SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Kansas men’s basketball head coach Bill Self is a first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the ‘Hoop Hall’ announced Wednesday – the 125th Birthday of Basketball.

“I consider this an honor to be nominated,” Self said after hearing the news. “I certainly didn’t expect this. I’m proud, mainly because of the teams’ successes we’ve had in the various stops that put me in a position to be considered.”

A press conference announcing the finalists for the Class of 2017 will be held at NBA All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 18th in New Orleans, Louisiana. The entire Class of 2017, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled on Monday, April 3rd at the NCAA Final Four in Glendale, Arizona.

In 24 seasons as a head coach, Self has posted a 602-189 record. Earlier this season, he won his 600th game on Dec. 6, 2016, becoming the ninth-fastest coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 600 victories. He is 395-84 in his 14th season at Kansas and his 82.5 winning percentage with the Jayhawks ranks first among the eight KU coaches in the tradition-rich program.

A four-time national coach of the year, Self has guided his teams to 16 of a possible 19 regular-season conference titles, finishing second in two of those non-title seasons and third in the other. Included is Kansas’ current string of 12-straight Big 12 titles, beginning in the 2004-05 season, which ranks second on the NCAA consecutive conference title list. KU’s run is one behind record holder UCLA’s 13 straight from 1967-79, which was under two coaches. Also in his career, Self’s teams have also won eight league tournament titles, including seven at Kansas.

Self, who has guided his teams to 18-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, has led his squads to two Finals Fours, winning the 2008 title while at Kansas in the only Final Four that all four No. 1 seeds reached the elite event. Eleven times his teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with eight appearances in the Elite Eight.

A six-time conference coach of the year, Self has posted eight 30-win seasons, which ties for third in NCAA history. KU’s four-straight 30-win seasons from 2009-10 to 2012-13 are the most consecutive 30-win seasons in NCAA history.

At Kansas, Self has won more conference titles (12) than lost home games (9) as he is 212-9 (95.9 percent) inside historic Allen Fieldhouse. While at KU, Self has coached 57 all-conference performers and 31 Academic All-Big 12 honorees, which is more than any other league school.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football head coach David Beaty Tuesday announced the promotion of Garrett Riley to an on-field assistant coaching position, where he will mentor the KU quarterbacks. Riley, who joined the KU staff in the spring of 2016, spent the past season as an offensive analyst for the Jayhawks. Riley replaces Rob Likens as one of KU’s nine full-time assistant coaches; Likens has departed Kansas for a position at Arizona State.

“Garrett has been a tremendous asset to our program since the day he set foot on campus,” said Beaty, who is entering his third year at the helm of the Jayhawk program. “Having played under Mike Leach at Texas Tech and worked closely with his brother, Lincoln Riley, during his time at East Carolina, Garrett has had his hand in some high-powered offenses. His extensive knowledge of the Air Raid offense has been invaluable as we implemented it to our team, and I am looking forward to him having an even greater impact in his new role.”

Riley joined the Kansas staff after spending the 2015 season as the outside receivers coach at East Carolina. During his time coaching the ECU outside receivers, Riley mentored Zay Jones, one of the most decorated receivers in NCAA history. Jones recently became the all-time NCAA FBS career receptions leader with 399 catches.

Riley was on the staff at ECU for three seasons, his first two as an offensive assistant working alongside Lincoln Riley, who is wrapping up his second season as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. As an offensive assistant, he worked primarily with the quarterback position, while coordinating the defensive scout team and conducting video analysis. During his time working with the ECU quarterbacks, Riley assisted Shane Carden, who became the school’s all-time leader in passing yards (11,991) and passing touchdowns (86). Carden was named the 2014 American Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Riley earned his first collegiate position in 2012 as running backs coach at Augustana (Ill.) College, helping rebuild a Vikings program that was 2-8 a year earlier into a 5-5 squad that improved its rushing total by 500 yards. Prior to his year at Augustana, he spent the 2011 season as a quarterbacks and passing game assistant, where he helped Lubbock’s (Texas) Roosevelt High School set four school quarterback and five receiving records in 2011.

Riley earned a bachelor’s degree in general business from Texas Tech in 2012 and was a quarterback on the Red Raiders’ roster during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. As a quarterback at Texas Tech, Riley was directly mentored by Leach, who was not only the head coach, but also Riley’s position coach. During his time at TTU, the Red Raiders registered 20 wins and pair of bowl appearances. He transferred to Stephen F. Austin in 2010 and helped the Lumberjacks to a Southland Conference title and a No. 1 FCS rank in both passing and total offense.

Likens joined the Kansas program in January 2015 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as Beaty was formulating his initial KU coaching staff.

“We appreciate Rob’s many contributions as part of the Jayhawk family,” said Beaty. “We wish him every success as he moves forward to this new chapter of his career.”

— KU Athletics —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It took Carlton Bragg Jr. about 20 minutes to knock the rust off.

Took about the same amount of time for Kansas.

Playing for the first time in a week, the third-ranked Jayhawks were sluggish in falling behind pesky Davidson on Saturday night. But they dominated in the paint in the second half, began getting into transition and ran away from the Wildcats for an 89-71 victory at Sprint Center.

Josh Jackson and Frank Mason III led the way with 18 points apiece, but Bragg added seven points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes in his return from a brief suspension.

“He didn’t really play well in the first half,” Mason said, “but we told him in the locker room, `Stay aggressive, stay confident,’ and that’s what he did. I was happy to have him back out here.”

Bragg had been suspended following his arrest on suspicion of battery, but the misdemeanor charge was dismissed this week after video evidence surfaced that showed him acting in self-defense. The woman who had accused the sophomore forward of shoving her has been charged instead.

“I thought Carlton played well,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Svi Mykhailiuk also had 13 points for the Jayhawks (10-1), who extended their nation-leading home winning streak to 49 games. Kansas considered the matchup with the Wildcats (5-4) a home game even though it was played just down the road from its campus in Lawrence.

It was the Jayhawks’ eighth straight win in the building, including the Big 12 Tournament last season and the CBE Classic a few weeks ago. It’s also the same building where they will not only contest the league tournament in March but hope to land in the NCAA Tournament with a spot in the Final Four on the line.

Peyton Aldridge hit five 3s and had 22 points to lead the Wildcats, while Jack Gibbs — the nation’s fourth-leading scorer coming into the game — had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

“We had a great opportunity in front of us and for about 25 minutes I thought we handled it very well,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said, “and then I think the statistics bear out they just annihilated us in the paint, and they annihilated us in transition.”

Davidson spoiled the holidays for the Jayhawks nearly five years ago to the day when it rolled into the same building and upset a team that would reach the Final Four. And just like that night, the Wildcats relied on superior toughness and a bevy of 3-pointers to cause all kinds of problems Saturday night.

Davidson hit seven 3s in the first half alone, taking a 43-42 lead into the locker room. The only other time the Jayhawks have trailed at the break this season came in a win over Duke.

Kansas was 0 for 8 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Wildcats extended their lead to five early in the second half before Jackson finally hit from the perimeter. Mason added another 3-pointer, and the Jayhawks clawed their way back in the game.

It was 58-all with just over 11 minutes left when Landen Lucas converted an alley-oop dunk, triggering a 10-2 run that allowed Kansas to seize control. Mykhailiuk hit a 3-pointer during the run, and Bragg Jr. hit a bunch of free throws to cap it.

Kansas later pushed the decisive charge to 20-4 as it wrapped up its 10th straight win.

“They’re a team that really moves a lot on offense, set a lot of screens. It was kind of hard to keep up with our man out there,” Jackson said, “but I think we made a couple — What am I trying to stay? — we made a couple of adjustments on defense that really helped us out.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Kansas had a 48-22 advantage in the paint, including a 23-9 edge on second-chance points. … The Jayhawks scored 16 points off turnovers. Davidson managed two. … The Wildcats wrapped up a stretch of seven of eight games away from home. … Aldridge needs four more points for 1,000 for his career./

BIC PICTURE

Davidson finally gets a break in the schedule. The Wildcats lost to fifth-ranked North Carolina their last time out, the first time they’ve played back-to-back games against Top 5 opponents since 2008.

Kansas showed that it could overcome a lethargic outing to win a game. The Jayhawks have barely been challenged since their win over Duke on Nov. 15 in New York.

UP NEXT

Davidson plays Jacksonville on Wednesday night in its first home game since Nov. 26.

Kansas visits UNLV on Thursday night in its last game before Big 12 play.

— Associated Press —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Authorities have dismissed a battery charge against Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr. and charged the woman who accused him of shoving her into a stairwell.

Bragg, a 20-year-old sophomore, was suspended indefinitely from the Kansas basketball team after he was arrested Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he’ll be reinstated.

The Douglas County district attorney’s office said Wednesday in a release that charge was dismissed after law enforcement reviewed surveillance video.

That video showed that before a man “forcefully” shoved a woman away from him and caused her to fall backward into an ascending staircase, the woman shoved, slapped and struck the man and put her hands around his neck.

The DA’s office says Saleeha Soofi faces one count of battery. It’s unclear whether she has a lawyer.

Kansas head coach Bill Self says Bragg is no longer suspended from the team, and that “I’m proud of the way Carlton has handled this situation, considering all the negative publicity he has received both locally and nationally.  He knew all the facts and knew that he needed to refrain from comment while the investigation took place. We’re glad this situation is resolved.”

Bragg himself said that “This has been a difficult and humiliating experience for me, and I’m glad it’s over. I appreciate the authorities taking the time to get this right. I also appreciate the support of my teammates and coaches, and I’m glad I can put this behind me and move forward.”

— Associated Press —

University of Kansas head football coach David Beaty has signed a two-year extension that takes him through the 2021 season. The extension elevates his guaranteed annual income to $1.6 million the first year, increasing by $100,000 in each succeeding year.

“This shows our appreciation for Coach Beaty, his staff and our players,” said KU Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger. “I have enjoyed watching their progress during this season. We want to capitalize on the momentum we all saw as the season came to a close. This reflects our belief in Coach Beaty’s leadership, and the energy and enthusiasm that we see every day from him and his players.”

The extension includes additional incentive payments for achievements including conference championships, bowl victories and coach-of-the-year honors.

Beaty last month completed his second season as KU’s head coach with a compensation package worth $800,000 per year.

“I am appreciative of Dr. Zenger and our administration’s show of support,” said Beaty. “He and his staff have gone above and beyond to give us everything we need to build our program. Our staff and players have worked diligently to lay a strong foundation for the years to come. While we have certainly made some progress, we still have work to do to get to where we ultimately want to be and we look forward to continuing to take on that challenge. I am excited about the future of this program and am very honored to be the man leading it.”

— KU Athletics —

IRVING, Texas – Kansas senior guard Frank Mason III has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week as voted on by a media panel which covers the league, the conference announced Monday. Mason is receiving the honor for the second time in 2016-17, as he also earned the accolade Nov. 16.

In two Kansas victories last week, Mason averaged 24.0 points, including a career-high-tying 30 points in Kansas’ 105-62 win against UMKC (12/6). The Petersburg, Virginia, guard led KU with 18 points in the 89-72 win versus Nebraska (12/10). For the week, Mason had 12 assists with no turnovers and shot 69.6 percent from the floor, including 72.7 percent from 3-point range.

Mason has led Kansas in scoring in eight of 10 games this season and ranks second in the Big 12 with 20.8 points per game. He also ranks among the Big 12 leaders in 3-point field goal percentage (second at .548), assists (third at 5.5), field goal percentage (fourth at .587) and 3-pointers made (fourth at 2.3).

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball brought its most complete team effort to the hardwood, as sharp shooting and stifling defense were the perfect combination to deliver a 72-36 victory over Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Strong offensive and defensive efforts along with career-high performance from sophomore Kylee Kopatich were the key ingredients to cook up Brandon Schneider’s largest margin of victory at the helm of KU women’s basketball. Kopatich netted a career-best 19 points on 47 percent shooting, while also swiping five steals to lead the Kansas’ effort on both sides of the floor.

Defensively, Kansas (4-5) held Rhode Island (4-7) to just 36 points, marking the first time KU held an opponent to under 40 points since upsetting Cal, who netted just 39 points, in 2014. The Jayhawks also held the Rams to just 29 percent shooting from the floor, while KU had no such trouble shooting after converting 41.3 percent of its attempts.

Redshirt junior guard Jessica Washington and senior guard Timeka O’Neal rounded out the trio of Jayhawks to net double figures with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Washington contributed eight of her 17 points from the free throw line. Additionally, O’Neal launched exclusively from the three-point line, draining four of her season-high eight attempts. On the boards, junior forward Chayla Cheadle grabbed 10 rebounds, marking her second double-digit rebounding effort in three games.

Junior guard Charise Wilson led the Rams with 12 points, Rhode Island’s only double-digit scorer of the afternoon. Coming into the matchup, Wilson averaged 17 points per game and the Jayhawks held the scorer to 12 points behind 5-of-20 shooting.

A slow start from the Jayhawks gave Rhode Island an early advantage after the first 10 minutes of play. Kansas shot just 17 percent from the floor, as Washington netted all six of KU’s points in the opening period. The Rams connected on just 20 percent of its shot attempts and took a 7-6 lead into the second quarter.

Rhode Island hit a quick 3-pointer on its first possession in the second quarter to extend its lead to 10-6. From that point on, the second period belonged to Kansas, who outscored Rhode Island 30-7.  Kopatich poured in 13 points with the help of 3-of-6 shooting behind the arc. Joining Kopatich in Kansas’ 3-point barrage were O’Neal and Washington, who helped the Jayhawks shoot a combined 6-of-11 (55 percent) from the 3-point line in the second quarter.

Kansas played unselfish, disciplined basketball in the second quarter, recording nine assists to just one turnover. On the defensive side of the ball, Kansas held the old adage true about missing all the shots you don’t take, limiting Rhode Island to only eight field goal attempts. At the half, Kansas led Rhode Island 36-17.

Kansas continued corralling the Rams in the third quarter, limiting Rhode Island to 36 percent shooting and expanding its lead by five. Through the first five minutes of the third quarter, Rhode Island only managed to add three points to the scoreboard. Though the Rams were able to score eight more points before the buzzer, they were still outpaced by the Jayhawks, who dropped 18 points in the third quarter. O’Neal knocked down both of her 3-point attempts to lead Kansas in third-quarter scoring with six points. The Jayhawks hit 44 percent of their shots and entered the final stanza with a 54-30 lead.

The Jayhawks protected their 24-point lead by imposing a methodical pace on the fourth quarter, switching from their full-court pressure to their half-court defense. While the Rams were held to single-digit scoring, the Jayhawks recorded their third-straight set with 18 or more points, as Kansas ran away with a 72-36 victory.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks continue their five-game homestand with Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 12 p.m.

— KU Athletics —

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr. has been arrested on suspicion of domestic battery.

The 20-year-old sophomore from Cleveland was taken into custody Thursday and accused of causing “reckless bodily harm to a family member,” according to booking records. His case was forwarded to the Douglas County prosecutor but no charges had been filed as of Friday morning.

Kansas associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said the school is aware of the situation and was still gathering facts. It is unclear whether Bragg will play Saturday against Nebraska.

Bragg has appeared in all nine games with five starts for the third-ranked Jayhawks this season, and is averaging 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16 minutes.

— Associated Press —