RAEF LAFRENTZ

LAFRENTZ, RAEF ANDREW

Hometown:  Monona, IA  (MFL-MarMac HS)
Born: 5/29/1976

1995: Lettered, Big 8 Freshman of the Year Hon. Mention All-Big 8, Academic All-Big 8, Freshman All-American (BB Weekly).

1996:  Lettered, All Big 8 (AP), Academic All-Big 8

1997: Lettered, All-American (AP, USBWA, ESPN, Wooden, BB Times, Vitale), Big 8 Player of the Year (AP,ESPN), All Big 12, Big 12 All-Tourney Team.

1998: Lettered, Captain.

Links to NBA stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lafrera01.html http://www.nba.com/playerfile/raef_lafrentz/index.html http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/players/3246/
http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LAFRERA01

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9V5bD5zjyg  Raef LaFrentz – a few Kansas highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsV8Bd69uIQ&feature=related  Raef LaFrentz blocks Al

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Kansas two-time All-American Raef LaFrentz thanked KU officials and fans Sunday for giving him what he described as "the highest honor a player can receive."  LaFrentz's No. 45 jersey was retired into the Allen Fieldhouse rafters during a pregame ceremony that prompted a verbal misstep from coach Roy Williams.

"I've never worked harder to recruit a young man," Williams said. "And I never felt better than when Raef LaFrentz called and said he was going to Iowa."  Williams corrected himself immediately but was still shaking his head about the gaffe after the game.  "My whole intention was to say I was so happy that he didn't go to Iowa and came to Kansas," he said. "That was a weird one, because I think I do remember coaching the boy here."

LaFrentz became KU's second-leading scorer (2,066 career points) and rebounder (1,186) from 1995-98. He arrived in Lawrence early Sunday after starting for the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.  "It's extra special seeing all the faces," said LaFrentz, whose jersey retirement ceremony coincided with a reunion that drew 190 former KU coaches, players and managers to the fieldhouse. "I had no idea until I got here that it was a reunion weekend."

Source:  HawkZone

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Raef Andrew LaFrentz (born May 29, 1976 in Hampton, Iowa) is an NBA basketball player who currently plays for the Boston Celtics.

LaFrentz is a forward and occasionally center. He is mostly known for his perimeter skills as well as his shot blocking ability.

After being selected by the Denver Nuggets as the 3rd overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, he was traded by the Nuggets with Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, and Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Dallas Mavericks for Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey, Tim Hardaway and a 2002 1st pick on February 21, 2002. The Celtics acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks, along with Chris Mills, Jiri Welsch and a first round draft choice, in exchange for Tony Delk and Antoine Walker on October 20, 2003.

LaFrentz wears number 45. He played university basketball at the University of Kansas, finishing in 1998. Celtic teammate Paul Pierce was his teammate at Kansas too.

CAREER HIGHS

• Points 28 @ Memphis 12/29/04 32 2 Times
• Field Goals Made 10 @ Memphis 12/29/04 13 2 Times
• Field Goals Attempted 16 vs. Sacramento 02/13/05 28 vs. Sacramento 04/18/01
• Three Point Field Goals Made 4 vs. Sacramento 02/13/05 6 5 Times
• Three Point Field Goals Attempted 8 vs. Sacramento 02/13/05 11 vs. Miami 01/29/02
• Free Throws Made 6 4 Times 10 vs. Dallas 02/12/99
• Free Throws Attempted 7 2 Times 12 vs. Dallas 02/12/99
• Offensive Rebounds 7 vs. Denver 12/15/04 8 vs. Minnesota 03/10/03
• Defensive Rebounds 11 @ Minnesota 02/06/05 14 vs. Sacramento 04/18/01
• Total Rebounds 15 2 Times 20 2 Times
• Assists 4 3 Times 5 vs. New York 12/28/02
• Steals 4 @ Chicago 01/29/05 4 @ Chicago 01/29/05
• Blocks 5 2 Times 9 vs. Charlotte 01/08/00
• Minutes Played 39 2 Times 48 vs. Miami 01/29/02

LaFrentz, who played along side 2002 USA World Championship Team member Paul Pierce for three seasons while at the University of Kansas, was a four-year starter and an All-American in his junior and senior seasons. In fact, he joined Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players in the 1990s to earn first team A.P. All-America honors twice.

Compiling career averages of 15.8 ppg. and 9.1 rpg., while shooting 55.5 percent from the floor overall, he concluded his career ranked second all-time at Kansas in points with 2,066 and rebounds with 1,186, and left trailing only Danny Manning in both categories.

Accumulating a record of 123-17 (.879 winning percentage) over his four seasons, he was part of a senior class that won more games over a four-year period than any class in KU history.

Named by the A.P. in 1997 and 1998 the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, he was also tabbed All-Big 12 Conference first team by both the media and coaches his final two seasons.

LaFrentz became the first KU player to average a double-double in 27 years when as a senior he posted averages of 19.8 ppg. and 11.4 rpg. and led the Jayhawks to a 35-4 record.

Gaining his only prior USA Basketball experience during the summer before his freshman year at Kansas, LaFrentz was selected to the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival North Team and averaged 11.8 ppg. and 6.8 rpg.

First dunking a basketball in seventh grade, he was also a conference champion swimmer in high school. His parents, Ron and Ellen, took his name from the 1969 movie, "Home From the Hill." His father played basketball at Northern Iowa (1957-61) and was an assistant coach on Raef's high school team. Raef chose jersey No. 45 in part because his father wore it in college. Raef and his wife, Joie, were married last summer and he has two dogs - a black labrador named Codey and an Italian greyhound named Sydney.