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del.icio.usJayhawk faithful able to exhale
I would imagine that Bill Self announcing he was going to Oklahoma State to coach basketball three days after leading Kansas to a national championship would have been just a little bit of a downer for KU fans.
Get back to partying, Jayhawks. Self took everybody off their pins and needles Thursday by announcing he's staying at KU.
Oh, he talked to Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder, the bag man for multi-billionaire Boone Pickens. But Self said during a news conference in Lawrence that the subject of money -- specifically how much might line his pockets if he went to Stillwater -- never came up.
Too bad, because I wanted to know just how deep the Pokes were willing to dig to bring a native son home. I wish Self had asked, just for the heck of it. But if he had, would he have been able to say no?
It took Self time to be accepted at Kansas, where he stepped in the smoldering remains of Roy Williams' 15 seasons, capped by his controversial departure to North Carolina. It was an uncomfortable time as Self inherited players that didn't seem to warm to him very much, and vice versa.
But as soon as Self was able to bring in his guys, the Jayhawks took off. There were the two embarrassing first-round losses to Bucknell and Bradley, of course. Had Self been wooed by Oklahoma State following those defeats, KU fans would have hired a limousine driver and escorted him out of Lawrence.
Now, though, Self is beloved. As he should have been all
along. Not only is he a great basketball coach, but he's a down-to-earth guy who makes Lawrence a better place because he and his family live there.
Self isn't hung up on ego or self-promotion, the way some coaches are. He's just a guy who happens to know how to lead young men and, with him at the helm, Kansas is likely to win it all again.
As I write that, I must also warn KU fans that Self is going to be in the middle of a rebuilding effort with the Jayhawks next season, so let's ratchet down those expectations just a little bit. Can you do that? Can you?
Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun and Russell Robinson are gone. Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush have one foot out the door for the NBA. Mario Chalmers is not as sure a thing to leave, but would it surprise anyone?
Which means Self's Jayhawks could go into next season with no starters returning and only one player -- guard Sherron Collins -- with significant minutes. Freshman center Cole Aldrich looks like a future star (just ask North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough), but he is unproven.
Self, however, is not deterred. He has spoken frequently about how much he loves his incoming recruiting class, and he said Thursday it's not complete. With all the defections, he's out looking for new blood to help next year's team.
Self is a proven recruiter, so there shouldn't be any worries that he'll continue to supply Kansas with high-quality players. And, perhaps in a couple of years, he'll have a team capable of winning another championship.
If I know Self, he would bristle at that last statement. A couple of years? Self thinks KU will be a force again next season, but the losses are too great to support that belief, especially if Chalmers leaves. Look at what happened to Florida this season after massive losses to the NBA.
They had won two consecutive national championships, but this year the Gators dropped all the way to the NIT.
Still, who better to help Kansas rebuild -- and I use that term loosely -- than Self? As long as KU fans understand that winning 30 games a season, every season, isn't totally realistic. Do you understand that, KU fans? Do you?
I'm not so sure you do.
I am sure, though, that Self is the right man for Kansas. I'm sure the lure of his alma mater had some appeal, but coaching your home games in Allen Fieldhouse has to be a pretty special feeling. One that money can't buy, although you can bet Self will be receiving a nice boost in salary and that the honchos at Kansas will move quickly to improve athletic facilities, too.
It's great news for Kansas that Self is staying. I'm concerned that KU lovers are getting spoiled, what with the Orange Bowl win in football, the national championship in basketball and now the news that Self's eyes are focused back where they should be.
KU fans spoiled?
Nah, surely not.
Eagle sports columnist Bob Lutz co-hosts "Sports Daily" from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFH, 1240-AM and 98.7-FM. Reach him at 316-268-6597 or blutz@wichitaeagle.com.
