Kansas senior duo takes home Mr. Jayhawk Award
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas seniors Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk were named the co-recipients of the Danny Manning Mr. Jayhawk Award at the KU men’s basketball banquet Tuesday evening.
With more than 600 in attendance at the DoubleTree Hotel in Lawrence, the banquet consisted of the 2017-18 Jayhawks, coaches, support staff, families and donors. KU celebrated a 31-8 season which included winning the school’s NCAA record 14th-consecutive Big 12 regular-season title and advancing to Kansas’ 15th Final Four.
The banquet was emceed by radio voice of the Jayhawks, Brian Hanni. KU Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger gave opening remarks.
Following a season highlight video produced by KU Athletics’ award-winning Rock Chalk Video department during a three-course dinner, KU head coach Bill Self revisited many of the highlights of the season and recognized the men’s basketball support staff and talked about the entire KU team.
“To run off (win) 13 of our last 14 in the league we played in and the way they put it together was as a team,” Self said. “It was one of those things that the pieces started to fit and things started to come together and it came together at the most opportune time. I am really proud of this group and proud of these guys. As good as we finished, I can look back on this season and say, ‘you know what, no regrets.’ Sometimes you look back and say I wish we would have done this or done that, but I don’t think I would have done anything different.”
Self then presented the Mr. Jayhawk Award – the only honor presented during the banquet – to Graham and Mykhailiuk.
“I want to thank you all for all your support,” Graham told the crowd. “I want to thank you for all these four years. I loved every day here. We have the best coach in the nation. He brought the best out of us. Rock Chalk!”
Graham was the 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year and Kansas’ 30th Consensus All-America First Team selection. The Raleigh, North Carolina, guard broke two KU single-season records in 2017-18 with 282 assists and 1,474 minutes played. Also this season, Graham was the only player in the NCAA to averaged 17.0-plus points (17.3), 7.0-plus assists (7.2), 1.6-plus steals (1.6) and less than 3.0 turnovers per game (2.8). Graham concluded his career No. 13 in points (1,750), No. 5 in assists (632), No. 2 in 3-point field goals made (296), No. 7 in steals (197) and No. 2 in minutes played (4,498).
A two-year starter for KU who was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2018, Mykhailiuk broke the Kansas single-season record for 3-point field goals made with 115 in 2017-18. The Cherkasy, Ukraine, guard, who was also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, was second on the KU team with a 14.6 scoring average and was the only player to rank in the Big 12 in the top three in 3-point field goals made (third at 2.9) and 3-point field goal percentage (second at 44.4). Mykhailiuk concluded his career No. 4 on the 3-point field goals made list at 237, No. 5 on the 3-point field goals attempted list at 579 and No. 41 in scoring with 1,181 points.
“I’ve been blessed to be here these four years and be a part of this team and make history with this team,” Mykhailiuk told the crowd.
Following the banquet, KU players and coaches signed autographs and posed for photos with those in attendance.
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