LAWRENCE — This year, the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic is a three-day event running Thursday through Saturday.

There was the charity basketball game on Thursday at Lawrence Free State High School, as well as the Gala Dinner on Friday. Those two parts preceded the Rock Chalk Roundbowl, which is happening Saturday. It’s an effort to raise money for families in need — whether that be for those dealing with pediatric cancer or other illnesses.

In 2024, though, for an organization that has raised more than $1,382,000 since its inception in 2009, those efforts are on track to set a record for money raised in a year. According to founder Brian Hanni, after Friday’s dinner they were already projected to surpass $400,000 — in part due to Kent and Missy McCarthy’s $250,000 that will benefit the children and the Yvonne Adams Legacy Fund. And that momentum was energized Thursday with a basketball game, featuring many associated with KU, that saw current NBA players deliver on the court.

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“This was good,” said Sherron Collins, a member of Kansas men’s basketball’s 2008 NCAA championship team Thursday about NBA players returning to participate. “It was a good environment. It was good for the kids. It was just good for the city, of what happened. (Christian Braun) and those guys came and brought the intensity of it. We kind of told them in the locker room to bring it, and I told them, ‘Hey, the old guys are going to come out, we’re going to get our shots in. And you young guys, you’re going to bring it home.’”

Collins added those young guys did exactly what they were told to do, and that it was fun. He wants more NBA guys to come back and keep helping make the event what it is. Braun, Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson were three of the current NBA players who participated in the game as players, and all three were on the Kansas men’s basketball team that won a NCAA title in 2022.

Collins, asked what it says about the event that it attracts younger players to return, pointed to Lawrence and the kids this effort serves. Collins noted the Lawrence and Jayhawks community gave them so much, and this is the least they can do to give back. When it came to Braun, Collins praised the growth Braun’s showcased in recent years as he has transitioned from a collegiate athlete to a professional.

Kylee Kopatich, a former Kansas women’s basketball player who comes back in part to see the children honored the way they are, played as well. She talked about how much she enjoys being able to see NBA athletes in person and be around so many former great Jayhawks. She grew up watching Collins, and has admired Braun’s skillset, and to call Braun a pretty good NBA player at this point wouldn’t be enough for her

“That’s an understatement,” Kopatich said. “He’s amazing.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Rock Chalk Roundball Classic enjoys what could be record-setting year