No one knows yet exactly what role or how much playing time incoming freshman Latrell Jossell will get for the Jayhawks during the 2020-21 season.
But you can’t say the young man is not going for it.
Over the weekend, Jossell became the final member of KU’s 2020 recruiting class to reveal his jersey number. And the 6-foot point guard from Central High in Keller, Texas, near Fort Worth, picked a Kansas classic.
Next season, Jossell will become the latest Jayhawk to wear No. 4, joining KU legends Nick Collison, Sherron Collins and Devonte’ Graham in wearing the number.
“I chose that number because I’ve had it since I was in seventh grade and it has always been my favorite number,” Jossell said in a news release announcing his choice.
Jossell joins Bryce Thompson [(No. 24)][1], Tyon Grant-Foster [(No. 1)][2] and Gethro Muscadin [(No. 35)][3] in announcing his number choice for their debut seasons at Kansas.
Injured five games into his senior season, Jossell averaged 18.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a junior at Central. He also averaged 13.2 points per game as a freshman and 13.8 points his sophomore year.
Through it all, Jossell developed a reputation as a lights-out shooter. He made 204 3-pointers during his high school career, including 54 during his junior season and a four-year average of 36.6%.
The group mentioned above is far from the only former Kansas players to wear No. 4 during their time in Lawrence. But you’d be hard-pressed to find three better players associated with a single KU jersey number than that trio.
Isaiah Moss, Ryan Robertson and Justin Wesley all wore the number during the past couple of decades. And back in the 1940s and 1950s, Larry Davenport and Max Kissell wore No. 4, as well.
But the trifecta of Collison, Collins and Graham — all All-Americans and all either in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters or headed there — certainly are the first three names that come to mind when people think No. 4 at Kansas.
Here’s a quick look at a couple of other KU power numbers and the players who wore them:
**No. 0**
Drew Gooden
Thomas Robinson
Frank Mason III
Marcus Garrett
*Here’s what’s crazy about No. 0: Those are the only four players to ever wear the number at KU.*
**No. 10**
Kirk Hinrich
Tyshawn Taylor
Svi Mykhailiuk
*No national awards or national titles there, but a strong group of players who all helped lead KU to at least one Final Four.*
**No. 11**
Jacque Vaughn
Aaron Miles
Josh Jackson
*Two of the best point guards to ever do it at KU and one of the one-and-done Jayhawks who delivered.*
**No. 13**
Wilt Chamberlain
Walt Wesley
Jeff Boschee
*Chamberlain alone would’ve carried No. 13, but adding Wesley and Boschee to the mix does nothing to hurt the number’s luster.*
**No. 15**
Ray Evans
JoJo White
Bud Stallworth
Mario Chalmers
*A handful of some of the best guards to ever play at Kansas, including Chalmers, who hit the biggest shot in school history.*
**No. 25**
B.H. Born
Danny Manning
Brandon Rush
*Three winners who were team-first all the way and three national champions.*
**No. 34**
Richard Scott
Paul Pierce
Perry Ellis
*Three slightly different players who all found a way to do the same thing — fill up the stat sheet and lead their teams.*
**No. 45**
Bob and Tom Kivisto
Raef LaFrentz
Cole Aldrich
*Aldrich and LaFrentz were both lottery picks and big time players and the Kivisto brothers are the only other Jayhawks who wore the number.*
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2020/may/4/mamba-mentality-incoming-jayhawk-bryce-t/
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2020/may/21/juco-transfer-tyon-grant-foster-to-wear-/
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2020/may/23/ku-freshman-gethro-muscadin-to-wear-no-3/
