By Trashtalk Superstar
In yesterday's Arlington Heights, IL, Daily Herald, Lindsay Willhite wrote about the bumpy road that Kansas coach Bill Self has traveled to get to his first Final Four.
Prior to becoming the head basketball coach at Kansas in 2003, Bill Self was the head basketball coach at Illinois. But before he left Illinois, Self recruited all of the players who ended up playing key roles in Illinois' march to the 2005 Final Four. Yet the Illini's success was bittersweet for Self: he had to watch his former Illini players revel in the glory of the '05 Final Four, as his Kansas squad had been eliminated by Bucknell in the Tournament's first round.
And the hits didn't stop in '05. Kansas also lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006, this time to Bradley.
What's more, Self's highly regarded Kansas team fell short of the Final Four last year as well (despite having been widely considered a probable Final Four contestant).
So one would expect Bill Self to be having a grand old time, now that he's finally got a team in the Final Four. But Bill Self is, once again, having to deal with the past.
Kansas will face North Carolina in Saturday's opening game of the Final Four. And North Carolina just happens to be coached by Roy Williams -- the guy who Self replaced at Kansas after he (Williams) bolted for Chapel Hill.
Self tells Willhite:
"Fans will make a big deal out of (Kansas vs. Roy Williams)," Self said. "And I said this (Sunday), When people are upset that you leave -- and I've gone through this myself and of course he went through it at a very high level -- it's a backhanded compliment because they didn't want you to."
And Self went on address the "X factor" that helped convince him to leave Illinois for Kansas five years ago:
"I've said all along, the reason we left was not to switch teams," Self said. "If that had been the case, we would have definitely stayed with the kids we knew and kids we loved and a talented group. We had that team coming back plus Charlie Villanueva committed.
"I expected (Illinois' Final Four run) to happen … but it was tough watching them play because I know I could have been a part of that. But it was also rewarding knowing you brought those guys in and that they've thrived in a new system and performed very well.
"I just kept telling myself: Hey, we did it for the long run, and this is the long run."
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4 comments:
Me be romancin Ethel with them coupons for the general store. she be liking them tuna and beans. Then me be explainin how we be needin a retreet to fire up them romance we had in them disco dancin days. Ethel be thinkin I be takin her to Fort Wayne or Flint or some other romantic hideaway, but she aint be realizin I be goin all out with them trip to Green Bay Wisconsin!!!!!!
Uh huh!!! Uh huh!!
I be dustin them old tuxcedo and bringin them disco tap dancin shoes. We gonna do some dancin. I been walked with Buster to them gas station for some cans of gas and we ready for our journey. I been down to them lumber yard for some saw dust for them engine. The Nova aint been fired up in two years since I been in them jacks tournament in Muskegon.
Them Nova be like them Butler boys. They aint primpin for them espn cams, but they be doin them job. They be wearin blue on them tough exterior, but them seats be cuddlin like Butler Bob on them inside.
Boooooooooooooo Digggggggggettty!!!
I be ready for our trip!!!! I ain't been so happy since Butler be beatin South Alabama. I be out of them funk!!!!!!!
* Dancing arond them livin room
* Blastin them trumpet
* Whippin Busters leash in the air
Weeeeeeeeee Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bill Self be part of them plains steroids cornfed programs. they be injecting them pros with them dna kromosoms and them creeateen.
Butler boys be runnin on chicken and peas and natural in grediants
srew Bail $$elfi$h!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How much did Bail have to pay Wright and Collins?
Kansas has the best team $$$ can buy.
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