Associated PressKansas basketball coach Bill Self will be one of three people to present the late Eddie Sutton at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony next month.
Self, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2017, will be joined by Kentucky coach John Calipari and Sidney Moncrief at the ceremony that will take place May 15 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Sutton died last May at the age of 84.
Sutton’s call from the Hall of Fame took longer than many people, including Self, would have liked. So it seemed only fitting that the former Oklahoma State and Kentucky coach had to wait a few extra months for his enshrinement.
Sutton officially is a member of the 2020 class, but the ceremony was postponed to this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A four-time national coach of the year who racked up 806 career victories in a 37 seasons as a college head coach, Sutton is one of nine individuals being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
“I was deeply touched when the Sutton family reached out to me to be a presenter,” Self said in a news release announcing his involvement. “I spent three years with Coach Sutton and the things we do every day here at Kansas are things that he taught us and taught me.”
Self was an assistant coach under Sutton at Oklahoma State from 1990-93. While on Sutton’s staff, Self was part of one Big Eight regular season title and three NCAA Tournament teams, including two Sweet 16 squads.
“It was so special watching him galvanize the Oklahoma State community,” Self said. “Coach Sutton brought so much joy to so many. All of his former players and coaches take great pride in his induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame.”
Joining Sutton in the Class of 2020 are: longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann, 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings,15-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, 15-time NBA All-Star and nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Kevin Garnett, three-time NCAA National Championship Coach of Baylor Kim Mulkey, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens and two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
