Associated Press PhotoKansas University will introduce Bill Self as the school’s eighth men’s basketball coach at a 1 p.m. Monday news conference.
Several sources confirmed today that Self, 40, who led Illinois to a 78-24 record in three seasons, has accepted the job at Kansas. According to sources, Self’s contract is a five-year deal for $1.1 million per season.
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Are you happy with Bill Self as the new KU men’s basketball coach?
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“I think we could not possibly do any better,” said Bill Tuttle, a member of the KU Athletic Corp. board of directors and who confirmed that Self was being hired as Roy Willams’ replacement.
Tuttle, who is also a KU professor of American studies, was among KUAC members who this afternoon were introduced to Self in the Naismith Room at Allen Fieldhouse. Also in attendance were members of the KU basketball team and some boosters.
Self, whose first college coaching job was as a graduate assistant to then-Kansas coach Larry Brown in the 1985-86 season, met with the Jayhawks Sunday night for a little more than an hour.
“He’s cool. I like him,” sophomore point guard Aaron Miles said after the meeting. “He said he is a different coach than Roy Williams, but he is a good coach.”
Forward Wayne Simien said Self appeared exhausted during the meeting with his new players.
“He looks like he hasn’t slept,” Simien said. “It just shows how hard he has worked. He came in the room nonchalantly. The first thing I said when I saw this guy was that he looked terrible. But he is a real fiery guy.
“It is the beginning of a new chapter, and we have closed the one behind us.”
Self arrived about 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Lawrence on a private plane with Drue Jennings, KU interim athletic director, and Norm Roberts, an Illini assistant coach. Among those greeting them were KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway.
Approached by a reporter at the airport, Self said, “I’m usually not this difficult to work with, but I’ve been told I’m off limits to you guys. We’ll be able to talk tomorrow.”
Roberts was the only assistant coach to accompany Self to Kansas, but aides Wayne McClain and Tim Jankovich are expected to be offered jobs on the KU staff. McClain and Jankovich remained in Champaign to talk to Illinois players and complete details of the staff’s exit.
Self, who had cut short a vacation to return late last week to Champaign, Ill., told his Illinois players Saturday night of his decision to come to Kansas, sources said. The meeting had been moved up from earlier reports that said it would be Sunday.
According to a report in the Urbana (Ill.) News-Gazette, Kansas officials apparently reached Self Wednesday in Miami, where he was on vacation with his family.
Self returned to Champaign-Urbana Friday and held a late-night meeting with Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther at the Ubben Basketball Complex.
Self and Guenther again met Saturday morning, and Self spoke by phone with KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway sometime after 6 p.m. on Saturday, a source said.
It’s unclear if Self accepted the position during that phone call, but he informed his players of his decision later Saturday night.
“I talked to him (Saturday) night and he said the deal was in the making,” freshman Deron Williams said. “It was a hard decision for him to make. He had to make the decision that was best for his family.”
Illinois freshman point guard Dee Brown talked to Self late Saturday and said he was disappointed by his decision, “but I love him. I’m not going to be mad at him. He has to determine what’s best for him.”
Brown said he had talked with all of his teammates and planned to continue those discussions on Monday at a team workout at the Ubben basketball building on campus.
“I can’t speak for them,” Brown said, “but I know they’re disappointed. They liked him too. I definitely thought he’d be here four years. He was doing a great job. Does it make it any easier that I’m a freshman instead of a junior or senior? Either way, man. A new coach is a new coach. I was just getting used to the guy.”
Barbara Augustine, mother of freshman forward James Augustine, said her family canceled a planned Easter dinner so her son could return to campus early to be with his teammates. “James really didn’t want to talk about it,” she said.
High school coaches of some of Self’s Illinois recruits have confirmed he has told them of his decision to take the Kansas job.
Neither Hemenway nor Jennings would confirm the hiring Sunday.
“I know you are just doing your job, but I would rather wait until tomorrow (to say anything),” Hemenway told reporters outside Allen Fieldhouse.
Self, who also has led programs at Oral Roberts and Tulsa University, has a 207-105 overall record in 10 years as a head coach. His contract at Illinois pays him a $900,000-per-year base salary with annuities pushing it to $1 million. KU reportedly will have to pay Illinois a $500,000 buyout fee for signing Self.
While Self is changing schools, high school forward Charlie Villanueva is not sure if he’ll do the same — or even attend college.
Villanueva, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward from Blair Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., has verbally committed to the University of Illinois for next season, but has not signed an official letter of intent and is considering turning pro straight out of high school.
“Right now, the NBA is my first option,” Villanueva told Shay Wildeboor of rivalshoops.com Sunday. “I’m going to see who is hired at Illinois and following coach Self to Kansas is something I’m going to consider, too.”
Villanueva told Wildeboor that Self hasn’t contacted the recruit, who is ranked as the third best player in the class of 2003 by RivalsHoops.com
“Coach Self has been real honest with me throughout this process and I respect him for that,” Villanueva said. “He is one of the biggest reasons I selected Illinois. Coach Self is just a great guy and I’m just going to see what happens.
“Things have been real hectic for me, but it’s all good. Like I said, the NBA is my first option, but we’ll see what happens if I decide on attending college.”
The Associated Press and Knight-Ridder Tribune contributed to this story.
