BILL SELF SHOOTS DOWN REPORTS HE’LL LEAVE KANSAS FOR THE CHICAGO BULLS

Take a breath and maybe a chill pill, Kansas fans, because Bill Self is here to stay. Despite a report surfacing this week predicting the Hall of Fame coach would take over the Chicago Bulls head coaching position after this season as well as other speculation that he may be interested in taking the gig and leaving Lawrence, Self himself said this week that it is nothing but rumors.

“The Bulls thing is as far-fetched …” Self told the Kansas City Star on Monday. “I don’t know where that came from. I’ve never talked to anybody from the Bulls about any employment opportunities. They have a coach and I’m not a candidate for that position and will not be.”

Self’s name often pops up in the rumor mils around this time of year for obvious reasons. He’s a Hall of Fame coach, NBA teams are often in search for a replacement for the one they just fired and Self’s got a heck of a track record that would suggest he’d be a great fit if he ever decided to make the leap.

But with recent reports out of Lawrence that KU’s basketball program is under scrutiny by the NCAA and by the feds, the two probes related to the college basketball corruption scandal, it’s fair to wonder if Self is long for the job or perhaps looking for a parachute to avoid whatever may come of it all. Self says he is not.  The Star asked Self if his level of confidence that he’d be back at Kansas next season is at 100 percent, and Self didn’t go quite that far.

“I don’t think you can ever say that, because if they decide to go a different direction I guess I won’t be,” Self said. “So I can’t say 100 percent. But here’s what I can say. I’m certainly not at all motivated to be anywhere else than right here, especially during these times.”

He added that he wouldn’t run from an investigation into the program and that he looks forward to visiting with the NCAA related to the probe — a man apparently confident everything is clean.

All of this is good news for Jayhawks fans. In a season that’s been thrown off by injuries, departures and rulings of ineligibility by the NCAA to Silvio De Sousa, the bright side is that Self, who up until this season had coached KU to 14 consecutive Big 12 titles, doesn’t intend to leave his post anytime soon.