2008 KANSAS BASKETBALL
53
Self waits for redemption
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
In most ways, a coach would be crazy if he didn't want to be mentioned in the same breath as John Chaney and Gene Keady.
Chaney, a former Temple coach, and Keady, who used to be in charge at Purdue, won more than 1,200 games combined.
Coach Bill Self can't wait until no one associates him with those two men. Chaney and Keady, for all their accomplishments, are regarded as the best coaches to never make a Final Four. Self hasn't made one yet either.
"I hate to say it," graduate assistant Michael Lee said about making the Final Four, "but it is a big deal for him."
"We've won the league. We've won the league tournament. We're in the Sweet 16. We've had a good year."
If the Jayhawks win against Villanova, Self will be in the Elite Eight for the fifth time. Kansas will be favored to win, and you can
He's come close plenty of times. Self has been to the Elite Eight with Tulsa and Illinois and twice with Kansas. In three out of four of those trips, his team was the higher seed and failed to move on.
BILL SELF Kansas coach
bet that fans will blame him if the Jayhawks lose. They'll say Roy is better. They'll call the season a waste. Some may call for his job.
Four.
He's won more than 80 percent of his games in four plus years as coach and directed the team to four Big 12 regular season titles and three Big 12 Tournament Championships. But Self hasn't made the Final
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
"But in order to make it a special year," Self
"Our fans may not agree with this," Self said, "but we're 33 and 3. We've won the league. We've won the league tournament. We're in the Sweet 16. We've had a good year."
Kansas coach Bill Self speaks at a press conference April 10 at Hadl Auditorium. Self spoke about his intent to stay with the Jayhawks for next season despite talks with the Oklahoma State athletic department.
said, "we need to play well this weekend."
Self's been in search of that magical weekend for years.
SEE SELF ON PAGE 55
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN