Kansas senior halfback James Sims’ was featured on the list of 2013 Doak Walker Award candidates released by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum Thursday morning. Sims, who is the Big 12 Conference’s top returning rusher heading into the 2013 season, is in the field of candidates for the award that honors the nation’s top college running back.

A native of Irving, Texas, Sims became just the 11th player in Kansas history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season as he turned in 1,013 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns in 2012 despite missing the first three games of the season. He set a KU record by recording 100 or more yards in six consecutive games.

Sims, who led the Big 12 in rushing and ranked 18th in the NCAA in 2012, recorded a career long rush of 64 yards (vs. Texas), a career-long reception of 51 yards (vs. Oklahoma) and a career-long TD run of 59 yards (vs. Baylor). Additionally, he logged his career-best rushing game with 176 yards vs. Texas. He finished his junior campaign ranked eighth on the Kansas all-time rushing chart with 2,482 yards.

Sims, who hauled in 14 receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown, concluded his outstanding 2012 season by finding his name on numerous All-Big 12 teams including picking up first team honors from ESPN.com, Phil Steele Magazine and CBS Sports. He earned second team All-Big 12 honors from the conference office, the Associated Press and the San Antonio Express News.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name the semifinalists on November 14, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 25. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on December 2 to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives.

The recipient of the 2013 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 12, on ESPN. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held in Dallas, Texas, in February 2013. The award, in its 24nd year, is named for SMU’s three-time All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification.

Sims and his KU teammates will report for fall camp on Wednesday, Aug. 7. Kansas will open the 2013 season on Saturday, Sept. 7, when it plays host to South Dakota at Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas freshman guard Andrew Wiggins was named the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year, honoring the top prep male athlete for 2012-13, in an awards ceremony Tuesday evening.

Morgan Andrews, a repeat winner, was the female Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. The biggest names in high school and professional sports convened in Los Angeles Tuesday as Gatorade honored the top prep male and female athletes with the 11th annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards. Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Andrew Wiggins (Huntington St. Joseph’s Prep/Huntington, W. Va.) was named the 2013 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year and Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year Morgan Andrews (Milford High School/Milford, N.H.) received 2013 Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year honors.

The nation’s unanimous No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2013, Wiggins averaged a double-double in just 25 minutes per game. A native of Toronto and a fixture on Team Canada’s junior national team, Wiggins has twice anchored bronze medal squads at the international level. Bound for Kansas, he shot 58 percent from inside the arc as a high school senior.

Wiggins and Andrews received their awards at a dinner emceed by ESPN’s Stuart Scottand attended by Paul George (Indiana Pacers All-Star Forward), Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers Quarterback), Abby Wambach (two-time Olympic gold medalist and 1997-98 Gatorade New York Girls Soccer Player of the Year), Bryshon Nellum (2012 Olympian and 2006-07 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year) and Misty-May Treanor (three-time Olympic gold medalist).

Established in 1985, the Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field. In 2003, the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards were established to identify and honor the nation’s top overall male and female high school athletes from among the 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year honored during the high school athletic season.

All Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year nominees will walk the ESPY red carpet and be featured as special guests during The ESPY Awards Show. The show will take place Wednesday evening and air live on ESPN at 8 p.m. (Central).

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas junior linebacker Ben Heeney was named to the 2013 Rotary Lombardi Award preliminary watch list announced Monday. Heeney, a Hutchinson, Kan., native, is KU’s top returning tackler heading into the 2013 campaign.

Heeney burst on to the scene in 2012 with 112 tackles in his first season as a starter for the Jayhawks. His 112 tackles included 66 solo stops. He led KU with 12.0 tackles-for-loss and added one sack. He also was credited with two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.

Heeney earned second team All-Big 12 honors following the 2012 season from the conference coaches, the Associated Press and Phil Steele Magazine. He is listed as a preseason first team All-Big 12 member entering the 2013 season by Athlon, Lindy’s and The Sporting News. Additionally, Heeney was named to the College Football Performance Awards watch list for the top linebacker in the NCAA.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. The candidates earned a place on the preliminary watch list by earning All-American honors, being named to their respective all-conference teams or receiving 2013 pre-season honors. The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2013 season in order to identify other players who have received significant pre-season honors.

The Rotary Lombardi Watch List, intended as a reference tool for the Selection Committee, will be periodically updated and revised through the conclusion of the voting to determine the 12 Semifinalists for 2013. The 44th Rotary Lombardi Award will be held on December 11, 2013 at the Wortham Center in Houston, Texas.

Heeney and his KU teammates will report for fall camp on Wednesday, Aug. 7. Kansas will open the 2013 season on Saturday, Sept. 7, when it plays host to South Dakota at Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis announced the signing of offensive lineman Pearce Slater Wednesday.

Slater, who will be a redshirt sophomore for the Jayhawks in 2013 after playing at El Camino College last season, is the 30th player to join the Jayhawks in their 2013 recruiting class.

Slater is a three-star prospect according to both Rivals.com and JCFootball.com. He is the 55th-rated junior college prospect according to 247Sports.com, including ranking as the 10th best offensive tackle and the 16th best prospect in the state of California after playing all 11 games for El Camino and head coach John Featherstone in 2012.

A native of Hawthorne, Calif., Slater attended Taft High School where he played on both the offensive and defensive line. He helped lead the Toreadors to a 9-4 mark and an undefeated mark in the West Valley League in 2011.

Slater, who is listed at 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, is one of six players to sign with KU from a California junior college, joining defensive lineman Marquel Combs, defensive back Brandon Hollomon and linebacker Marcus Jenkins-Moore from Pierce College, offensive lineman Ngalu Fusimalohi from City College of San Francisco and punter/kicker Trevor Pardula of De Anza College. He is the fifth offensive lineman in the 2013 Kansas recruiting class and 21st junior college addition.

— KU Sports Information —

Three members of the 1952 Kansas men’s basketball national championship team – Al Kelley, Bob Kenney and Bill Lienhard – will be inducted into State of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF) in October. The eight-member Class of 2013 will be enshrined in ceremonies on October 6 at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in the Wichita Boathouse.

Joining Kelley, Kenney and Lienhard in the KSHOF Class of 2013 are Wichita Carroll’s All-American defensive end Mike Bell; Pittsburg State’s three-time national football coach-of-the-year Chuck Broyles; K-State’s two-time All-American place kicker Martín Gramática; and Clay Center’s two-time All-American basketball player Nicole Ohlde of Kansas State.  University of Kentucky basketball All-American and former Boston Celtic Bob Brannum of Winfield will be enshrined posthumously.

The 2013 eight-person class raises the total number of inductees to 227 in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 52nd anniversary this year.

AL KELLEY

A native of McCune, Kan., Earl Allen “Al” Kelley was a standout on the University of Kansas basketball teams from 1952 to 1954 and went on to become an Olympic gold medalist in 1960. Kelley saw limited playing time on the 1952 KU national championship team as a sophomore but came into his own during his junior season in 1953 when the Jayhawks finished as the national runner-up. Kelley averaged 12.9 points per game as a junior and 12.4 points per game as a senior co-captain of the team in 1954. He was named to the All-Big Seven team in both 1953 and 1954. Kelley still ranks in the top 10 all-time at KU for season free throw percentage when he dropped in 86.2 percent in 1954. Following his collegiate career, Kelley was drafted in the seventh round of the 1954 NBA draft, although he instead chose to play for the AAU powerhouse Peoria (Ill.) Caterpillars. In his first season with the Caterpillars in 1954, Kelley helped lead the team to the AAU national title and the 1954 World Basketball Championship in Brazil. He was selected to play on the Olympic team for the 1960 Rome Games where the United States claimed gold, beating every opponent by an average score of over 40 points per game. As a result of the historic run, the entire 1960 US Olympic team, including Kelley, was the first Olympic team to be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

BOB KENNEY

Robert “Bob” Kenney (Winfield, Kan.) was also a member of the 1952 Kansas national championship team and was a member of the 1952 Olympic gold medal team. A three-sport star for Winfield High School in the late 1940s, Kenney played both football and basketball at KU in 1950 and 1951 before deciding to just play basketball during his senior year of 1952. He was second on the team in scoring in both 1951 and 1952 and was a captain of the 1952 championship squad. Kenney was also an All-Big Seven selection in 1952. One of seven Jayhawks selected to play on the 1952 U.S. Olympic team, Kenney was second on the U.S. team in scoring and averaged 10.9 points per contest. He scored in double digits four times in eight games and was a major contributor for the gold medal team. He was also a member of the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 1955 Pan American Games.

BILL LIENHARD

William B. “Bill” Lienhard (Newton, Kan.) was another standout on the star-studded 1952 KU national championship team and a member of the 1952 Olympic gold medal squad. After earning All-State honors and leading the state in scoring his senior year for Coach John Ravenscroft at Newton High School in 1948, Lienhard attended KU where he was a three-year starter for Coach Phog Allen. Lienhard was named a captain of the 1952 team and averaged 5.8 points per game during that championship season. His calling card was an outstanding one-handed set shot which the KU game program described as “deadly against zone defenses” and described Lienhard as the “finest one-hand set shooter in Kansas basketball history.” He was selected to play on the 1952 Olympic team where he averaged 4.0 points per game on the way to winning a gold medal.

— KU Sports Information —

For the second-straight season, a Kansas men’s basketball player was taken in the top-10 as NBA Commissioner David Stern announced Ben McLemore was selected seventh overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2013 NBA Draft Thursday night at the Barclays Center.

McLemore, who was joined by head coach Bill Self in the “Green Room,” became the 29th first-round draft pick in Kansas men’s basketball history and marks the fourth-straight season a Jayhawk has been selected in the first round. The seventh overall pick marks the second-straight season that a Jayhawk has gone in the top-10 overall, both of which coming from Sacramento. The Kings selected Thomas Robinson fifth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.

“He means a lot to me as far a maturity and helping me grow as a person on and off the court,” McLemore said to ESPN analyst Shane Battier regarding Self. “We have a good bond with each other and the staff. I enjoyed playing for Coach Self.

KU is among the top-five for producing the most NBA Draft picks in the nation with 18 drafted over the last decade. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, KU has had 24 players drafted to the NBA, which is the most of any league member. KU has sent 28 players to the NBA during the past 20 years, passing North Carolina for third-most among all NCAA Division I schools and only trails Kentucky (31) and Duke (29). Playing for the Kings, McLemore will join Cole Aldrich as former Jayhawks on the roster.

The second guard selected in the 2013 draft class, McLemore was a Consensus All-America Second Team selection and an All-Big 12 First Team honoree. He led Kansas in scoring in 2012-13 with 15.9 points per game, good for third in the Big 12. The 6-foot-5 St. Louis, Mo., native led the Big 12 with an 87.0 free throw percentage and also ranked among the league leaders in field-goal percentage (49.5, 8th), three-point field goal percentage (42.0, 2nd), three-point field goals made (2.0, 6th) and rebounds (5.2, 20th).

Additionally, McLemore’s 15.9 points per game this season broke the KU freshman record of 14.6 ppg posted by Jayhawk legend Danny Manning in 1985. McLemore’s 589 points and his 87.0 free throw percentage also broke KU freshman marks, previously held by Manning and Greg Gurley, respectively.

McLemore had 11 games of 20 points or more in 2012-13, including three 30-point contests. His 36 points against West Virginia (3/2) broke the KU freshman single-game scoring record and his three 30-point efforts also set a KU freshman single-season mark.

During the 2012-13 season, McLemore was a three-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week and was named the league’s Player of the Week on Jan. 14. He became only the second Jayhawk in the 17-year history of the Big 12 to have earned Big 12 Player and Rookie of the Week in the same season. Mario Chalmers also accomplished the feat during the 2005-06 season.

— KU Sports Information —

Jeff Withey became the second Jayhawk selected in the 2013 NBA Draft when the Portland Trailblazers selected the former Kansas big man with the ninth pick of the second round – 39th overall – inside the Barclays Center Thursday evening.

After former teammate Ben McLemore’s named was called as the seventh overall draftee, he and Withey became the 73rd and 74th players to be drafted in Kansas men’s basketball history. The duo marks the 23rd time – and fourth-consecutive year – that multiple Jayhawks were drafted.

“He can shoot,” head coach Bill Self said of Withey on ESPN Radio. “He can make a pick-and-pop 17-foot shot, and I wouldn’t say he has the greatest face-up game, but he can make a face-up jumper. Then he has another skillset – that regardless of who he’s guarding – he’ll be hard to score over. He’s unbelievable at creating that separation so he gets a free jump to try to block or alter a shot. He’s as I’ve ever seen at that. Those are two skills that a lot of people wish they had.”

Withey and McLemore pushed KU to 19 picks over the last decade, putting KU among the top-five schools for producing the most NBA Draft selections. Since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97, KU has seen 25 players drafted to the NBA, which is the most of any league member. KU has sent 29 players to the NBA during the past 20 years, which sent KU past North Carolina for third-most among all NCAA Division I schools and only trails Kentucky Duke (31) and Kentucky (30).

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Withey broke his own Kansas and Big 12 single-season record blocked shots record with 146 blocks in 2012-13. Last season Withey blocked 140 shots to set the school and league mark. The 2012 and 2013 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Withey is also the KU and Big 12 career blocked shots leader ending his career with 312 all-time blocks.

More than merely a defensive threat, Withey led Kansas in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game to complement his 13.7 scoring average. The 7-foot San Diego native was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 Big 12 Championship.

A three-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season, Withey led the Big 12 with 3.95 blocked shots per game, which ranked second nationally. That mark also set the KU and conference per game average season record. Withey was named to the Consensus All-America Second Team along with McLemore.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self named Fred Quartlebaum director of student-athlete development Wednesday. Additionally, Self has promoted Brennan Bechard to director of basketball operations, while Jeff Forbes continues his tenure with the KU program as the video coordinator.

“I feel fortunate that we have guys in place, with Brennan and Jeff, who have been here for a while and have had a chance to do things to enhance our program,” Self said. “Now we add a person like Fred Quartlebaum who has been around big-time college athletics having worked at Notre Dame, Iowa State, North Carolina and St. John’s as a full-time assistant. Fred played a huge role in the recruitment of the Carolina team that went on to win a national championship. He brings a ton of energy and organization and we feel Fred will be a perfect fit here at Kansas.”

Quartlebaum has a long resume of basketball coaching experience, which encompasses more than 20 years. He comes to KU after working as associate director of PACT (Personalized Achievement Contract), a leadership and mentoring program at Mercy College in New York. Additionally, in 2010, he started his own company, 212 Hoops, which combines his experience developing collegiate athletes to youth basketball. Prior to his position at Mercy College, Quartlebaum spent six seasons as an assistant coach at St. John’s under current KU assistant coach Norm Roberts.

A Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., native, Quartlebaum played collegiately at Fordham where he was a four-year letterwinner for the Rams from 1985-89. Following a stint in the high school ranks, he then was an assistant coach at Navy (1992-96), Towson (1996-97), Holy Cross (1997-98) and Fairfield (1998-99) before joining Matt Doherty at Notre Dame in 1999-2000. He accompanied Doherty to North Carolina (2000-03) where he played a part in recruiting five McDonald’s All-Americans that eventually would win an NCAA title in 2005. After UNC, he was an assistant for one season under head coach Wayne Morgan at Iowa State (2003-04) before joining Roberts’ staff at St. John’s.

“I am extremely excited about this opportunity,” Quartlebaum said. “What a thrill to come back and work with coach Roberts and the basketball program at Kansas. Coach Self is one of the top coaches in college basketball and to have the opportunity learn under his direction is such a privilege for me. I’m thrilled to be a part of Kansas basketball.”

A member of the 2008 Kansas NCAA National Championship team, Bechard joined the KU basketball staff as a graduate student manager in August 2009. In summer 2011, he was named assistant director of basketball operations. In his role, Bechard works with the day-to-day operations with the KU program in the office, travel and scouting. Bechard replaces Doc Sadler who moved on from KU to be a full-time assistant coach at Iowa State in May 2013.

Forbes joined the Kansas men’s basketball staff in a full-time capacity in August 2010 as video coordinator. In his role, Forbes works closely with the scouting video of opponents, the filming of practices and games, much of the content for BillSelf.com and KU’s men’s basketball twitter account – @KUhoops. Forbes is the creator and producer of the popular “Pay Heed” videos which were nominated for an Emmy Award in May 2013.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas Athletics and ESPN have agreed to a seven-year agreement, beginning with the 2013-14 academic year, under which ESPN3 annually will carry a minimum of 70 live events distributed nationally, one of the largest deals the multiscreen network has signed to date.

Kansas Athletics announced recently an agreement under which Time Warner Cable will annually air 50 KU contests – including two exhibition and four non-conference men’s basketball games – exclusively on Metro Sports in Kansas City and in the state of Kansas. ESPN3 will deliver those 50 events nationally outside that territory. ESPN3 will also carry – exclusively – a minimum of 20 additional contests nationally, including in Kansas City and the state of Kansas. ESPN3 currently reaches more than 85 million homes nationwide to fans that receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold Members and on Apple TV.

The 70 events include one regular-season football game, the football spring game, six men’s basketball games (including two exhibition games) and basketball’s Late Night in the Phog, as well as 16 women’s basketball games. ESPN3 will also deliver the Kansas Relays and multiple volleyball, baseball, softball and women’s soccer games.

“ESPN3 continues to serve as a destination for college sports fans, and our agreement with Kansas Athletics extends that commitment,” said John Lasker, vice president of programming and acquisitions, ESPN. “We look forward to delivering these live events to the KU fan base.”

“From the start of this process, our goals were to saturate the Kansas City market, distribute Kansas programming throughout the state and make our live events available nationally,” Kansas Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger said. “We are meeting these goals through agreements like these with ESPN and Time Warner Cable. Both are significant steps for Kansas Athletics and we are excited about the future for all Jayhawk fans – wherever they may be watching.”

— KU Sports Information —