Report: Self Has Kansas Job

Bill Self arrived on Kansas’ campus and joined basketball players for a meal Sunday amid reports that he agreed to leave Illinois and coach the Jayhawks.

Kansas scheduled a news conference for today at 1 p.m. CDT to “introduce its men’s basketball coach.”

Jessica Johansen, the Jayhawk equipment manager, said Self ate on campus with players, boosters and athletic staff.

“I met him briefly,” said Johansen, who wouldn’t say whether Self was introduced as Kansas’ new coach during the meal at the school’s athletic center.

Reporters were asked to leave the building, and Chancellor Robert Hemenway declined to comment when he left.

An employee at Lawrence Municipal Airport said that Self and interim Athletic Director Drue Jennings were on a plane that landed at about 2:30 p.m. CDT.

Kansas received permission last week to speak with Self about replacing Roy Williams, who left to coach North Carolina.

ESPN.com and the Web sites for the Kansas City Star, the Lawrence Journal-World, and the News-Gazette of Champaign, Ill. -- all citing anonymous sources -- reported that Self accepted the job.

Kansas assistant athletic director Doug Vance declined to comment.

Self, 40, is 78-24 in three seasons at Illinois and led the team to the NCAA tournament each year, reaching the final eight in 2001.