Almost a week later, the pain of a season-ending loss endures for Kansas coach Bill Self but the few days also has provided perspective on a team that lost to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament South Regional final last week.
“I don’t think you can have special seasons unless you perform well in the postseason,” Self said Thursday, “and certainly we’re disappointed we didn’t make it to our ultimate goal of being here in Houston with a chance to play for it all.
“But looking back I don’t know if I could ask a group to sacrifice more or to be more unselfish and work for the common good of each other. It will always be one of the special groups that I’ve worked with.”
Self was presented with the Associated Press Coach of the Year award on Thursday and took the stage at NRG Stadium next to Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine, chosen AP Player of the Year.
Xavier’s Chris Mack was runner-up to Self in the voting. Valentine, who averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists, edged Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield for the award. Valentine is the first Michigan State player to win the top AP honor.
Self also won AP Coach of the Year in 2009, and joins eight others as multiple winners, a list that includes UCLA’s John Wooden, Indiana’s Bob Knight, Oregon State’s Ralph Miller, Eddie Sutton, who won it at Kentucky and Oklahoma State and Roy Williams, at Kansas and North Carolina.
Both winners said they were crushed, attending the Final Four not as participants. Valentine’s Spartans, a No. 2 seed, were upset in the first round by Middle Tennessee State.
Kansas was one of three top seeds that lost in the regional finals. The Jayhawks’ season, which included a 12th straight Big 12 regular-season championship, ended with a 33-5 record.
“Regardless of what people think it was a great season,” Self said. “It may not have ended in a special way but it was a great season.”
The process of putting together next year’s team is well underway. Self said he wasn’t surprised that juniors Wayne Selden Jr. and Brannen Greene along with freshman Cheick Diallo have announced they were leaving.
At the time of his announcement, Diallo said he didn’t have an agent, but Self said he doesn’t expect Diallo to return.
“I think he’ll impress a lot of people with his energy and athletic ability, and he can shoot the ball much better than what people saw,” Self said. “He’ll have a chance to impress. It’s a potential deal and with him I see a very high ceiling.”
The other possibilities are sophomore Sviatoslav “Svi” Mykhailiuk and freshman Carlton Bragg Jr. Self said both told the team they were returning but that was before they had spoken to family members.
“They’re still evaluating,” Self said.
The Jayhawks are still in the running for one of the nation’s top recruits, Josh Jackson, a 6-7 wing from Napa, Calif., along with Michigan State and Arizona. Jackson is the nation’s top-rated prospect according to Rivals.com.
Self collected another piece of hardware during his stay. He’s the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Coach of the Year and was scheduled to receive the award on Sunday night.
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