Self Tabbed Sporting News' Coach of the Year

March 11, 2009

LAWRENCE, Kan. — For the second time in 10 years, Kansas men’s basketball head coach Bill Self has been named Sporting News‘ National Coach of the Year, the publication announced Wednesday. This comes three days after Self was named the 2009 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year by both the AP and league coaches.

Self, who previously won the Sporting News award as Tulsa’s coach in 2000, led the Jayhawks to a 14-2 conference record and their fifth consecutive Big 12 championship this season. The reigning national champs, his young KU squad started the season 11-4 with five new starters.

“It’s been as much fun as I’ve ever had coaching, the last two months,” Self said. “The fact that every day I’ve seen maturation with these guys that I didn’t see coming.”

Self now has three National Coach of the Year awards in 2009, as he recently received the same honor from both Athlon Sports and Yahoo! Sports. He was joined on the Athlon team by sophomore center Cole Aldrich, who received the award for National Most Improved Player.

All of Sporting News‘ 2009 college basketball awards appear in the new magazine, which hits most Borders, Barnes & Noble and Hudson Retail outlets later this week.

The full feature on Self earning the Sporting News accolade can be found at http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=526307. Athlon Sports’ 2008-09 college hoops awards are located at http://www.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/16434/handing-out-08-09-college-hoops-awards. Self and the Jayhawks are set to face the winner of Wednesday’s Nebraska-Baylor game in the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Thursday at 11:30 a.m. CDT on ESPN2.