Sporting News Names Self National Coach of the Year

March 6, 2012

030612aaa_835_7532858.jpegKansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self has been named Sporting News’ College Basketball Coach of the Year, it was announced Tuesday. Additionally, KU junior forward Thomas Robinson was named to the Sporting News All-American First Team, while senior guard Tyshawn Taylor is All-American Third Team.

This is the third time Self has been named the Sporting News College Basketball Coach of the Year. He also earned the recognition in 2000 while at Tulsa and in 2009 while at Kansas.

Returning only one starter from last season’s NCAA Elite Eight team, Self guided Kansas to its eighth-straight Big 12 Conference regular-season title posting a 16-2 league mark in 2011-12. The Jayhawks enter the 2012 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with a 26-5 record.

Robinson, the consensus 2012 Big 12 Player of the Year, is the only player in the conference to average a double-double this season with 18.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game after his fourth-straight double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds against Texas (3/3). A four-time Big 12 Player of the Week and one time Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week this season, Robinson posted 13 double-doubles in 18 conference games in 2012 and has eight DDs in his last 10 contests. His league-leading 22 double-doubles and his 11.9 rpg average rank second nationally.

Taylor has scored 22 or more points in each of his last three games and averages 17.2 ppg for the season. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week and All-Big 12 First Team selection, Taylor led KU in league scoring in 2012 with an 18.6 ppg. He leads KU with 152 assists and 53 three-pointers made in 2011-12.

Official Sporting News Releases
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-03-05/bill-self-kansas-jayhawks-sporting-news-coach-of-the-year-march-madness

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-03-05/thomas-robinson-kansas-jayhawks-first-team-all-american-march-madness