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THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2008
COMMENTARY
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Chalmers'three turns Self into Kansas coaching legend
Last seconds of championship game create legacy years in the making
It's funny what one shot will do. When Mario Chalmers' three-pointer swished through the nets, sent the game into overtime and essentially won the national championship for Kansas, Bill Self went from a good coach to one of the elite coaches in all of college basketball.
Sure he was already one of only four coaches to take three different schools to the Elite Eight, but until this year. Self was known for never being able to reach the Final Four.
Reaching the Final Four is one thing, but winning the national championship is another. Sure, Self had already gotten over the hump and reached college basketball's greatest weekend, but when the clock hit zero on Monday night, he joined an elite group of coaches that can say they were national champions.
Bobby Knight, John Wooden, Coach K ... All of the legendary coaches in the game today have cut down the nets and won a national championship. Now it's Bill Self who has joined the party and can say the same thing.
But just what would have happened had Chalmers' shot rimmed off and Kansas not won the game? How would Self have been remembered then?
"The outside public may view people that win a championship differently," Self said after the game, "but all coaches know you don't get smarter because a hard shot goes in than if it doesn't go in."
And he's right. He didn't physically change with the result of Chalmers' historic heave. He's the same coach he was before the shot and he's the same person he would have been had the shot rimmed off, although he's going to get a big raise from Lew Perkins and the Athletics Department staff in the near
future because of it.
Think of two short weeks ago, when the shot by Jason Richards of Davidson missed to the left and the Jayhawks celebrated a trip to the Final Four. Had that shot been six inches to the right, Davidson would have been headed for San Antonio and Kansas would never had even had a chance to bring home the title. Six inches — that's how close the Jayhawks were from not even making the Final Four.
Kansas fans who were bitter at Roy Williams for leaving for North Carolina cheered for the former coach when he was shown wearing a KU sticker while sitting in the stands. But in 15 years as the coach at Kansas, Williams never did what Self was able to do on Monday night. With one high-arcing three pointer, Kansas fans around the country were finally able to forget about Roy and totally embrace Self as their guy.
With rumors that Self's alma mater, Oklahoma State, is preparing to offer boat loads of money to sway Self back to Stillwater, Kansas fans can only hope that Perkins will be able to keep Self in Lawrence.
The first round losses to Bucknell and Bradley, which had fans clammering on message boards for Self to be fired, now seem like a distant memory. The Jayhawks are national champions and Self has enshrined himself as one of the elite coaches in America and one of the all-time greats at Kansas.
And as crazy as it sounds, it's all because of one shot. One three-pointer, from the top of the key. That's all it took to not only change the outcome of the game, but to change the legacy of Bill Self.
-Edited by Samuel Lamb
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Coach Bill Self completes cutting down the nets after the Jayhawks win the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Monday marked Bill's first national title.
BASEBALL
Rain provides players a welcomed break
BY SHAWN SHROYER shroyer@kansan.com
Well, with the field uncovered and vulnerable Monday night, Mother Nature acquiesced with a downpour that not only washed out Tuesday's game with Northern Colorado, but the entire midweek series.
Those who live by the Bull Durham code would agree that Kansas, after being swept on back-to-back weekends, could have used a rainout this week to get back on track.
After Tuesday's rainout, Kansas (19-16) and Northern Colorado (8-22) were scheduled to play a doubleheader yesterday starting at noon. However, due to "wet playing conditions" the double-header was pushed back to a 1 p.m. start
The field itself looked playable if absolutely necessary - to the point that the grounds crew was able to drag the field with a tractor with ease - but, based on body language, the Jayhawks didn't look heartbroken to have the games called off.
before being reduced to a single game to be played at 3 p.m., until being cancelled altogether.
Kansas will resume play this weekend in a three-game series with Texas Tech, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday's game has been moved up from 2 p.m. to noon so it can air on FSN.
Northern Colorado, on the other hand, can't be happy. The Bears arrived back home this morning about 3 a.m. with nothing to show for their road trip.
-Edited by Samuel Lamb
MOVING ON
Ion Gearing/KANSAN
Senior forward Darnell Jackson pulls down a rebound during the first half of Monday's championship game. Jackson will be graduating this year along with Jeremy Case, Russell Robinson, Rodrick Stewart and Sasha Kaun.
Jayhawks say goodbye
Five seniors to graduate, others consider entering NBA Draft
BY MARK DENT mdent@kansan.com
They played on after first-round losses, an Elite Eight disaster and a 3-4 start to the 2005 season.
They can't play on after graduation.
The Jayhawks lose five seniors – Jeremy Case, Russell Robinson, Darnell Jackson, Rodrick Stewart and Sasha Kaun from their national championship team. Others will likely not be back either. Juniors Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers and sophomore Darrrell Arthur might enter the NBA Draft. To put it bluntly, Kansas will be an entirely different team next season.
That new look means the Jayhawks could be facing the dreaded but sometimes
unavoidable drop off that comes after a team wins a national championship.
Last season, Florida defeated Ohio State for its second straight title. Stars Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, Al Horford and Corey Brewer all skipped the rest of their college careers to enter the NBA Draft. Sharpshooter Lee Humphrey exhausted his eligibility, Florida didn't recover. This year, the Gators struggled and weren't selected for the NCAA Tournament despite playing with three highly-touted freshmen.
Kansas will lose at least as many players as Florida and possibly more. Still, Kansas coach Bill Self is optimistic.
They'd certainly be inexperienced. Should Chalmers, Arthur and Rush enter the draft, sophomore guard Sherron Collins would be the only returning player who averaged more than nine minutes a game this season. Freshman center Cole Aldrich would likely join Collins in the starting lineup.
"I really think we're going to be good," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if we were really good."
After that, well, it's hazy. Freshman Tyrel Reed, sophomore Brady Morningstar and possibly freshman Conner Teahan would battle six newcomers for the bulk of the playing time. Kansas signed high school
"We signed five really good players, and they're better than what anybody thinks they are."
BILL SELF Kansas head coach
guard Travis Releford and forwards Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris and Quintrell Thomas. Junior college guards Tyrone Appleton (who has committed and not officially signed) and Mario Little will also be joining the team in the fall.
It's not the typical Jayhawk recruiting
"We signed five really good players,"
class. None of the players are McDonald's All-Americans, and Marcus Morris is the highest ranked at No. 36 in the country according to Rivals.com.
parade time
It's Official. The national championship basketball team will be honored with a parade on Sunday. The parade begins at 3 p.m. at Seventh and Massachusetts Streets and will end at South Park. At 6 p.m., fans are invited to come to Allen Fieldhouse for an awards ceremony. Doors will open at five.
Self said, "and they're better than what anybody thinks they are."
Young and inexperienced doesn't always mean disappointment like it did for Florida. Just two years ago, Kansas was in a similar situation. Back in 2005-2006, the team had three sophomores and three freshmen play major minutes. The Jayhawks started out 3-4 and 10-6 before winning 15 of their last 17 games.
"We just tried not to let anything distract us," Robinson said.
Self wouldn't want the same 3-4 start next season, but he would like the same ending: a Big 12 Tournament Championship.
"Next thing you know," he said about that year, "we're cutting down the nets in Dallas."
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—Edited by Jared Duncan
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