Thursday, April 10, 2008

Note to Boone and Oklahoma State: Bill Self is staying at Kansas

ESPN:
Kansas coach Bill Self said Thursday he will remain with the national champions rather than listen to an offer to coach his alma mater Oklahoma State.

In a phone interview with ESPN.com's Andy Katz prior to a news conference Thursday afternoon, Self said he spoke with Oklahoma State athletics director Mike Holder on Wednesday night. Holder, Self said, did not discuss money and only asked if Self wanted to come home to Stillwater.

"I couldn't see leaving this place," Self, whose Jayhawks beat Memphis for the national championship on Monday, said of KU. "This is where we want to be."

The move ends uncertainty about Self's future after he led the Jayhawks to their first NCAA title in 20 years.

Self said he and the administration would meet soon to discuss a new contract, but there was no rush to finalize one.

"I'm still in shock about how we won," Self said. Kansas trailed Memphis by nine points with 2:12 left in regulation, tied the score on Mario Chalmers' 3-point shot in the closing seconds, then prevailed in overtime.

"I'm most proud we made so many plays under pressure," he said.

Self said he didn't want to leave Kansas in the manner he departed Tulsa and Illinois -- without enjoying the full fruits of the program's success.
Yahoo has more.
The deal would replace the contract extension Self signed last year that pays him $1.375 million annually.

"I don't know what the big deal is, to be honest," Self said, referring to the speculation over his future. "These last three weeks, four weeks, have been an absolute whirlwind.

"I don't know if a guy deserves to have as much fun as I've had," he said.[...]

Self's Jayhawks won a school-record 37 games and beat Memphis for the national title. Since replacing Roy Williams in 2003, Self is 142-32 with four regular-season Big 12 titles.

Self's new deal is likely to make him one of college basketball's highest-paid coaches. Florida coach Billy Donovan is believed to be the highest among coaches at public universities, after he signed a six-year contract worth $3.5 million per year in 2007.

No comments: