Self-made at Kansas
Coach has Jayhawks up where they belong
SAN ANTONIO - He has called himself a caretaker as much as a coach, someone who is aware of the tradition of Kansas basketball, appreciates it, understands it, and must deal with the burden that comes with the job.
For Bill Self, that is more than the X's and O's of a business in which he has done as well as anyone in college basketball the last five seasons, including a glittering 35-3 record this season and a spot in the Final Four as the Jayhawks prepare for tomorrow night's semifinal game against North Carolina.
If Davidson had knocked off Kansas Sunday, tomorrow's battle would be David vs. Goliath. Instead, we have Goliath vs. Goliath.
The Jayhawks have an average margin of victory of 19.4, the largest in Division 1. In his five seasons, Self has led Kansas to more victories than any school except Kentucky and North Carolina. Kansas has had only eight coaches in 100 years, including legendary figures such as Dr. James Naismith, Phog Allen (for whom Allen Fieldhouse is named), Larry Brown (coach of KU's last national championship team in 1988), and Roy Williams, who will be opposing Self tomorrow.
Despite two Elite Eight appearances and a glittering 140-32 record at KU, Self is up against lofty standards. Brown won the national championship in his fifth season, and Williams made it to the first of his three Final Fours at Kansas in his fifth season.
Self's reaction to his first Final Four appearance as a coach was no big surprise. "I'm relieved that we're here," said Self this week, his Kansas squad one of four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four - the first time that's happened since seeding began in 1979. "I guess we can be the underdogs since we're the fourth No. 1 seed. And Carolina [the top overall seed] would be the favorites. But I think in this situation, there's not much difference between any of the teams from a performance standpoint."
With four starters back from last season's 33-5 team, including three possible NBA picks in forward Darrell Arthur and guards Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers, the Jayhawks don't have just one go-to guy, but three, all of whom have carried leadership responsibilities.
"They know how to make something happen, they know how to keep the momentum going when it's time to get a big play or stop," said forward Darnell Jackson, who is averaging 11.2 points, one of four starters averaging in double figures.
It has been a remarkable athletic year at Kansas, with the football team going from unranked to a BCS top-10 team that knocked off Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl and finished seventh in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls.
By making the Final Four, Kansas became only the fifth school to have teams play in a BCS game and the Final Four in a calendar year.
The success has brought not only revenue, but satisfaction to the athletic department.
"It's been great," said athletic director Lew Perkins, who came from Connecticut in 2003. "In football, I was telling Mark [coach Mangino] that we're going to be better than people think and we came within a game [a regular-season loss to Missouri] of playing in the [Big 12] title game and maybe playing in the national championship game."
Perkins said this week has included more fun than tension.
"I was more nervous on Sunday [against Davidson]," he said. "It was a lot like in 1999 at Connecticut when we played Gonzaga [in the West Regional final]. The pressure was to get there. I told Bill, 'Go out and enjoy yourself this week.' "
Perkins also has tried to downplay a subplot - Williams coming back to face his old team. "Its just Kansas and North Carolina," said Perkins.
Self has acknowledged that aspect to the game. "It is a big deal," said Self, who has had to deal with rumors that have him leaving to coach his alma mater, Oklahoma State, when the season ends. "But I don't think it's near as big a deal because Roy is coaching at North Carolina. I think it's a much bigger deal to me, personally, because our team is participating in it."
Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com. 