Former KU greats Ellis, Valentine to be honored by Wichita Heights High School

Former University of Kansas basketball players Perry Ellis and Darnell Valentine will be inducted into the Wichita Heights High School Hall of Fame at the school’s second-annual Black and Red Banquet at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Wichita Heights gymnasium.

Ellis, a member of the Wichita Heights Class of 2012 was part of four Class 6A state title teams at Heights. He’s the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,231 points) and rebounder (984).

A four-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year, Ellis played at KU from 2013 to 2016 and finished as the school’s ninth-leading scorer of all time (1,798 points). He’s the 12th leading rebounder of all time with 834.

Ellis in his four years of college helped KU to an overall 115–29 record that included four Big 12 championships and four trips to the NCAA Tournament. He was the 2016 Big 12 scholar-athlete of the year.

Ellis has been enshrined in the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and the KSHSAA Hall of Fame. Playing pro basketball in France, Ellis will be represented by his parents at the banquet.

Ellis was a valedictorian at Heights where he had a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

“That was a hard accomplishment to achieve,” Ellis once said. “It’s not something that came easy. I had to work really hard to try and get that. it was a lot of hours and something I didn’t want to boast about. I just went with it, went with the flow.”

KU coach Bill Self called Ellis: “Rock solid. He exudes confidence. I don’t know that he has a lot of shortcomings. He can make any team better.”

Valentine, a member of the Wichita Heights Class of 1977, played for the school’s undefeated 1977 Class 6A state title team. He averaged 26 points for a 23-0 Heights team regarded as perhaps the best high school squad in state of Kansas history.

Valentine is KU’s all-time leader in steals. He had 336 from 1978-81. He also is KU’s seventh-leading scorer of all time. He totaled 1,821 points from 1978 to ’81. He also is sixth all time at KU in assists (609).

Valentine was a four-time all-Big Eight selection at Kansas. He also was a first-round NBA Draft pick (Portland, 1981) and member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. He had a 10-year NBA career.

Valentine is a member of the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Former Portland Trailblazers coach Jack Ramsey once said: “Darnell Valentine was perhaps the most self-disciplined player I ever dealt with. Darnell, who had watermelon-sized quads, a strong upper body, and excellent quickness handling the ball and defending, worked fanatically on his conditioning. In addition to his fierce work ethic, relentless self-discipline, and powerful will to win, he always wore a smile and was one of the best team players I ever coached.”

Others to be inducted: Heights teacher/basketball and baseball coach Joe Auer, MLB player Darren Dreifort (Class of 1990), Heights teacher Wayne Holmstrom, journalist Sheinelle Jones (Class of 1996), Heights teacher William Judd, Heights teacher Charles Lawson, MLB player Mike Pelphrey (Class of 2002), track state champion Jill Redo-Joseph (Class of 1982), U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson (Class of 1975). Also Heights’ 1968 state title wrestling team will be inducted.