Jack's Smack: Bill Self deserves to be Big 12 coach of the year

There's still there weeks left in the Big 12 regular season, but I’ve seen enough to go ahead and give Bill Self the coach of the year award right now.

Wait a minute, I’m not conceding another league championship to Kansas. Not yet.

I want to see how that plays out on the 25th. You know where my allegiance, lies. That hasn't changed.

Now, back to KU:

The real transformation for this team took place 10 days ago in Columbia, when Jeff Withey was held scoreless and rendered useless in KU's loss to Missouri. Wake up call? You think?

It's as if Self went out and signed this giant of a man, like adding a free agent a month before tournament time.

Self is really good. We all know that, but consider this.

He takes a beating this past year on the recruiting trail.

He loses Brad Beal to Florida, LeBryan Nash to Oklahoma State, DeAndre Daniels to UConn, Trevor Lacey to Alabama and Josiah Turner to Arizona. That’s his top 5 recruits.

Plus, those other 3 guys he grabbed at the last minute failed to quality.

Nobody could believe in the pre-season that KU was picked to share first place with Texas A&M.

Have you checked on A&M lately? That team is next to last place -- 12 losses.

Then you consider Self's best player coming off the bench is a walk-on for cryin’ out loud.

He loses four starters from last year and has already won 20 games.

Three of 5 losses to No. 1 Kentucky, No. 3 Missouri, No. 5 Duke.

That is incredible -- playing one of the toughest schedules out there.

Some say Frank Haith is more deserving of coach of the year honors.

Let’s have a little fun here. Lets imagine Self and Haith are at a poker table, playing 5-card draw, okay?

Haith is dealt an ace-high straight. (In other words, he’s got all those seniors he inherited.)

Self is sitting there and he doesn't even have a pair. A 2, 3, 4, 5 of hearts and a 10 of clubs.

He gets rid of the 10 and the card his draws? It is an ace of hearts.

He is a straight flush winner.

Self is not only lucky, but he's proving again that he's pretty darn good and deserves to be the Big 12 coach of the year.

That’s Jack’s Smack.