New Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self has completed a successful West Coast recruiting — make that re-recruiting — trip.
Wednesday, Self visited the homes of KU signees David Padgett and Omar Wilkes, and after three- and two-hour meetings learned both players would honor their commitments to attend KU.
Padgett, a 6-foot-11 McDonald’s All-American from Reno, Nev., and Wilkes, 6-2 from Los Angeles, signed with KU in November, but wanted to meet Roy Williams’ replacement before agreeing to fulfill their letters of intent.
Fellow KU signees J.R. Giddens and Jeremy Case also have indicated they intended to attend Kansas despite the coaching change, meaning Self is 4-for-4 in keeping Williams’ recruits.
“I’m a Jayhawk … again,” Wilkes quipped Thursday. “Coach Self seems like a great guy, great coach, and I’m enthused.”
Ditto Padgett, who talked X’s and O’s and watched game films with the former Illinois coach Wednesday.
“Coach Self was in last night for three hours. As he got up to leave, David said, ‘I’ll see you in June (at KU),”‘ David’s dad, Pete, said. “We got to know coach Self more than anything. It was a great visit.
“I can’t imagine a better pick,” added Pete, head coach at Reno High. “What a personable, energetic person. Gosh, he’s a lot of fun to be around. Last night we all took a big sigh of relief.”
The Padgetts quizzed Self about his style of play and came away impressed.
 Self-Analysis: An in-depth look at KU’s eighth men’s basketball coach |
“Other than not seeing them run the secondary break, it’s not a whole lot different (from Williams’ offense),” Pete Padgett said. “They run the heck out of the high/low (pass). With the kids they have back and coming in next year, David’s really looking forward to coming out for summer school in June.”
Same for Wilkes, who, like Padgett, was stunned when Williams decided to take the North Carolina job.
“Coach Self is an awesome person,” Wilkes said. “It hasn’t been the easiest last couple of weeks, but everything happens for a reason. I’ll be there June 30 ready to go.”
Former KU assistant Ben Miller also made the West Coast trip with Self, but no decision has been made on Miller’s future. Miller likely will be coaching at KU with Self or at North Carolina with Williams next year.
“David was disappointed (when Williams left), but at the same time the University of Kansas is getting the best young coach in the country,” Pete Padgett said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt. You are talking about an impressive figure. The players had told David, ‘Wait till you talk to him. You’ll like him.’ They were right.”
Here’s the upcoming schedule, with autograph times listed. The games are to start an hour and a half later.
April: 26-at Garden City, 12:30 p.m; at Colby, 6:30 p.m. 27-at Great Bend, 1:30 p.m. 30-at Louisburg, 6 p.m.
May: 3-at Eureka, 6 p.m. 4-at Hillsboro, 1:30 p.m. 9-at Iowa Falls, Iowa, 6:30 p.m. 10-at Sioux City, Iowa, 5:30 p.m.
“Coach Self has contacted Joseph, and he’s hoping to make it in for a visit on April 30,” Normangee High School head coach Alan Andrus told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com.
Jones averaged 18.0 points and 14.9 rebounds for 31-2 Normangee High.
