Self won't ignore Cowboys, but plans to stay at Kansas

By Brian Landman, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, April 9, 2008

The Jayhawks celebrate with the trophy Monday night as coach Bill Self, center, partly turned away, applauds his players.
	[Getty Images]

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Kansas coach Bill Self would accept the phone call but that doesn't mean he has any intention of accepting a job offer to return to his alma mater, Oklahoma State.

"I would answer the phone; good gosh, I know all those people," Self said Tuesday, just hours after leading the Jayhawks to the national championship, the program's third, and first in two decades.

He added that he doesn't "anticipate" a scenario unfolding where that conversation would last long or be followed by one to a moving company or a trip to U-Haul for boxes and packing tape.

"I have the best job," he said, confessing he once dreamed of coaching his alma mater, where he received his bachelor's degree in business in 1985 and a master's in athletic administration in 1989 and was an assistant from 1987-93.

Self and Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins agreed weeks ago to meet to talk about his contract when the season ended.

Self earns about $1.3-million (prominent OSU booster T. Boone Pickens has reportedly pledged a substantial signing bonus for Self), but said Tuesday that he's looking for more security— more years. He received a five-year extension last year. He expects that meeting to be in the next couple of days and playfully said he's sure it's not to talk about "where we're going to vacation" this summer.

"Hopefully that'll go well; I don't know why it wouldn't," he said. "I'm not looking for more than what Kansas provides on a daily basis."

NOT THE PLAN: With 10.8 seconds left in regulation and his team up 63-60, Memphis coach John Calipari said the plan was to foul Kansas at midcourt to prevent a possible tying 3-point shot.

“Sherron Collins got away; he got away from our man," Calipari said. "I imagine their coach said, 'They're going to try to foul you, so run from 'em.'  "

Collins did just that, getting the ball to backcourt mate Mario Chalmers, who made the shot that forced overtime.

A WAKE-UP CALL: Self said he didn't get to his hotel room until about 6 a.m. and he and his wife, Cindy, talked for about an hour before they fell asleep. By 8, his cell phone rang. It was a call from President Bush.

"He was great and just talked about what an exciting game it was and how happy and proud I must be of my guys," Self said. "He invited us out to the White House and said something pretty cool; he said, 'You need to get here soon because you've got great seniors and if you don't get out here soon then they won't get a chance to come because they'll all split and go different ways. If you want to come, get out here in the next month, month and half.'  "

BACK HOME: Several hundred screaming fans welcomed the Tigers back to Memphis, where Calipari refused to blame the loss on late free-throw misses.

TV RATINGS: The final on CBS drew an overnight national rating (percentage of homes with TVs watching) of 12.1 and share (percentage of TVs on at the time) of 20. The rating was down 8 percent from 2007, when Florida beat Ohio State, drawing a 13.2.

AROUND THE NATION: Alabama's Rod Steele, LSU's Anthony Randolph and Arizona's Chase Budinger will enter the NBA draft, though none have hired an agent. … Duke center Brian Zoubek (left foot) faces three months of rehab after surgery. … Mississippi State said sophomore guard Ben Hansbrough will transfer. … Coaches Tony Bennett (Washington State) and Oliver Purnell (Clemson) said they're staying at their schools, and Rick Byrd (Belmont) signed a five-year extension.

Times wires contributed to this report.