Bill Self, 54, tells ESPN he’d like to coach at least five more years

Recent Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bill Self of Kansas told ESPN.com on Wednesday he might not last as long in coaching as some of his current peers.

“I’ve said all along that if I could go to my late 50s, that’d be good for me,” said Self, 54, who’s entering his 15th year at KU. “Now that I’m getting close to my late 50s, I’m like, ‘Well ... ,’ but my contract runs until I’m 59, so I’ve got five more years left. I definitely want to do that. Then whatever happens after that I’d be happy with whatever. But I don’t want to (coach too late). With recruiting the way that it is, it just wears you down.”

Former KU coach Roy Williams of North Carolina is 67. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski is 70 and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim 72.

Of his team’s recent trip to Italy, in which the Jayhawks went 4-0 in exhibition play, Self told ESPN: “We got through some stuff that we probably needed to get through as a group. We’re not close to being a team yet. There’s a certain point and time in a season where a team becomes a team. We’re not close to that. But we’re definitely further along.”

Jayhawks ranked fourth

KU was ranked No. 4 nationally in the preseason top 25 of Blue Ribbon Yearbook, it was revealed Monday. Arizona is No. 1, followed by Michigan State, Duke, KU, Kentucky, Louisville, Wichita State, Florida, West Virginia and North Carolina. KU’s Devonté Graham was chosen second-team preseason All-America. Missouri’s Michael Porter made the first team and was chosen national newcomer of the year.

Weekend visits

Zion Williamson, a 6-7 senior small forward from Spartanburg (S.C.) Day School, who is ranked No. 2 in the recruiting Class of 2018 by Rivals.com, will take his first official visit to Kentucky this weekend, Zagsblog.com reports. Williamson will attend the Sept. 30 Late Night in the Phog. He also has set up official visits to Duke (Oct. 20) and UCLA (Oct. 27). He made an unofficial visit to South Carolina last week. … No. 11-ranked Quentin Grimes, a 6-5 senior point guard from College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas, will visit Texas this weekend for his first official visit. Grimes will visit KU on Oct. 13, Kentucky on Sept. 29 and Marquette on Oct. 20. … Jermaine Harris, a 6-8 senior forward from Clinton (Md.) Christian Academy, will visit Rhode Island this weekend after a trip to West Virginia last weekend. He will visit KU on Oct. 6, Xavier on Sept. 29 and Miami (Oct. 20). He’s ranked No. 76 in the Class of 2018 by Rivals.com.

King to pick Oregon?

Louis King, a 6-8 senior forward From Hudson (N.J.) Catholic, who is ranked No. 23 in the Class of 2018 by Rivals.com, will announce his college choice Thursday. He has made just one official visit, to Oregon, which is the heavy favorite. KU, North Carolina State, Purdue and Seton Hall are also on his list.

Dosunmu cuts list to seven

Ayo Dosunmu, a 6-4 senior guard from Chicago’s Morgan Park High School, on Tuesday announced a list of seven schools: Kansas, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Southern California, Wake Forest, and Xavier. Dosunmu, the No. 20-ranked player in the Class of 2018 according to Rivals.com, has visited USC and and will visit Wake Forets on Sept. 29 and Illinois on Oct. 3. He told JayhawkSlant.com a visit to KU “is very possible.”

McDonald’s game to Atlanta

The McDonald’s All-America game, which has been held at Chicago’s United Center the past seven years, is headed to Atlanta this season. The 2018 game will be contested on March 28 at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, according to USA Today. Atlanta hosted the games in 1983 and 1992.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Bill Self, 54, tells ESPN he’d like to coach at least five more years."