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Bossi's Best: The most important recruits in Kansas' record run

When Kansas hosts TCU on Wednesday night, a Jayhawk win will secure a 13th straight Big 12 title for Kansas and head coach Bill Self. Included in the run are seven Big 12 tournament titles, a national championship in 2008 and another appearance in the 2012 title game.

And while countless players have been a part of the streak, we’ve identified the 10 most important prospects in the Jayhawks' incredible stretch.

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The breakdown: Rush is getting his jersey retired Wednesday night, and for good reason. After initially declaring for the NBA Draft out of high school in 2005, Rush eventually picked Kansas -- where his oldest brother JaRon Rush committed to before later choosing UCLA -- over Illinois and Indiana in early September of his freshman year.

What did Rush do at Kansas? How about lead the Jayhawks in scoring all three years he was there while making All-Big 12 first team each year. For good measure he was the Big 12 tournament MVP his junior season and helped Kansas win the 2008 national championship before getting drafted No. 13 overall by Portland that year. Rush was a member of Golden State’s 2015 NBA title team.

The breakdown: The only official visit Collins ever took was to Kansas during October of his senior season, and it was enough for him pick the Jayhawks over Illinois and Iowa. Given the career he ended up having, he’s probably next on the list to get his jersey retired. Collins was a valuable sophomore reserve (Big 12 sixth man of the year) on the 2008 title team before earning first-team All-Big 12 honors as a junior and senior. He was a first-team All-American in his senior campaign. Collins left Kansas as the No. 5 scorer and No. 8 assist man in school history.

The breakdown: A bit of a late bloomer, Robinson’s recruitment didn’t really take off until right before his senior year of high school. He ended up selecting Kansas over Memphis, but it wasn’t until his junior year of college that he really exploded. During that season Robinson’s low-post scoring and rebounding led the Jayhawks all the way to the 2012 national championship game (where they lost to Kentucky). He was named Big 12 Player of the Year and first-team All-America for his efforts. Robinson was drafted No. 5 overall by Sacramento after that 2012 season.

The breakdown: After initially signing with Towson, Mason headed to prep school for a year, and Kansas found him during the summer. He’s still got some time left, but he’s going to go down as Self and the Jayhawks' best recruiting find to date. Mason was named second-team All-Big 12 as a sophomore and junior and as a senior he’s almost a lock to be an All-American and perhaps the Big 12 and National Player of the Year. A trip to the Final Four could further cement his legacy, but Mason is already No. 12 in Kansas history in scoring and No. 9 all time in assists as his career winds down.

The breakdown: A product of Alaska, Chalmers picked Kansas over Arizona in the spring of his junior season of high school. The rest is history, and his jersey is already hanging in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters. Chalmers will forever be remembered for sending the 2008 national championship game to overtime with his late three-pointer, but his other contributions were significant as well. Chalmers made the All-Big 12 defensive team each of his three years in Lawrence and was second-team All-Big 12 as a senior. Like Rush, Chalmers has become an NBA champion, winning twice in Miami.

The breakdown: It was a bit of a surprise when Wiggins picked Kansas over Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina during the spring of his senior year. Jayhawk fans will always lament the early exit from the NCAA Tournament during Wiggins' one year in Lawrence, but he was All-Big 12, second team All-America, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2015.

The breakdown: A four-time state champion and state player of the year as a high schooler in Wichita, Ellis is the best in-state prospect of the Self era. Ellis was named first-team All-Big 12 twice, made second team All-America as a senior and is the No. 8 scorer and No. 12 rebounder in Kansas history.

The breakdown: The top player in the class of 2016, Jackson picked the Jayhawks over Arizona and Michigan State. He’s come on strong during Kansas’ run through the Big 12 and has lived up to the advance hype, averaging 16.5 points, 6.9 rebound and 3.0 assists per game. He’s tracking as a potential top three pick in the NBA Draft and could move his way up the list depending on how the Jayhawks finish the season.

The breakdown: A native of St. Louis, McLemore picked Kansas over Missouri. He had to sit out his first season in Lawrence but then went off as a redshirt freshman before getting drafted No. 7 overall by Sacramento in 2013. McLemore led the team in scoring and was named first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-America.

The breakdown: Morris was important because he could really play - and he brought along his talented twin brother, Markieff Morris. The Morris twins initially committed to Memphis before opening things up and picking Kansas over hometown Villanova. After some rocky moments on and off the floor early in his career, Marcus Morris emerged as the Big 12 Player of the Year and a second-team All-American during his junior year in 2011. Morris was drafted one spot behind his brother, Markieff, going No. 14 overall to Houston in 2011.

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