All three Kansas students were relieved on Thursday to hear that KU coach Bill Self had decided to stay in Lawrence after turning down an offer to coach at Oklahoma State, his alma mater.
As if the students at KU needed something more to celebrate this week.
“He’s definitely the man now,” said Martin, a freshman from Prairie Village.
Self was pretty close to having “the man” status after Kansas beat Roy Williams’ North Carolina team on Saturday and then shocked Memphis 75-68 in an overtime thriller to win the national championship on Monday. But Self’s popularity rating among students was soaring to a new level after Thursday’s announcement.
“I thought he was going to be another Roy and backstab us for his hometown,” said Penrod, a junior from Leawood. “I was worried … it’s his alma mater. But I’m glad he’s more loyal to KU than that.”
Penrod and Wilson, a junior from Tulsa, admitted they were a bit skeptical all along about the Self to Oklahoma State rumors as they walked into the Kansas Union.
“Why would you want to downgrade?” Penrod said. “Seriously, Oklahoma State? Really?
“He realizes that we have an awesome thing going here, that he can be at the head of that. He sees that as better than just taking the money somewhere else.”
Of course, the money all along was what made the potential of a Cowboys’ offer to Self a bit scary. Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens was reportedly planning to back a megadeal for Self.
“There were all those reports about how much money he was going to get,” Martin said. “He chose the tradition and the luster of being at KU. The fact he would choose that over more money, that’s pretty cool.”
In just five days, Self has become “pretty cool” and “the man.”
Not bad.
“I’ve been a KU fan since I was really young,” Martin said. “After that whole Roy Williams situation, knowing that (Self) wasn’t just all talk, that means a lot to me.”
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