a chance to be good. I don't remember very many days where I have had to get on him about his effort," emphasized Self.