Joel DePagter (right), who has been a part of the most successful era in Lawrence basketball history as a player and a coach, will be inducted into the school’s Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame in October. DePagter was a three-time first-team All-Midwest Conference selection (1996-98) and was named the league’s Player of the Year in 1997.

DePagter was fifth on Lawrence's career scoring list with 1,243 points when he graduated and still ranks first in career assists (357) and steals (211). DePagter's career scoring average of 17.5 points per game is third in school history. He has three of the top four season totals for assists and holds the top three spots for season steals.

DePagter came back to Lawrence as an assistant coach for the 1999-2000 season and served as an assistant for four seasons (2003-07) before taking over as head coach in April 2007. The Vikings went 22-3 in 2007-08, capturing the league title and conference tourney championship, as DePagter became the first conference coach since 1957 to win a league championship in his first season.