Illinois players, administration upset with move

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Nick Smith and his Illinois teammates tried to talk Bill Self out of moving. They tried to persuade him to stick around to win a national championship.

"We did our best to change his mind, but I guess we weren't persuasive enough," the sophomore center said Monday, two hours after Self was introduced as the new head coach at Kansas.

Now Smith and his teammates must get past their disappointment and look ahead to a new mentor, whoever it may be.

The university's athletic director, Ron Guenther, is not happy to be searching for a new coach for the second time in less than three years. Anger was one of the emotions he felt when Self told him Saturday night that he was leaving, he said.

"It's disappointing. When you make a commitment to get the job done, the right thing was for him to stay," Guenther said.

The search for Self's replacement will not last long. Guenther said he expects to hire a new coach within two weeks.

"I'm absolutely committed to get the best guy in here to get done what I think we can do, which is to compete at the highest level in the conference and to win a national title," he said.

At least one player -- Dee Brown, who led the Big Ten in assists as a freshman -- said the choice could determine whether he will return next season.

"Right now I'm 50-50," Brown said. "You really have to think about certain things, about the guy they bring in. You never know what could happen."

Guenther said he will look for someone who has integrity and will be a good fit for the team and the university.

Names that have come up include Marquette's Tom Crean, who led his team to the Final Four last month; Xavier coach Thad Matta, who's from nearby Hoopeston, Ill.; Notre Dame's Mike Brey and California's Ben Braun.

Guenther is not mentioning any names, but said he has a list of candidates. He will conduct the search on his own, he said.

Self took assistant coaches Norm Roberts and Tim Jankovich with him to Kansas, but assistant coach Wayne McClain will stay at Illinois.

"I look at this as a great day," said McClain, who turned down Self's offer to join him at Kansas. "Illinois is moving upward."