| | ESPN.com news services
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois hired Bill Self, who led Tulsa
to the Elite Eight of last year's NCAA Tournament, as its new head
basketball coach Friday.
|  | | Bill Self inherits a team capable of winning the Big Ten next season. |
Self, who led the Golden Hurricane to a 74-27 record in three
seasons, takes over an Illini program that returns all of its
starters and key subs after going 22-10 last season under Lon Kruger, who left to coach the Atlanta Hawks.
Self met his
new players Friday morning after working late into Thursday night
to finalize a $900,000-a-year contract. Kruger made $750,000 annually at Illinois.
"I accept the challenge," Self said at a news conference.
"I'm excited. This place has a lot to offer, probably more than I
even realize right now."
"He walked in and started talking about cutting down nets, and
that's exactly what I wanted to hear," senior-to-be Sergio McClain
said. "This is my last go-around, and I can't look at it as
starting over."
Self had spoken to his players at Tulsa on Thursday before
heading out of town.
"It's always very emotional when you leave something that you
care about that much," he said. "I appreciate their efforts to
prop me up as a coach."
Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther moved fast after Kruger
left, contacting Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson and Self. After Sampson
rejected the job Wednesday night, Guenther turned to Self.
The Illinois board of trustees must approve Self's contract at
its July meeting, but president James Stukel has already given
Guenther his blessing.
"It's been sort of a short courtship, but they told me Ron
Guenther worked quick," Self said. He later joked, "I didn't even
have time to get an orange tie."
|
Sampson says no |
|
Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson was Illinois' first choice to replace Lon Kruger, but the Sooner coach decided to stay in the Big 12.
Sources close to Illinois athletics director Ron Guenther and Sampson had said that Guenther planned on offering close to $1 million a year to pry Sampson away from his Oklahoma contract.
Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione said Thursday that he didn't know whether Sampson had been offered the job or not.
"Being considered for any job reinforces that you are part of a win-win situation," Sampson said in a statement released Thursday. "Oklahoma is a win -- for myself and for my family. The strides this program has made the last six years, the foundation we have built and the direction in which we are headed are all very exciting. The future of this program is extremely bright and I am delighted to be associated with this group of student-athletes, my staff and the University of Oklahoma as a whole."
Sampson told Arizona athletics director Jim Livengood -- one of Sampson's closest advisors -- that he was struggling with the possibility of taking the job as late as Wednesday morning, a source close to Livengood told ESPN.com. Livengood and Sampson worked together at Washington State, and it is believed that whenever Arizona coach Lute Olson decides to step down, Sampson would be the natural choice for Livengood.
But the overriding factors for Sampson staying at Oklahoma were his commitment to his incoming players and his comfort zone in Norman, Okla. Sampson has been one of the hottest names in coaching circles for the past few years, but this was the most serious attempt at getting him away from the Sooners.
-- Andy Katz, ESPN.com
|
One reason for the quick pace is the summer recruiting season,
which opens July 7.
"I think Bill has all the energy and the enthusiasm to get the
job done," Guenther said.
Tulsa was 32-5 last year under Self and reached the regional
finals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
His success at Tulsa made Self, 37, a hot prospect in the coaching
market, and his name was among the first mentioned when Kruger
abruptly left.
Norm Roberts, an assistant under Self at Tulsa, said Self's
basketball philosophy is a fast-running motion offense propelled by
a tenacious defense -- similar to what Kruger preached to these same
players.
Self spent nine years as an assistant coach, one year at Kansas
under Larry Brown and eight years at his alma mater Oklahoma State
under Leonard Hamilton and Eddie Sutton. He coached Tulsa's
cross-town rival, Oral Roberts, for four seasons before the Golden
Hurricane lured him away.
The school's athletic boosters came together earlier this year
to raise enough money to redo his contract there, raising his pay
from $350,000 to $550,000. Their effort to keep him also included a
deal that would have paid him as much as $1 million if he stayed at
Tulsa another five years.
ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported that in addition to current assistant coach Roberts, Kentucky assistant Shawn Finney, Oklahoma assistant Ray Lopes and San Jose State's Steve Barnes will be mentioned as possible successors at Tulsa. Appalachian State's Buzz Peterson will be in the mix for the position, as will Washington State head coach Paul Graham (a former Oklahoma State assistant). Look for Kansas assistant Joe Holladay, Southwest Missouri State's Barry Hinson, Arkansas assistant Mike Anderson and Arizona State assistants Russ Pennell and Tony Benford to be looked at as well.
Oklahoma State assistant Sean Sutton would be a perfect fit but he's in line to take over for his father Eddie whenever the elder Sutton decides to retire. | |
ALSO SEE
Weekly Word: What about the players?
 Vitale: Self inherits loaded team
Division I coaching changes
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bill Self is hyped about coaching Illinois.
wav: 283 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
 |
