Banner? What banner? KU’s Bill Self learns of historic gesture after win vs. Oakland

Bill Self exited the Allen Fieldhouse interview room after a 10-minute postgame session with the media and, after chatting with a couple fans, walked 3/4 of the way through the building’s northwest tunnel, his eyes focused on a banner in the south rafters — a banner signifying his passing Phog Allen as KU’s all-time winningest coach.

“That is a big banner,” Self, KU’s 22nd-year coach, exclaimed Saturday night of a banner that reads: “Bill Self, Kansas basketball, all-time winningest coach.”

Self, it turns out, even a half hour after Saturday’s 78-57 home victory over Oakland, had no idea the banner had been unfurled by KU officials with about three minutes left before pregame introductions of the starting lineups.

The banner was dropped immediately following the playing of a video in which chancellor Douglas Girod and athletic director Travis Goff congratulated Self on claiming his 591st victory on Tuesday against Michigan State, one more than Phog Allen’s 590 wins attained in 39 seasons in Lawrence.

“That’s great. I didn’t know they were doing that. I swear I had no idea,” stated Self, who said he first learned of a banner ceremony upon fielding a question from a KC Star reporter in the interview room.

“We lose two in a row (and) people will be wanting to take that dang thing down,” he joked, referring to the banner located below the jersey numbers of former KU greats Jacque Vaughn and Danny Manning.

Self it turns out was so focused on coaching KU’s fourth victory in as many tries that he was unaware that 15,300 fans cheered wildly as the banner was dropped in his honor.

Self made his first appearance on James Naismith Court to shake hands with the Oakland coaching staff about a minute and a half before introductions, well after the banner ceremony.

The banner banter made for a different type of postgame interview session Saturday. Self insisted he was unaware of the banner and also not aware a KU inbounds play that resulted in a Rylan Griffen 3 at the halftime buzzer appeared to be a copycat play of one the Kansas City Chiefs ran last season against the Raiders.

“Gurley (Greg, radio color announcer) called it ‘Ring Around the Rosie,’” Self said with a smile. “(Gurley) said, ‘You stole that from Andy Reid.’ I said, ‘No I didn’t.’”

KU’s version of ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ involved four players running in a circle just in front of the basket on an inbounds play. Griffen broke free, then received a pass from inbounder Zeke Mayo in the corner.

Griffen, who scored 11 points, swished the 3 right before the buzzer to give KU a 46-24 advantage at the half.

“We had everybody just move and move and move. When Rylan was getting ready to pop (from the circle to the corner) everybody screens for Rylan. It worked out pretty well. He made a great shot,” Self added.

Asked in the interview room if he or somebody on KU’s staff indeed stole the play from the Chiefs, Self said: “Does (Chiefs) football really run a ‘Ring Around the Rosie,’ for real? They did? I stole it from Andy,” he laughed.

Griffen was 3-of-4 from 3 on a night his teammates went 5-of-16.

AJ Storr scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting (2-of-3 from 3), while KJ Adams had 12 points, Hunter Dickinson 10 points and nine rebounds and Flory Bidunga nine points, four rebounds and a block.

“I played too many guys. That’s going to quit, but I do think there’s a core nine we can put out there that’s pretty interchangeable,” Self said.

In all, 11 Jayhawks played 4 1/2 or more minutes.

“Juan (Harris, six assists, four steals, two points) had his best game defensively from activity and stuff. AJ shot the ball well. It was good for him to see the ball go in the basket,” Self said.

KU hit 57.1% of its shots to 1-3 Oakland’s 43.6%. Oakland was 6-of-22 from 3. KU had 24 assists to eight turnovers and Oakland 12 assists, 12 turnovers. KU will next meet UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Allen Fieldhouse.

You can bet Self’s banner will remain in the rafters for a second straight game.

“I didn’t say anything to (Self), but we definitely saw the banner,” Storr, a transfer from Wisconsin, said with a smile.

“We definitely saw it. It’s good to be part of history for sure,” noted senior guard Shak Moore, who had two points in five minutes in his season debut.