If you’ve scrolled social media at all over the past several years, you’ve seen these “build your team” memes that float around from time to time.
It seems that every major professional franchise and every major college athletics program has had one of these for their team from the current or former era. Many All-Star teams have been created from these memes.
It’s a fun way to pass the time and engage in debates with fans worldwide. This past weekend, one of these memes for the University of Kansas was floating around. This one, as these things tend to do when they spread far and wide across the internet, began to rile up the fan base.
This particular meme is for Kansas basketball players from the past decade and offers the option to use $15 to select five players. You’ve got five lines, featuring players “worth” $5 down to $1.
- The $5 line includes: Frank Mason, Devonte Graham, Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, and Udoka Azubuike.
- The $4 line includes: Devon Dotson, Josh Jackson, Perry Ellis, Dedric Lawson, and Hunter Dickinson.
- The $3 line includes: Malik Newman, Wayne Seldon, Christian Braun, Svi Mykhailiuk, and David McCormack.
- The $2 line includes: Remy Martin, Zeke Mayo, Gradey Dick, Marcus Garrett, and Landen Lucas.
- The $1 line includes: Dajuan Harris, Isaiah Moss, Lagerald Vick, Johnny Furphy, and KJ Adams.
You’re supposed to pick the players based on how good they were at KU. For the sake of the exercise today, I’m going to take one player from each row. This is a subjective list, but many heated discussions will likely abound due to these choices I’m about to make. Let the games begin!
$5 – Frank Mason
With my most expensive piece to the team, I’m taking my starting point guard. Mason was a three-year starter at Kansas and was dominant in his Senior season. He earned First-Team Big 12 and First-Team All-American honors, as well as being the Naismith National Player of the Year. He’s an all-time great Jayhawk, and I’m happy to have him lead this team. There were many great options on this line, but for my money, Mason is the best of the bunch.
$4 – Hunter Dickinson
My first “controversial” choice. Yes, Dickinson was a transfer and the face of the new transfer portal era at Kansas, with NIL on the books. He wasn’t a true-blue blood Jayhawk from the start of his career. However, he was one of the best big men in the country in his two years at Kansas, despite the team around him failing to meet expectations. Dickinson averaged nearly 18 points, 10.5 rebounds, and two assists per game.
Despite the hate he received on social media, Dickinson was a fine player for the Jayhawks, being selected as an All-American player both seasons, once on the first team and once on the third team. He did have some shortcomings defensively and would lack aggression at times offensively, but my team needed a big man, and Dickinson would slot in well for this squad. Despite what some would consider a hefty price tag, I’m rolling with Dickinson as my center.
$3 – Christian Braun
This guy is Kansas-born and definitely bleeds blue. Braun is a local kid who worked his way up through his three seasons at Kansas and ended up finishing his career at the mountaintop, helping lead the Jayhawks to a National Championship in 2022. Braun averaged 14 points, 6.5 rebounds, and three assists per game in his final season. His killer instinct, defensive effort, and all-around hustle, especially when it mattered most in the postseason, give me a nice piece to the team for the price.
$2 – Marcus Garrett
This is my lockdown defender. Garrett won the 2020 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award in his final season as a Jayhawk. I firmly believe he would have been a key part of a National Championship squad for the Jayhawks if the 2019-2020 season hadn’t been canceled just before March Madness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With other scorers around him, Garrett doesn’t need to do much offensively, even though he averaged 10 points and four assists as a starter for KU. All-American defense with offense when necessary, and Garrett will give me well more than what the $2 is worth for this team.
$1 – Johnny Furphy
Furphy, affectionately known as the Wizard of Aus since he was a recruit from Australia, was supposed to be a Freshman this past season at the University of Kansas. However, he reclassified and joined the Jayhawks a year early, playing with the team during the 2023-2024 season. Furphy only started 19 games for Kansas, but showed promise when given the opportunity. In 15 games when starting and playing a minimum of 30 minutes under head coach Bill Self, Furphy averaged 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Adding Furphy as a slasher alongside Mason, Garrett, Braun, and Dickinson would give him the ability to work into the paint as well as the opportunity to get open on the outside.
With Mason as the starting point guard, Garrett as the lockdown defender and shooting guard, Braun and Furphy as forwards who can double as perimeter players, and Dickinson as the center, this would be a tough Jayhawk all-star team to beat. That’s what I’d do with my $15.
Who would you pick for your squad?
