Hinrich, Collison among NBA's top draft choices

Nick Collison

Former KU men's basketball players Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison didn't have to wait long to learn their fates in the 2003 NBA draft. Both Jayhawks were first round picks, Hinrich going to the Chicago Bulls and Collison to the Seattle Supersonics.

They were the first KU teammates to be selected together in the first round since Raef LaFrentz (third pick to Denver) and Paul Pierce (10th pick to Boston) in 1998.

A native of Iowa Falls, Iowa, Collison was the 12th pick overall. Last season he was named the NABC National Player of the Year, a consensus first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year by the league's coaches. He averaged team-highs of 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game en route to leading the Jayhawks to a 30-8 record and the NCAA national championship game. Collison leaves Lawrence as the school's second all-time leading scorer (2,097 points), third all-time leading rebounder (1,143 boards) and second all-time leading shot-blocker (243 rejections).

Kirk Hinrich

Hinrich, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, went to the Bulls with the seventh selection overall. He was named first-team All-Big 12 last year after averaging 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He ranks as Kansas' eighth all-time leading scorer (1,753 points), third-most prolific three-point shooter (235 treys) and ranks third on the Jayhawks' all-time assists chart (668 assists).

Collison and Hinrich will join six former Jayhawks in the NBA next season: Drew Gooden (Orlando), LaFrentz (Dallas), Greg Ostertag (Utah), Pierce (Boston), Scot Pollard (Sacramento) and Jacque Vaughn (Orlando).

Kansas' First Round NBA Draftees

Self adds Dooley to basketball coaching staff

Bill Self

Joe Dooley, who has had success as both a head coach and an assistant in NCAA Division I competition, is the new assistant men's basketball coach at KU.

"I'm very excited to add Joe Dooley to our staff," said head coach Bill Self. "I got to know him well when we had a position open at Illinois, but the timing just never worked out. I'm extremely pleased with the addition of Joe to an already-great staff of Norm Roberts, Tim Jankovich and Ben Miller. I'm confident that we'll have as high a quality of a staff as any team in America.

"Joe has been a Division I head coach and assistant coach, and he's recruited both coasts and in the junior college ranks. His contacts will really enhance our recruiting efforts."

Self also announced that Ben Miller would continue to recruit throughout the summer, and become director of basketball operations in the fall. Self said that Dooley, who has a newborn child recovering from early complications, will begin his work at Kansas immediately but will not recruit this summer to stay close to his family.

Dooley comes to Lawrence from Laramie, Wyo., where he served one season as an assistant coach for the Wyoming Cowboys, helping the team to a 21-11 record and a berth in the postseason NIT. While at Wyoming, Dooley had the opportunity to coach in Allen Fieldhouse when the Jayhawks defeated the Cowboys, 98-70, Jan. 15 in Lawrence.

Prior to his stint at Wyoming, Dooley served on the coaching staff at the University of New Mexico from 1999 through 2002. He served as the primary recruiter for the Lobos and was involved in scouting and scheduling. Dooley's other responsibilities included development of alumni relations, daily practice sessions, game preparation and individual instruction of players.

Before joining the New Mexico program, Dooley was the head coach at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., for four seasons from 1995 to 1999. During his head-coaching tenure at East Carolina, Dooley led the Pirates to a 57-52 record. His first season ECU posted a 17-11 record, making Dooley East Carolina's most successful first-year coach in more than 20 years. The following season, Dooley led the Pirates to a 17-10 mark. Among his biggest victories was a 22-point victory at South Carolina on Dec. 19, 1998.

Before leading the Pirates as head coach, Dooley served as an assistant coach at ECU for four seasons. He helped guide the Pirates to the 1993 NCAA Tournament-their first appearance in 21 seasons. His first college coaching position was as an assistant at South Carolina, where he coached three seasons.

Dooley is a 1988 graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he completed his bachelor's degree in speech communications. A four-year letterman in basketball, he started his last two seasons at GW and was elected a team captain as a senior.

A native of West Orange, N.J., the 37-year-old Dooley was an outstanding prep player at St. Benedicts High School in New Jersey, where he set a school record with 1,140 career points.

"I'm honored to be a part of the staff at Kansas," Dooley said. "This is a tremendous opportunity-something you dream about when you get into coaching. The opportunity to work with Coach Self, Norm, Tim and Ben was something I just couldn't pass up. Coach Self is a great person who has been successful everywhere he's been, and it's an honor to join his staff."

Dooley and his wife, Tanya, were married in June 1993.