“They rose up and propped me up, I’m forever grateful to this particular group of men” - Kansas coach Bill Self on his team helping him cope with the loss of his father
Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves just one win away from a spot in the national championship game. The Jayhawks are the only No. 1 seed in the Final Four, but will have their hands full against Villanova on Saturday.
Two consecutive losses near the end of the regular season are a fading memory. Third-ranked Kansas (32-6) has won its last nine games.
It's been a rollercoaster of a year, especially for coach Bill Self, whose father died in January. Bill Self Sr., who was 82, died on Jan. 20.
During an interview Friday, Self expressed appreciation for his team, saying that they lifted him up after losing his father:
“They rose up and propped me up, I’m forever grateful to this particular group of men.”
In January, Bill Self's father passed away. The @KUHoops head coach discusses how his team helped him cope.
"They sensed it was a tough time and they rose up and they propped me up. I'm forever grateful for this particular group of men." https://t.co/W5Z3PLfxcb
Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks eye a shot at the national championship
After losing a pair of surprising games near the final stretch of the regular season, the Kansas Jayhawks have started to look like themselves again.
Kansas will face Villanova (30-7) in the first national semifinal game Saturday in New Orleans, Louisiana. Duke (32-6) and North Carolina (28-9) play in the other semifinal. The winners advance to the title game on Monday.
For Bill Self and the Jayhawks, a national championship would put an emphatic stamp on an impressive season.
Kansas has one of the country's most talented rosters and an impressive amount of experience that could prove to be crucial at the Final Four.
The team is led by senior wing Ochai Agbaji, the Big 12 Player of the Year and a Wooden Award finalist. He's been one of the team's most consistent players throughout his four-year career, developing into a potential NBA draft lottery selection.
Meanwhile, junior Christian Braun, a second-team All-Big 12 selection, is one of Kansas' most underrated players.
HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS TEAM? https://t.co/iUUbpnHpKh
With both Agbaji and Braun leading the show, as well as the impressive play of David McCormack and Remy Martin, Kansas will have a serious chance to get their coach one step closer to completing a magical season.
Self, who is in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, led Kansas to the 2008 national championship. He also took the Jayhawks to their last Final Four appearance in 2018.