Kansas University has contacted the University of Illinois to talk to Bill Self, the school’s head men’s basketball coach, about becoming the next head coach at KU.
Illinois sports information has confirmed to Channel 6 Sports that KU officials attempted to reach Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday night.
The two parties spoke on the phone this morning with KU informing Guenther of its intent to speak with Self. Illinois sports information says an offer has not yet been made to Self.
KU will not comment on any specifics during the search, but Journal-World sources have learned that as of 2 p.m. CST, KU officials have not been able to get in touch with Self, who is scheduled to be in Florida on a family vacation.
The Journal-World has learned that Mark Turgeon, Wichita State’s head coach, has been contacted by KU.
Also Wednesday morning, officials at Notre Dame said they had not been contacted by KU about talking to head coach Mike Brey. Other coaches considered to be in contention for the Jayhawks job include Tom Crean of Marquette and Mark Few of Gonzaga.
On Tuesday night, Self said, “Certainly, I understand why there would be speculation, with my relationship with the University of Kansas in the past.”
Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 will carry the KU Men’s Basketball Awards Ceremony live in its entirety Thursday night. Coverage from the Lied Center begins at 7 p.m.
“If they do call, I may say, ‘Let’s visit,’ or after talking a few minutes I may say, ‘I don’t feel it.’ I certainly wouldn’t mislead anyone,” Self said.
Self told more than 700 Illini supporters at the team’s annual postseason banquet that he is happy at Illinois, but he did not close the door on a move.
“This is a great, great program,” Self said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I am excited to be your coach.”
This past season, Illinois went 25-7 and won the Big Ten tournament championship. In three seasons with the Illini, Self is 78-24.
The Illini administration rewarded Self in December with a contract extension that will pay him $5 million if he stays all five years.
The Associated Press contributed some information to this story.
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