SAN ANTONIO – Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self, who slept 45 minutes Monday night into this morning after winning the national championship game, received a special wake-up call Tuesday.
“President (George W.) Bush called me at eight o’clock,” Self said. “It was good. He talked about how exciting a game it was, and how happy and proud I must be of our guys. He said something that was cool, he said ‘You need to get here soon. You’ve got great seniors. If you don’t get out here soon, they won’t get a chance to come, because they’ll all be going different ways. If you want to come, get out here in the next month, month-and-a-half.'”
As far as Self’s future, he said he was still planning on meeting with athletic director Lew Perkins and Chancellor Robert Hemenway in the next day or so to discuss his future at KU. He reiterated he would talk to Oklahoma State officials if they called about their job opening.
“I’ve got the best job now,” Self said, but indicated he needed to talk to Perkins and Hemenway, as was the game plan all along.
Self said the Jayhawks could lose up to three players early to the NBA Draft.
“I anticipate at least two, maybe a third,” Self said.
Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur and junior guard Brandon Rush are expected to declare for the NBA Draft, while junior guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Mario Chalmers is a definite possibility. Sherron Collins would be a fourth player considering a jump.
For more follow-up from Monday night’s win and Bill Self’s Tuesday morning press conference, log back onto KUSports.com and pick up Wednesday’s Journal-World.
