Mario Chalmers is back in Kansas colors, at least in the sense that matters here. The former Jayhawks star has joined JHX Hoops for The Basketball Tournament, giving a stacked alumni group another proven guard as it prepares for a best-of-three matchup with Kansas State alumni team Purple Reign.
The series opens Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Bramlage Coliseum. Game 2 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Lee Arena, and if it goes the distance, Game 3 will be played Friday at 8 p.m. in Manhattan.
Chalmers gives JHX Hoops even more firepower in a backcourt already built around Frank Mason III, Marcus Garrett and Zeke Mayo. That’s a lot of Kansas guard talent in one place, and it comes with plenty of hardware attached.
Chalmers is still one of the defining names in Kansas basketball history. He helped lead the Jayhawks to the 2008 national championship, and his game-tying 3-pointer against Memphis in the title game forced overtime before Kansas finished off its first championship since 1988.
After three seasons at KU, Chalmers launched a 15-year professional career that included 473 NBA starts and two championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. More recently, he has played in the Big3, where he knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer in last year’s championship.
JHX Hoops will be coached by former Kansas guard Sherron Collins, another familiar face from that title-era program. Tyshawn Taylor and Stephanie Temple are listed as team managers, and Taylor is also on the roster.
The frontcourt is the part of the roster that raises the most questions, but the guard group brings experience and defensive flexibility. Garrett was the 2020 national defensive player of the year, Mason won national player of the year honors in 2017, and Mayo just finished his first professional season.
Now Chalmers joins the mix as JHX Hoops gets set for another installment of the Kansas-Kansas State rivalry, with former Jayhawks and Wildcats meeting for in-state bragging rights and a chance to move on in TBT.
In Other News...
What Summer League Just Told Jayhawks Fans About KU's NBA Hopefuls
The NBA Summer League wrapped up with Golden State taking the title, and for Kansas fans it offered a first look at how a handful of Jayhawks are trying to carve out their next steps. Seven former KU players were spread across different teams and venues, with Darryn Peterson drawing the most attention in Utah, Hunter Dickinson and Melvin Council Jr. getting chances with New Orleans, Tre White flashing for Miami, and Zeke Mayo logging minutes for Atlanta.
KJ Adams was part of the Warriors summer roster, but his path back into game action remained the quieter subplot of the group. Across the board, the Jayhawks had a little of everything in July: promising scoring bursts, uneven shooting, and the kind of mixed results that can still matter when front offices are deciding who gets another look once summer league ends. [Read more 🡒]
Tyshawn Taylor Just Took A Meaningful Next Step Beyond Kansas
Tyshawn Taylor has stayed close to Kansas basketball in a way that feels bigger than a summer reunion. The former Jayhawk is helping guide the Kansas alumni team in The Basketball Tournament while also being part of the action himself, a reminder that some program ties do not fade when the college days end. Around him is a roster built to draw attention from Kansas fans, with familiar names and enough experience to make the group feel like more than a nostalgia act.
Taylors next step also points well beyond Lawrence. He has begun talking through his new coaching path with Bill Self, and the Kansas coach has made clear he is proud of the opportunity and eager to see where it leads. For Taylor, the move adds another layer to a career that now includes leadership, teaching and the kind of daily work that can open doors with young players and college coaches alike. [Read more 🡒]
How Kansas Turned Overlooked Recruits Into Jayhawk Football Legends
Kansas has spent the last several recruiting cycles proving that the old labels do not always stick. Cobee Bryant arrived as a three-star safety and left Lawrence as a three-time All-Big 12 First Team selection, while Jalon Daniels developed into one of the most important quarterbacks in program history after signing with the school as a dual-threat prospect. Even Dominick Puni, who came in without a ranking at all, became the kind of offensive lineman Kansas fans now point to as a model for what development can look like in the right system.
What makes that run so striking is how different each path was, and how quickly the Jayhawks turned overlooked talent into real production. Bryant is already into his next NFL chapter, Daniels is still carrying a legacy that trails only one name in the program record book, and Punis rise remains the clearest reminder that Kansas has found value where plenty of others did not. The bigger question now is which recent recruit will be next to follow that same unlikely climb. [Read more 🡒]