A Little Dap For Bill Self

It's pretty incredible that a guy who owns a career winning percentage of .717 and has taken 3 separate schools to a total of 5 regional finals would need any dap, but lets just say that back to back first round losses to Bucknell and Bradley a couple of years ago really put a dent in Bill Self's national reputation as a gameday coach. College basketball fans have pretty much just treated as fact that Self is a coach who won games on the strength of the talent of his squads and in spite of his game planning and bench coaching.

You know what though? I thought Self did a terrific job as a bench coach today in the Jayhawks hard fought win over Davidson to clinch a berth in the Final Four. He had a myriad of defensive schemes that frustrated Stephen Curry as much as anyone has in months - going from a straight man to man to a box and one and back on alternating possessions at one point, never quite letting the quicksilver Davidson guard get comfortable (yes, Curry had 25 points ... but it took him 25 shots to get there). When it became apparent that Russell Robinson was just having a terrible night, he boldly sat the "heart" of the Jayhawks on the bench down the stretch and put the game in Sherron Collins hands - and Collins rewarded him with the 3 pointer that gave Kansas the lead for good as well as fantastic help defense on the final possession that made Curry give up the ball before attempting a game winning shot.

It wasn't pretty for the Jayhawks, in large part because Brandon Rush couldn't throw the ball in the ocean from a rowboat and because Davidson played yet another fantastic game, but Self put his guys in position to make plays and had a terrific defensive game plan. Since we'll probably get a week of Final Four previews all over the national media where the Jayhawks "weaknesses" sections will include potshots at Self's coaching skill, here's a bit of dap from the Fanhouse for Self. Good job today, and enjoy your trip to San Antonio.