On the heels of leading Kansas to 32 wins and an appearance in the national title game, Kansas head coach Bill Self received multiple national coach of the year awards and a contract extension through the 2021-22 season.
On Wednesday it was announced that Self would receive another honor, as he was named the John R. Wooden Award’s “Legends of Coaching” recipient for 2013.
Self will formally receive the honor at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on the weekend of April 11-13, 2013.
“This is a great honor and humbling, but non-deserving; plus it’s a legends which makes me sound even older than what I am,” Self said in a statement released by the school. “I had a chance to meet Coach Wooden and get to know him fairly well back in the year 2000 because of an award we received.
“Cindy and I were able to spend a weekend with him and his family. That was a cool experience. To be thought of in this regard with some of the coaches that have won this in the past is pretty humbling.”
According to the Wooden Award the honoree is selected based on a number of factors, “character, success on the court, graduation rates of student-athletes in their basketball program, coaching philosophy, and identification with the goals of the John R. Wooden Award.”
Self has led the Jayhawks to eight straight Big 12 regular season titles and Kansas has reached at least the Sweet 16 in six of his nine years at the helm.
With Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor gone Self will rely on veterans Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford and Jeff Withey along with a host of talented newcomers in 2012-13.
Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.