Remember a year ago, when all of the national college basketball analysts — and tens of thousands of amateur pundits, as well — kept singing the praises of KU guard Frank Mason III for national player of the year?
It’s happening again.
Maybe not with the same intensity and frequency. And it’s even less likely that this Jayhawk will sweep the awards like Mason did a season ago. But there’s no doubt that senior point guard Devonte’ Graham has played himself into the conversation.
[Graham’s senior season, like Mason’s before it,][1] has been nothing short of spectacular. They have not been mirror images of one another and there were things that Mason did well that Graham doesn’t and vice versa. But both Jayhawks are extreme competitors and both found/are finding themselves in the same discussions nearly a year apart.
A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.