Kansas’ self gets lifetime deal
Kansas coach Bill Self agreed to terms on a new contract that will keep him with the Jayhawks until he retires, even though the school is awaiting a decision from an independent panel investigating five Level I infractions charges alleged by the NCAA.
Kansas said Friday that Self, who coached at Illinois in 2000-03, agreed to a five-year contract that adds one additional year after the conclusion of each season, making it, in effect, a lifetime contract. The deal guarantees him $5.41 million per year with a base salary of $225,000, a professional services contract of $2.75 million and an annual $2.435 million retention bonus.
Self, 58, was closing in on the end of a 10-year contract he signed in September 2012 that guaranteed him $52.2 million, along with a $7.2 million retention bonus. That bonus will be paid in $100,000 monthly installments over seven years.
‘‘There is no place I would rather be,’’ Self said in a statement. ‘‘As we continue to work through the challenges facing our program, we look forward to moving ahead and focusing on our bright future.’’
Some wondered whether Self, who has coached the Jayhawks since leaving Illinois, would depart before the university is dealt potentially severe sanctions tied to the FBI’s investigation of corruption into college basketball. The NCAA announced the five charges, along with less serious transgressions involving Kansas’ football program, in September 2019. The school disputed the charges, setting off a back-and-forth chain of events that still hasn’t been resolved.
The case is now in the hands of the NCAA’s new Independent Accountability Resolution Process. The IARP is made up of arbitrators who have broad investigative powers and whose judgement is considered final.
Self’s new contract includes a clause that says the school can’t terminate him for cause ‘‘due to any current infractions matter that involves conduct that occurred on or prior to’’ the signing of the new deal. Instead, he would forfeit half of his base salary and professional services pay while serving any suspension handed down by the Big 12 or NCAA.
jackson-davis returning to indiana
One week with new Indiana coach Mike Woodson convinced forward Trayce Jackson-Davis he wanted to stick around and help revive the program.
Less than a week after Woodson accepted the job at his alma mater, Jackson-Davis made the announcement Hoosiers fans had been waiting for: He’ll return for his senior season.
‘‘I want to get Indiana basketball back on track,’’ Jackson-Davis said. ‘‘That’s my goal; that’s why I came back. I believe in this tradition. I believe what we have here is something special. I want to be one of the reasons why. I don’t want to be someone who ran away when it was tough.
‘‘But really, all in all, I believe in coach Woodson and in the tradition of Indiana basketball. I know we can get it back.’’
Jackson-Davis averaged 19.1 points and nine rebounds this season, the only Power Five conference player to reach those numbers.
michigan’s livers has foot surgery
Michigan senior forward Isaiah Livers had surgery on his right foot at Methodist Sports Medicine Center in Carmel, Indiana. His recovery time is expected to be at least six months.
The Wolverines announced during the Big Ten Tournament that Livers had a stress injury in the foot, and he didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan made it to the Elite Eight before losing to UCLA.
Livers averaged 13.1 points and six rebounds in 23 games this season.
auburn’s cooper to enter draft
Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper said he plans to enter the NBA Draft in July and hire an agent, thereby giving up his remaining eligibility.
Cooper averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 12 games this season after being declared eligible by the NCAA. He is one of only seven NCAA players — including NBA stars Ja Morant and Trae Young — to average 20 points and eight assists in the last 25 years.