Gary Bedore's thoughts: Not much I can say about Langford that you already do not know. About all you need to know is he's a great college plaeyr.

Langford, KU's leading returning scorer at 15.9 points a game, is a scoring machine. He can score off slashing moves to the basket, knifing moves to the basket and also hit the jumper. He can pick up the stickback points Ñ garbage points you might call them Ñ and also make the highlight film with outside bombs.

I've heard no complaints about his defense.

Langford is an emotional player and has a chance to be a real team leader. He's one of the guys who has been to two Final Fours in two tries. Not bad for a guy who was not a McDonald's All-American in high school and not really all that highly recruited.

Langford nearly was named MVP of last year's Final Four. That's how good he is. He's also a media favorite because he will speak his mind. You will not silence Keith Langford. He'll tell you what's on his mind.

LANGFORD AT A GLANCE
Favorite food: Anything from Jack in the Box. Favorite TV show: Martin. Latest DVD purchase: Mo'Money. Nickname: Ke-Freeze. Dream date is with: Ashanti. If I could switch places with anybody for a day it would be: Ashanti's boyfriend.

After college I plan on: Playing pro ball. Favorite hobby other than basketball: Playstation 2. Superstitions include: Changing shoes at halftime. Favorite actor: Ed Norton. I try to mold my game after: Anyone better than me. Toughest arena I've played in: Arizona's McHale Center. I chose jersey number because: My favorite player wears it (Jalen Rose).

Favorite vacation spot: Vegas. Favorite TV sports personality: Bill Raftery. Favorite NBA team: Detroit. Favorite NBA player: Jalen Rose. Following actor would play me in movie about my life: Ed Norton with face paint.

Favorite movie: What's Love Got To Do With It. Best player I've faced: Charlene Taylor or the guy from SU. Favorite non basketball pro athlete: Derek Jeter. Favorite non basketball pro team: Cowboys. Not many people know this but I: Like pink. In my CD player: Screwed up Click. Favorite video game: Any football or basketball game from EA Sports.

Overview (courtesy of kuathletics.com)
An underrated player who should contend for All-America honors this season... A slashing guard/forward who can pour in points in a hurry... Has steadily improved his field goal shooting and three-point shooting during his tenure in Lawrence... A smooth lefty who is deceptively quick and has an uncanny knack for getting to the rim, even in traffic... One of the best leapers on the squad... Solid at defending on the perimeter... An impressive rebounder for his size... A reliable free throw shooter... A clutch performer, Langford often saves his best games for the biggest stage, as he has been named to three NCAA all-tournament teams in just two years.

Sophomore Season (2002-03)
Named to the NCAA All-Final Four Team... Also earned NCAA Tournament West Region All- Tournament Team honors... An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection... Named to the Big 12 All-Underrated Team... Started all 38 games, ranking third on the team with 15.9 points per game while pulling down 4.9 boards per contest... Shot 53.0 percent from the field... Ranked 10th in the Big 12 in scoring and seventh in field goal percentage... Played a career-high 32.8 minutes per contest... Dished out 2.0 assists per game and recorded 31 blocks and 34 steals on the year... Scored in double-figures 35 times and led the team in scoring on 10 occasions... Poured in a career-high 27 points against Arizona on Jan. 25, while grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds on two occasions.

Summer, 2002
Played seven games for the NIT All-Stars in Canada, going 6-1 on their tour... Averaged 8.7 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor... Joined on the team by Rolando Howell, Luis Flores, Britton Johnsen, Luke McDonald, Tim Frost, Nigel Wyatt, Will McDonald, Henry Domercant, Marcus Hatten and Julius Page.

Freshman Season (2001-02)
Named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All- Tournament team... Earned the Clyde Lovellette Most Improved Player Award at the team¹s annual postseason banquet... Saw action in all 37 games, starting once (versus Stanford on March 16)... Averaged 7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 20.9 minutes of action... Shot 49.3 percent from the field... Nailed 11 three-point field goals... Shot nearly 70 percent from the line... Dished out 54 assists, rejected 12 shots and tallied 34 steals... Was the first player off the bench 23 times -- tying for a team-high... Scored in double-figures 11 times and led the Jayhawks in scoring once... Made his KU debut in the Maui Invitational Nov. 19-21, where he scored in double- figures in all three games -- versus Ball State, Houston and Seton Hall... Enjoyed a breakout game against No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 1, scoring 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting... Scored in double- figures in back-to-back games against South Carolina State (12) and North Dakota (11) on Dec. 15 and 22, respectively... Tallied 12 points and seven boards versus No. 5 Oklahoma on Jan. 19... Scored seven points -- including the gamewinning three-pointer -- to go with three rebounds at Nebraska on Feb. 24... Had 14 points and four boards at Missouri on March 3... Went 5-for-7 from the field en route to 15 points, three rebounds and three assists against Illinois in the Sweet 16 on March 22... Had a career game versus Oregon on March 24, scoring a then-career-high 20 points to go with a thencareer- best eight rebounds against the Ducks in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final in Madison, Wis.

High School
North Crowley High School (2001)... Coached by Tommy Brakel... Named first-team All-State by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches his senior year... An All-State selection by the Texas Sportswriters Association his junior and senior seasons... Earned North Texas Player of the Year honors from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram in 2001... Dallas Morning News All-Area first team his senior year... Texas Basketball Magazine first-team All-State selection as a senior... Named a McDonald¹s High School All-American Top 100 Finalist in 2001... A Nike All-American his senior campaign... Named honorable mention All-America by Street and Smith¹s, USA Today and Sporting News his senior year... Averaged 25.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 2001... Led North Crowley to a 29-5 record his senior year, while carrying the Panthers to the District 8-4A championship, the Region I Bi- District crown and the Area 4A title... Posted a school-record 1,844 career points and 844 rebounds... Notched 19 double-doubles in 2001... Put up 40 points to go with 20 rebounds against Burleson High on Feb. 13, 2001... Poured in 18.3 points to go with 7.2 rebounds per game as a junior... Rated the ninth-best prep shooting guard prospect in the nation by ESPN.com.

Off the Court
A very superstitious person, Langford is known for changing shoes at halftime of games in which he has a bad first half, and he also used to own a pair of lucky socks... Langford maintains an extremely close relationship with his biggest fan -- his mother Charlene Taylor... Earned the nickname ³Ke-Freeze² in high school after teammates claimed that he had ice in his veins... Langford looks up to another smooth, lefthanded wing player, Chicago Bulls guard Jalen Rose... Originally committed to Mississippi, then eventually chose the Jayhawks over Cincinnati and Oklahoma... Langford didn¹t begin playing basketball until eighth grade with just one summer of AAU experience... Some former Jayhawks to sport No. 5 include Charlie Hoag, Howard Engleman and Terry Nooner.