Basketball Statistics Blog

Books Review: December 2008 eBA Best Seller

BILL SELF: At Home in the Phog
By: Bill Self with John Rohde

The 2007-2008 Kansas Jayhawks capped off one of the program's most storied seasons by winning its fifth national championship, and first in 20 years. The Jayhawks success in 2007-2008 has been credited to total team effort and the inspiring leadership of head coach Bill Self.

During his relatively short head coaching career, Self has established himself as one of college basketball's best by leading Oral Roberts to new frontiers, guiding Tulsa to its best season in school history, turning Illinois into a Big Ten powerhouse and now taking Kansas from a perennially great program to the best in the nation.

In Bill Self's first authorized book: BILL SELF: At Home in the Phog, Self and those who know him best offer an inside look at his journey into becoming one of the game's most respected and most sought-after coaches. Self explains how he is living a dream - not only is he a head coach, but he was selected to be the steward of what James Naismith and Phog Allen created. He describes the excitement of reaching the pinnacle - leading the Jayhawks to a national title.

He gives minute-by-minute details of the contest that sent KU to the national title game. Self has achieved his dream of becoming a head coach. That much is evident. Even though he never dreamed of being the head coach at the University of Kansas, he did aspire to lead a college basketball team to greatness, which is exactly what he is doing. Self's journey proves that even though dreams may change, they can come true.

About the Author
In the storied history of Kansas basketball, no coach has a higher career winning percentage at the school than Bill Self. In 2008,
in his first trip to the Final Four, Self claimed the national title. He now boasts a 142-32 (.816) record in five years at Kansas and a 349-137 (.718) mark in 15 seasons as a Division I coach.

Self has been to 10 straight NCAA tournaments and advanced to the Elite Eight five times in that span, while directing three different programs. His Kansas teams have won four straight Big 12 regular-season titles and three straight Big 12 Tournament crowns.
In the decade leading up to the national championship, Self has finished first eight times in three different leagues.

The other two seasons, his teams finished as conference runner-up. A former player (1981-1985) and assistant coach (1986-1993) at Oklahoma State, Self was head coach at Oral Roberts (1993-1997), Tulsa (1997-2000) and Illinois (2000-2003) before arriving at Kansas
in April 2003. Self and wife Cindy have a daughter, Lauren, and son, Tyler.


Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Ascend Media; 1 edition (October 10, 2008)
Language: English

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