R.C. Buford was assessing international basketball talent in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, April 5 when he learned Kansas University’s men’s basketball team had defeated Marquette in the Final Four semifinals in New Orleans.

It was high time for Buford, the San Antonio Spurs’ general manager and former KU assistant (1984-88), to arrange hasty travel plans to reach the Big Easy in time for the national-title contest against Syracuse.

“There’s no bigger thrill for me than watching KU in the Final Four,” said Buford, a part of the Jayhawks’ 1988 title team. “I flew back 36 hours from Europe to watch the championship game. Unfortunately, the plane was delayed in Chicago for 31¼2 hours because of snow. I didn’t see the first half. I got there with 15 minutes to go.”

Buford — his NBA Western Conference champs play host to the New Jersey Nets tonight in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — was spared an ugly first half, in which KU trailed by as many as 18 points before rallying.

“When I got there, KU got within two, then I didn’t bring them much luck after that,” Buford said of KU’s 81-78 loss to the Orangemen.

Now a couple of months later, he’s hoping his Spurs have better luck than the Jayhawks.

The Spurs, who won the franchise’s only NBA title in 1998-99 when Buford served as head scout, have won playoff series over the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.

Not a bad run considering it’s Buford’s first full season as GM.

The 43-year-old Wichita native who had served as vice president/assistant GM for three years before being promoted, has been credited with several master moves that have helped the Spurs reach the NBA Finals in what will be center David Robinson’s last season in the NBA.

Buford was responsible for acquiring France’s Tony Parker, the Spurs’ first-round pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, and Argentina’s Manu Ginobili, second-round pick in the ’99 draft.

Buford also signed Stephen Jackson and Bruce Bowen via free agency in August 2001. They’ve blended well around the team’s franchise player, Tim Duncan, and defensive specialist Robinson.

“With Stephen Jackson, Tony Parker and Ginobili all first- or second-year guys, we really didn’t know what to expect at the end of David’s career,” Buford said. “We were going to try to go out and compete, but in the grand scheme of things, this summer was the time we would have some (salary) cap room available that would allow us to extend the success of our franchise.

“With Tim, you know you will be competitive and never too far out of it, but I’m sure the Lakers and Sacramento and Dallas were all picked ahead of us. What happened is, we’ve had some pretty strong performances from the Jacksons, Parkers, Ginobilis and others … and of course the real reason is Tim. He’s MVP. He’s been great and allowed some other guys to play successfully.”

Buford likes to deflect the credit to president/CEO Peter Holt and head coach Gregg Popovich, leaving it up to others to sing Buford’s praises.

New Kansas coach Bill Self, a longtime friend of Buford’s since their days at Oklahoma State University, says R.C. deserves some pats on the back.

“R.C. is extremely intelligent and works very hard,” Self said. “I think R.C. is like most guys in that we’ve been lucky in some form or fashion. Yet the harder you work, the luckier you get. Here’s a guy who played some at (Texas) A&M, then didn’t play much at all at Oklahoma State. Without the so-called ‘basketball background,’ he is at the top of the profession, the NBA. You can’t do it without the work ethic, and he has it.

“He and others making personnel decisions have built pieces around Duncan,” Self added. “They are in as good a cap shape as any team in the league. With the type of dollars they should have available next season, I’m sure they are really excited about the future.”

Buford is just as excited about KU’s future under his buddy, Self, who, if he can fit it in his schedule, will attend one or more games this playoff series.

“I’m thrilled to death. It’s a great fit,” Buford said of Self’s hiring at KU. “As far as his teaching skills and coaching skills, I think he’ll be a foundation for hopefully the next 15 years.

“Bill’s people skills are his best assets. He works well in front of a diverse group of people. He’s a good defensive coach. He’s good at adapting. At Tulsa, his 32-4 team was in the top-five in the country in scoring. His system is fluid enough that he uses it to match talent.”

Buford is hoping his Spurs have the talent to stop the Jason Kidd-led Nets.

“This group is focused on a singular goal,” Buford said, “but New Jersey is still going to come down and play. It’ll be the most difficult games we’ve played to date.”

“I know how badly he wants it,” Self said of his pal. “It’s how he’s wired.”