BonnerSprings.com

Kansas Jayhawk fans, including myself, are still reveling over the national championship recently won by the Jayhawks. More than 100,000 people came Sunday to Lawrence to see the Jayhawks parade. An estimated 10,000 stayed around to listen to speeches by dignitaries at the annual basketball awards banquet afterward. When the Jayhawks returned home from San Antonio, an estimated 25,000 fans greeted the team at Memorial Stadium.

The luster of the championship week was dampened a little bit by the possibility that Coach Bill Self was going to Oklahoma State. Self latter squashed this story by stating he was staying at Kansas and planned to be there for years to come. One thing gained by the Oklahoma story was Coach Self negotiating with Athletic Director Lew Perkins. Kansas will have several improved facilities that include a state-of-the-art practice facility. No salary has been mentioned, but KU's chancellor stated Self's salary would be comparable with those of the highest paid coaches in the country.

I was fortunate to see KU's first two national championship games in 1952 and 1988 but had to just listen to the game in 2008. In my opinion, this was the best Kansas team in history. Bill Self has the highest winning percentage of any Kansas coach, at 71.6 percent. He'd led his team to five Big 12 Conference championships, four Big 12 Tournament championships, the Elite Eight three times and capped it all off with this year's Final Four and national championship.

I can recall Clyde Lovellette coming to Kansas recruited by Coach Phog Allen, and Lovellette was the first big man to enroll at Kansas University. Coach Allen had his work cut out because Lovellette wasn't one of the better-coordinated players. Allen immediately put Lovellette on a rope-jumping agenda and the big guy went on to being named Most Outstanding Player of the 1952 team that won the national championship. Lovellette was also named the basketball player of the year.

Wilt Chamberlain became the next big man at Kansas, leading the Jayhawks to the championship game in 1957 that was won by North Carolina in three overtimes.

The next championship team I got to see play was in 1988 with "Danny and the Miracles," which sound like a musical group, and in a way they did make music on the hardwood. Manning led the team to the title and was MOP of the tournament.

This 2008 team with great success did it with a well-balanced lineup and a tenacious defense. Mario Chalmers was the hero of the tournament and was named MOP. Chalmers joins an elite group of Lovellette, Chamberlain, BH Born, and Danny Manning in being the MOP.

Bill Self will have to go down as one of the better coaches, if not the best ever, at Kansas University. Hopefully, the university will name the new practice facility in his honor.

My great granddaughter, Haley Hoffine, enjoyed her day in the festivities by getting to meet and talk with Bill Self's daughter.

The Jayhawks staff will now be busy on the recruiting trail as they have some big shoes to fill for next year, with possibly three players passing up their senior year to go into the NBA. Coach Self already has commitments for six players, including two from the junior college ranks. Believe it: Self will have a competitive team.

I stated in a previous column that to win the national championship you needed a quality coach, quality players to play good defense and some lady luck. If you recall the Davidson game that Kansas won by one point, a Davidson player made what appeared a three-point shot but on instant replay it was deemed a two-pointer and that was the one point. The Jayhawks were not lucky to defeat Davidson; again it took good defense and they got a good game from freshman Cole Aldrich.

I have never enjoyed a game as much as the championship game, although I had to listen to it and I only needed one or two Valiums in getting the victory. Again, congratulations to Bill Self and his Jayhawks.

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