Illini Sports Blog

Bill Self was in town Friday for the reunion

But he was the man of the hour here Friday night, arriving at Bielfeldt with jeans and several days growth of beard, and fitting seamlessly into the crowd like he always does.

"He gets personal with his people, and he takes over every room he enters," said UI recruiter Jerrance Howard, a squad member on Self's 2001 and 2002 Big Ten champions. Counting those two, Self has won conference championships in 11 of the last 13 years at Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas.

"He was able to manage different personalities," said Robert Archibald, who played little in two previous years under Kruger but came of age under Self.

Tate

Filed under: Illini Basketball
Follow IllinoisLoyalty on Twitter