A ‘who’s who’ of Kansas Jayhawks basketball honors the life of ‘Scooter’ Ward
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- Several hundred people gathered in Lawrence to honor Scooter Ward.
- Speakers praised his mentorship and helping hundreds of athletes earn degrees.
- KU dedicated the Scooter Ward Leadership Center in the Wagnon Student Athletic Center.
Several of the greatest players in Kansas men’s basketball history flocked to Lawrence on Thursday to help fill Corpus Christi Catholic Church for a funeral Mass.
Later the procession moved to the University of Kansas Conference Center for a memorial service. Both celebrated the life of Scott “Scooter” Ward, a mentor and academic adviser for KU hoops and volleyball, who died on Jan. 3 at 59.
Danny Manning, currently an assistant basketball coach at Colorado, and the leading scorer and rebounder in KU history, attended. So did Nick Collison, the program’s second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. He is now a special assistant to the general manager for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
Aaron Miles, KU’s all-time assist leader and current assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans, attended as did Kirk Hinrich, KU’s 12th leading scorer of all time (fifth in assists, sixth in 3’s made, seventh in assists). Hinrich is third in assists and third in 3-point field goals made in Chicago Bulls history.
Drew Gooden, sixth on KU’s all-time rebound list and 22nd all-time leading scorer, who played in the NBA 14 seasons, was on hand along with current KU assistant coach Jacque Vaughn, No. 3 all-time in assists at KU. In addition, Scot Pollard, 10th on KU’s all-time rebound list who played 11 seasons in the NBA attended as did Billy Thomas, third in 3-pointers made in KU history. He’s now the head coach at Rockhurst High.
Jerod Haase attended — he’s a former head coach at Stanford who ranks No. 36 on KU’s all-time scoring list, 14th in all-time steals and 16th in 3’s made in a career. Another KC area high school coach, Pembroke Hill’s Jeff Hawkins, a former KU guard, attended, too.
Cole Aldrich, the ninth-leading rebounder in KU history who played eight years in the NBA, made the trip from his home in Minnesota and was joined by fellow first-team Academic All-American Tyrel Reed, anow physical therapist in Lawrence.
Current NBA players and former Jayhawk standouts Ochai Agbaji (fourth leading 3-point marksman in KU history) and Gradey Dick took advantage of NBA all-star weekend to attend. Agbaji is a member of the Brooklyn Nets and Dick the Toronto Raptors.
Former KU guard Brady Morningstar, who is a personal trainer of athletes in Indiana, attended as did his dad, former KU guard Roger Morningstar.
Also in attendance were former KU forwards Alonzo Jamison, Chris Piper and Kevin Young as well as former KU guards Tyler Self, Tyshawn Taylor and Conner Teahan as well as former KU football running back Devin Neal of the New Orleans Saints and former KU volleyball coach Ray Bechard, current volleyball coach Matt Ulmer and former standout player Brianne Riley.
Members of the current KU basketball staff and several current players attended the memorial service as did KU women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider and other coaches and KU staff members past and present.
Several Jayhawks offered video tributes to Ward, who joined the school’s athletic department i sumnmer 2003 and since then helped hundreds of current and former KU athletes earn degrees.
Athletes who gave video tributes included basketball players Tarik Black, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, Perry Ellis, Devonte Graham, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Mitch Lightfoot, David McCormack, Svi Mykhailiuk, Niko Roberts, Wayne Selden, Jamari Traylor and Jalen Wilson, as well as football players Brandon McAnderson, Jalon Daniels, Kenny Logan, Mark Henderson, Kerry Meier and Darrell Stuckey, plus former KU volleyball players Katie Martincich, Patricia Montero (who expressed thanks to Ward for helping her get through several knee surgeries) and Allie Nelson — as well as pro volleyball players Kelsie Payne and Ainise Havili.
Former KU assistant volleyball coach and former Texas A&M head coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn also spoke via video as did former KU trainer Andrea Hudy.
“This day could not have gone any better,” said KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self, one of the speakers at the memorial service along with former KU basketball player Greg Gurley, former volleyball coach Bechard and former KU track athlete Mike Evers, one of Ward’s best friends.
“What is most impressive is all of you who are here,” Self added, referring to several hundred individuals who filled all the seats in the convention center, “and how far some people came for this — New Orleans, Los Angeles, all over the country.”
Of Ward, Self said: “I don’t know a better guy. I know I haven’t known a guy that defines what a man is supposed to be and look like than Scooter. Scooter we love you and are going to miss you. We are all so proud we were able to touch you.”
Former KU and NBA player and assistant coach Manning used the words “Brave, wise, loving, happy,” to describe Ward, a Kingman, Kansas native who earned a bachelor’s degree at KU in 1991, a master’s in 1993 and PhD in education with an emphasis in sports psychology and support in counseling psychology in 1996.
“The national championship run we had (in 2022) … ‘Scoot’ was right there with us the entire way, showing us how to be a leader, a man, how to bring a team together,” Jalen Wilson of the Brooklyn Nets said via video.
“You never saw him without a smile on his face,” noted former KU and NBA forward Scot Pollard.
“You were a gift to anyone who ever met you,” said former KU assistant Norm Roberts.
Noted former KU guard Hinrich: “I am forever grateful for the impact he had on my life and friendship. His positivity, selflessness and toughness I’ll always remember. Scooter was a true Kansas great and I’m forever grateful to him.”
“One of Kansas’ all-time legends, one of my favorite people to talk to,” chimed in Collison.
Noted Sherron Collins, who grew up in inner city Chicago and is now head coach at Oak Park High: “From where I am from, I never saw myself getting a college degree but Scooter did. He pushed me until I got that done.”
As a lasting legacy to Ward, KU athletic director Travis Goff concluded the proceedings by announcing the dedication of the Scooter Ward Leadership Center for Kansas Athletics located in Wagnon Student Athletic Center.
“It’s just a small, gesture, but we as an athletic department and our student athletes feel it’s so important to have a tangible way that we can just get that little bump from Scoot, and there’s sometimes no better way to do that than in a physical space,” Goff said.
“So I’m so proud, I’m so excited to be able to share that as you take that turn up that beautiful spiral staircase in Wagnon and you see that corridor that Scooter spent so many days lifting up others and making a difference that currently says ‘KU Leads’ above that doorway will from this point forward, be renamed the Scooter Ward Leadership Center for Kansas Athletics.
“We hope we don’t need to see his name, but when we do, you better believe each and every one of us are going to fight, scratch and claw to be a little bit better that day. And that’s not tomorrow. That’s for every day going forward at the University of Kansas,” Goff added.
Ward’s obituary appears at the Warren-McElwain Webpage.
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 9:56 AM.
