Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self and redshirt-junior Jalen Wilson have been named Naismith Men’s College Basketball semifinalists with Self for coach of the year and Wilson for player of the year the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday.
Kansas’ Bill Self Named a Naismith College Coach of the Year Semifinalist
ATLANTA – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday.
Joining Self on the semifinalist list is Shaka Smart (Marquette), Jerome Tang (Kansas State), Matt Painter (Purdue), Chris Collins (Northwestern), Rodney Terry (Texas), Kelvin Sampson (Houston), Mick Cronin (UCLA), Dusty May (Florida Atlantic) and Jeff Capel (Pittsburgh).
In his 20th season at Kansas, Self guided the Jayhawks to the 2022-23 Big 12 regular-season title in what most everyone considers the toughest conference in the nation. Currently ranked No. 3 nationally, Kansas is 26-6 overall and won the league title with a 13-5 record. KU has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 for the last 37 weeks, including every poll of the 2022-23 season. Kansas’ NET Strength of Schedule is No. 1 nationally and its 16 Quadrant 1 wins are four more than any other school with Texas second at 12.
Kansas’ Big 12 title is the 17th for Self in his 20 seasons at KU. A four-time National Coach of the Year, including the 2012 Naismith Coach of the Year Award , Self is 582-130 while at Kansas, just eight wins from passing KU legend Dr. F.C. “Phog” Allen for first on the Kansas all-time wins list. Allen amassed 590 wins while on the Kansas sidelines for 39 seasons (1907-09; 1919-56).
Self has guided Kansas to four Final Fours capturing two NCAA National titles in 2008 and 2022. Since 2003-04, Self’s first season at Kansas, the Jayhawks have been a No. 1 seed nine times, which is more than any other school, and its average seed is 2.00, which is also the best among teams that advanced to each of the last 18 tournaments.
Overall, Self ranks tied for third on the all-time active coaches wins list with a 789-235 record in 30 seasons. He trails Bob Huggins (935), Cliff Ellis (828) and is tied with John Calipari (789).
Four finalists for the Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year will be announced Monday, March 20 and the winner will be named on Sunday, April 2 during the Men’s Final Four. Self has been a Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year finalist seven times with his last in 2017.
Kansas’ Jalen Wilson Named a Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Semifinalist
ATLANTA – Kansas redshirt-junior Jalen Wilson has been named one-of-10 semifinalists for the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Friday. Wilson is looking to become the third Jayhawk to win the Naismith Trophy joining Danny Manning (1988) and Frank Mason III (2017).
Joining Wilson as semifinalists are Zach Edey (Purdue), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Jamie Jaquez Jr. (UCLA), Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Brandon Miller (Alabama), Marcus Sasser (Houston), Drew Timme (Gonzaga) and Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona).
The unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team selection, Wilson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.8 points per game, which is 29th nationally. Wilson has two 30-point performances and 18 games of 20 or more points scored this season.
The Denton, Texas, forward also leads the Big 12 in rebounds per game at 8.4 rpg and in double-doubles with 11. On March 7, Wilson was named All-America First Team by The Sporting News, which is one of the four entities the NCAA uses to determine Consensus All-America.
On nearly every national player of the year watch list, Wilson ranks tied for 28th on the Kansas career scoring list, currently at 1,386 points, and his 775 career rebounds are 14th on the KU list. Wilson’s 27 career double-doubles are ninth on the KU all-time list.
The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year’s four finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 21. The Fan Vote to help narrow the list down to the final honoree will open Tuesday, March 21, and close Tuesday, March 28. The fan vote will account for five percent of the overall final vote. The 2023 Naismith Trophy for Men’s Player of the Year will be awarded on Sunday, April 2 during the Men’s Final Four.
Jalen Wilson 2022-23 Honors
Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Finalist (1 of 5)
The Sporting News All-America First Team
Big 12 Player of the Year (unanimous selection)
All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous selection)
Wooden Award Final Ballot (1 of 15)
Oscar Robertson Trophy Late Season Watch List (1 of 15)
Naismith Trophy Midseason Team (1 of 30)
Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 10
Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List
The Sporting News Midseason All-America First Team
Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 50)
Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List
Big 12 Player of the Week (12.5.22)
Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team
Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List
Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List (1 of 50)
The Sporting News Preseason All-America Second Team
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List
NABC Division I Player of the Year Watch List (1 of 20)
