Bill Self Sends Strong Message on New Assistant Coach at Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks are three years removed from winning the men's NCAA championship, but they haven't had much success since, and they're looking to return to prominence.
Advertisement
This spring, they lost several players to the transfer portal, and they gained forward Tre White from Illinois and guard Jayden Dawson from Loyola Chicago.
They will also have a new assistant coach in Jacque Vaughn, a former NBA player who spent four seasons at Kansas in the mid-1990s. He has extensive experience as an NBA coach, most recently with the Brooklyn Nets.
Head coach Bill Self seemed happy with the addition of Vaughn during a recent press conference.
"He brings something to us that's different than what we've ever had before," Self said.
As a player at Kansas, Vaughn, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 9.6 points and 6.4 assists a game and shot 45.9% from the field and 38.3% from 3-point range. He was named the Big Eight Player of the Year during the 1995-96 season when he was a junior.
Advertisement
He had a 12-year playing career in the NBA, first with the Utah Jazz in the 1997-98 campaign after they made him the No. 27 pick in the 1997 draft. He eventually made his way to the San Antonio Spurs, where he won an NBA championship in 2007 alongside Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
After a couple of years as a Spurs assistant coach under Gregg Popovich, he became the head coach of the Orlando Magic in 2012. He had two separate stints as the Brooklyn Nets' head coach, and his second stint there ended when he was fired in February 2024.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn watches from the sideline at they take on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.David Butler II-Imagn Images
Vaughn will be replacing the retired Norm Roberts and will look to guide the Jayhawks past the second round of the men's NCAA Tournament for the first time since they won it all in 2022.
Advertisement
This past season, they lost in the first round to Arkansas by seven points.
Related: Top College Basketball Recruit Sends Strong Message After Visit With Duke
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
NBA All-Star Damian Lillard hired as GM at alma mater Weber State
Nine-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, who returned to the Portland Trail Blazers last month, announced on Saturday night a second, official position as general manager of the men's basketball program at his alma mater Weber State. Lillard, 35, made the announcement in Ogden, Utah, where he is hosting the Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic. "It's something that, my relationship with coach (Eric) Duft and this program means a lot to me, and seeing the success of the program means a lot to me," Lillard said those in attendance at Swenson Gym, according to the Standard-Examiner in Ogden. "I feel like I can do a lot to help the program be successful, to help the players even individually continue to grow their careers past college, that's something that I'm passionate about." The guard is expected to miss the 2025-26 NBA season as he recovers from a torn left Achilles tendon while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks on April 27 that knocked him out of the rest of the playoffs. The Bucks waived him after the season and he re-signed with the Trail Blazers for a reported three-year, $42 million contract. Weber State issued a news release on Saturday which said Lillard will work closely with the coaching staff and athletic department leadership "to provide insight, mentorship, and guidance, using his experience at the collegiate and professional levels to elevate the program." Portland selected Lillard with the sixth overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. The point guard averaged 24.5 points and shot 40.9 percent on 3-point attempts in 32 games (all starts) as a senior in the 2011-12 season, when he was a third-team All-American. Lillard averaged 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals while shooting 39 percent from long range in 104 games (98 starts) during a highly decorated four-year college career. He was the Big Sky Player of the Year twice. Lillard returned to Ogden and graduated in 2015. WSU retired his No. 1 jersey in 2017, and he was inducted into its athletics hall of fame in 2021 and the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame in 2022. "Once again, Damian Lillard exemplifies loyalty and commitment to his alma mater," WSU President Brad Mortensen said in the release. "We are so grateful for his continued leadership and example he sets for Wildcats past, present, and future." The nine-time All-Star and 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year has been selected All-NBA seven times. Lillard owns career averages of 25.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 900 regular-season contests with Portland (2012-23) and Milwaukee (2023-25). His 2,804 3-pointers rank fourth in NBA history and his 22,598 points rank eighth among active players. "Success doesn't come overnight, especially in today's ever-changing basketball landscape," Lillard said in the university's news release. "College athletics is constantly evolving, and building a strong program requires time, trust, and commitment. "I believe in what this program represents and the culture that continues to grow at Weber State," Lillard continued. "The support of our community is vital to the program's success, and I am committed to playing a greater role in that effort. This opportunity allows me to be even more involved in shaping the future of Weber State basketball." --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
New York Knicks' Deep Playoff Run Leads To Record Per-Game Revenue
This spring, the New York Knicks had their best playoff run in the past 25 years. The season didn't end as they would have liked, with the Knicks losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, the fan support brought back memories of the heyday of the mid- to-late 1990s, and the franchise benefited financially. In fact, the Knicks generated about $12.8 million in revenue per home game during the playoffs, the highest average in team history, according to Jamaal Lesane, chief operating officer of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., owner of the Knicks and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. He added that the Knicks set in-arena single-game merchandise sales records during the Conference Finals, too. Lesane spoke with analysts on Tuesday during MSG Sports Corp.'s fourth quarter earnings call. Victoria Mink, MSG Sports Corp.'s chief financial officer, said that the company had an average of about $5.8 million in direct operating expenses per game during the Knicks' postseason home games, as well as additional marketing and administrative costs. She also said the company expects 'to see the positive impact of the playoffs this season across our entire business in fiscal 2026,' which runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Lesane estimated that nearly half of the 775,000 new followers to Knicks' and Rangers' social media accounts this past season were added during the NBA playoffs and noted the postseason run should help the Knicks generate more revenue via premium hospitality sales and marketing partnerships. MSG Sports Corp. is raising ticket prices for Knicks games next season, while keeping prices for Rangers games the same as last season, While the Knicks had nine playoff home games this year, the most since they advanced to the NBA Finals in 1999, the Rangers missed the playoffs. As of Tuesday, about 90% of season ticket holders for the Knicks and Rangers had renewed their seats for this coming season. MSG Exec Says Franchises Are 'Scarce, Valuable Assets' During the call, LightShed Partners analyst Brandon Ross asked if MSG Sports Corp. planned on selling a minority stake in the Knicks or Rangers. Ross referred to Mark Walter agreeing to acquire a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that values the franchise at $10 billion and the owners of the Chicago Bears agreeing to acquire a 2% stake in the franchise in a deal that values the Bears at $8.8 billion. Lesane replied that there have been other recent transactions and early-stage talks 'that demonstrate that these (professional franchises) are scare, valuable assets.' He added that 'in the case of MSG Sports, we don't think that that value is appropriately reflected in our current stock price.' MSG Sports Corp.'s stock closed at $195.40 on Tuesday, down 3.5% from the day before and down 13.4% since the beginning of the year. MSG Sports Corp. has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, while Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., which owns Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and other venues, has a market cap of $1.9 billion. Forbes values the Knicks at $7.5 billion and the Rangers at $3.5 billion. 'We would never rule out the possibility of a minority stake sale,' Lesane said. 'But as I said, we also have nothing to report at this time.' Media Rights, Salary Caps Are Increasing In 2025-26 Seasons For the latest fiscal year, which coincided with the 2024-25 regular season and playoffs, MSG Sports Corp. generated just over $1 billion of revenue, a 1% increase from a year earlier, and $14.8 million of operating income, down from $146 million the previous year. Starting this coming season, the Knicks will benefit from the NBA's 11-year, $76 billion contract with ABC/ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video, representing a 160% increase from its previous deal. The NBA's 30 franchises get an equal share of that revenue and must pay out 50% of the revenue to players. At the same time, MSG Sports announced earlier this year that the Knicks and Rangers agreed to a 28% and 18% decrease, respectively, in local media rights revenue as part of MSG Networks' debt restructuring plan. As part of the deal, the teams' media rights contracts now expire at the end of the 2028-29 season. They were previously set to run through the 2034-35 season. Mink estimated MSG Sports Corp. will see a $24 million decrease in local media rights fees this season compared with last season, but she noted that the company expects to have an overall increase in media rights revenue due to the new national NBA media deal. She added that the NBA salary cap is increasing from $140.6 million to $154.6 million for the upcoming season, while the NHL salary cap is increasing from $88 million to $95.5 million. MSG Sports Corp. did not provide financial guidance for the next fiscal year, but Lesane said that 'we believe we are well-positioned to drive another year of growth.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Anthony Davis and LeBron James uploads same cryptic post on social media
Anthony Davis and LeBron James uploads same cryptic post on social media originally appeared on The Sporting News The internet has been buzzing on Tuesday when Anthony Davis and LeBron James reposted the same cryptic quote on their Instagram stories. During their time together playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis and James have become close friends. They often hung out off the court and would even spend time with each one's families when given the opportunity. However, there have been rumors that their bond has been broken ever since Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. At the last second before the trade deadline of the 2024-25 NBA season, the Mavericks and Lakers pulled off one of the biggest trades in league history. It was the first time two All-Star players were traded for each other in the middle of the regular season. Davis was sent to Dallas, while Los Angeles received Luka Doncic in return. Many claimed that everyone involved was blindsided by the jaw-dropping trade, including James. When Davis asked his longtime Lakers teammate if he was aware of Rob Pelinka's decision, James claimed he was left in the shadows. Despite their interaction, there were reports that Davis wasn't convinced of his former teammate's claims. As the season carried on, there were moments when Davis and James acted snobbish towards each other whenever the Mavericks would face off against the Lakers. Their friendship appeared strained and didn't seem as close as they once were. Fast forward to the present day, and it seems their friendship might be over. An X post went viral on social media on Tuesday. The post featured a couple of screenshots from Davis and James' Instagram stories. Both stars reposted the same quote, which reads: "Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes" Social media went into a frenzy and immediately thought of the worst possible outcome. Both stars made it seem like they've moved on from each other. However, readers should take this with a grain of salt. As of this writing, neither of the two stars has confirmed whether or not they've cut ties with each one.
