Media members from all over the country dialed Mitch Germann’s cell phone number last April 21, the day Bill Self was introduced as head basketball coach at Kansas.
But those many writers and broadcasters weren’t calling KU’s media relations director to request interviews with Self. They were calling to congratulate Germann on KU’s new hire.
“I probably had 15 calls from media members telling me how lucky I was, how easy coach Self is to deal with and how great he’d be at Kansas,” said Germann, who is in charge of publicity for KU’s men’s hoops team.
“I also had a couple calls from former sports information directors who’d worked with coach Self, who told me how easy this would make it for me.
“Coach Self,” Germann added, “has a reputation with the media as being one of the friendliest and most accessible and easy-going guys in the business.”
Luckily for Germann and area media members, Self — who was popular with the press at previous stops Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois — hasn’t undergone a personality transformation since taking over the Kansas hot seat.
“I heard how friendly he was and easy to work with. It’s been even easier than I expected,” Germann said. “He is extremely open and accessible. His relationship with the media is very important to him.”
Part of Self’s coaching philosophy is indeed to be open and accessible with members of the Fourth Estate.
“I’ve heard coach give a speech where he talks about a coach at Oklahoma State who was media friendly and so accessible and was so well liked by the media that he’d get accolades as a coach even when they didn’t have very good teams,” Germann said.
That coach was former OSU football boss Pat Jones.
“Has there ever been anybody better with the media than Pat Jones?” Self said. “One year he gets coach of the year when they went 4-7.”
Self admits he studied Jones and his methods.
“I picked up some things from him. It wasn’t so much anything specific, just treating people well. He had people over to his media luncheon and he’d go and sit at every table, making sure everybody had a chance to talk to him.”
Self made a decision early on his career that the media could help him spread the word.
“When I was at Oral Roberts I realized whether it was good or bad, I can bust my butt and go everywhere and speak and do this, this and this, but I could get more work done if people are projecting our program, our staff or whatever, through the press.”
He also has tried to help his players portray themselves in a positive light.
“I think coach Self realizes the players’ conduct with media is very important,” Germann said. “He goes to great lengths to make sure they are educated in dealing with the media properly.”
