Many fingers pointing to Self as next KU coach

By Gary Bedore Apr 15, 2003

Bill Self of Illinois is probably the leading candidate to replace Roy Williams as Kansas University men’s basketball coach.

But Self, a former Oklahoma State player who served as a graduate assistant coach at Kansas under Larry Brown in 1984-85, may not be eager to leave Illinois.

Self, 40, was unavailable for comment, but Illinois sports information director Kent Brown said he had talked to the Fightin’ Illini head coach on Monday and that he had not heard from anyone at Kansas.

“He feels like he’s in a great situation here,” Brown said Monday night, “and that Illinois has a chance to springboard on the national scene next year.”

Illinois has won Big 10 Conference championships two of the last three years. IU won 25 games last season with a starting lineup that consisted of senior Brian Cook, the Big 10 player of the year, three freshmen and a sophomore.

Eight of Illinois’ top 10 scorers will return for the 2003-2004 season.

After last season, Self signed a five-year contract extension that will guarantee him about $1 million a year. In addition, Self will receive a $500,000 annuity if he stays for those five years. At Kansas, Roy Williams earned a base annual salary of only about $130,000, but his total package was well over $1 million a year.

Other possible candidates include:

Fourth-year Marquette coach Tom Crean, 37, who led the Golden Eagles to their first Final Four since 1977. The former Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky assistant led the Eagles to 26- and 27-win seasons the past two years.
Mark Turgeon, who played at KU from 1984-87, has been head coach at Wichita State the past three years after working as an Oregon assistant five years and one year as a Larry Brown aide with the Philadelphia 76ers. Turgeon, 38, also assisted Roy Williams one season at KU.
Fourth-year Gonzaga coach Mark Few, 40, is another possibility. Few has compiled a 105-29 mark the past four season, including a 24-9 mark this past year. He led the Zags to a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, losing in the second round to Arizona this year.
Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, 44, is another possibility. The Duke graduate is 165-83 in eight years as a head coach, five years at Montana and three at Notre DAme.
Memphis’ John Calipari, 44, worked one year as a Larry Brown aide. Calipari, a former UMass head coach, has been at Memphis for three seasons.

Other possibilities are Michigan’s Tommy Amaker, Cal’s Ben Braun and perhaps Brown, who guided KU to the 1988 NCAA championship, might be interested in returning to Mount Oread.

— Assistant Sports Editor Gary Bedore contributed to this story.