There remains a slim possibility that the Kansas basketball team could bring home a national trophy after all.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches _ a membership of nearly 5,000 coaches with its office stationed in Kansas City, Missouri _ has not determined yet whether or how it will recognize teams following the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament, an NABC source told The Star.
The NABC's Board of Directors has set a conference call for Monday, the source said, to discuss the topic.
What comes from that conversation could potentially have ramifications for KU in particular.
Coach Bill Self, whose team finished 28-3 while No. 1 in both major polls, has been looking for a way to "memorialize" this year's Jayhawks while still embracing the reality that the NCAA Tournament did not take place because of concerns related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The NABC could help quite a bit if it chose to give its trophy _ a Waterford Crystal basketball typically awarded to the winning team and coach following the national championship game _ to KU because of its in-season dominance.
However remote the possibility, it seems like KU's only chance at a national team award. The NCAA will not be handing out its plaque with no NCAA Tournament being played, though the NABC _ because it is not directly affiliated with the NCAA _ could choose to alter its rules with these unique circumstances.
KU earning some sort of NABC national distinction also could give the program a potential avenue to hang a banner to honor this year's team.
The NABC lists 31 total people on its Board of Directors, including president Mike Brey (Notre Dame), 1st president Jamie Dixon (TCU), 2nd vice president Gary Stewart (Stevenson), 3rd vice president Lennie Acuff (Lipscomb) and 4th vice president John Calipari (Kentucky). Other notable coaches on the board include Frank Martin (South Carolina), Bob Huggins (West Virginia) and Cuonzo Martin (Missouri).
Self was asked Monday if he thought the team that topped postseason polls should be declared 2020 national champion.
"This would be the one particular year I'm all for it, without question, but I don't even put any wishful thinking into that because that is not the way this is all intended to be," Self said. The coach later noted that if KU was declared a national champion because of polls that there'd be a "huge asterisk."
The NABC was founded in 1927 by former KU coach Phog Allen, who fought back against a rule change that essentially eliminated the dribble. Allen organized a nationwide protest among coaches and the dribble remained part of the game. The NABC was the result of that movement.
Self was president of the NABC from 2017-18.
