Former Kansas star Jalen Wilson not surprised as Allen Fieldhouse tops the list of best arenas in America
Jalen Wilson could not contain himself as the famous Allen Fieldhouse arena, once his home, was named the best college basketball arena in America by veteran NCAA correspondent Andy Katz.
The home of the Kansas Jayhawks beat out Duke Blue Devils' Cameron Indoor Stadium and Purdue Boilermakers' Mackey Arena among others. Wilson expressed his delight, sharing a story on Instagram to hype the famous venue.
"Was this a question?? RCJH," exclaimed Wilson.
Allen Fieldhouse has a capacity of over 15,000 spectators and has seen some incredible moments, from Wilt Chamberlain's impressive 46-point display against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1958 to Danny Manning's stellar 40-point display against Notre Dame in 1987.
Jayhawks fans often make the Fieldhouse one of the loudest venues in college basketball, giving their team a home-court advantage, unmatched across the country.
Jalen Wilson enjoyed a memorable college basketball career with the Kansas Jayhawks
Wilson starred for the Jayhawks in his four years at Allen Fieldhouse. He was part of the Jayhawks team that won the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and enjoyed a successful 2023 season in which he won the Julius Erving Award and the Big 12 Player of the Year Award.
In his final season with the Jayhawks Wilson averaged an astonishing 20.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 2.2 APG. He finished his career with the Jayhawks 27th overall in points (1,475), 14th overall in rebounds (802), ninth overall in double-doubles (28) and 21st overall in three-pointers made (140).
The forward's exploits with the Jayhawks drew the interest of the Brooklyn Nets, who made him the 51st overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He made the most of his limited minutes in his debut season, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG while shooting 42.5% from the field, 32.4% from three-point range and 82.6% from the free-throw line.
With a year of experience under his belt, Wilson will look to impress in the 2024-25 NBA season. Only time will tell if he can handle the pressure arising from the expectations of the Nets fans.