Suffering severe hunger pangs, Bill Self ripped open the wrapping of a Subway sandwich and bag of chips at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas University’s new men’s basketball coach, who this week celebrated his one-month anniversary on the job, is longing for the day when he can leave his office and dine at a more leisurely pace.

“I like going to lunch. I like going as a staff and visiting with each other in a non-business type way. I think that’s important,” said Self, who was named the eighth coach in Kansas history April 21 and hasn’t experienced a non-hurried day since.

“Right now, this is my lunch hour. You’ve witnessed my lunch hour,” he said, grinning.

The former University of Illinois coach has been busy recruiting, meeting with his new players, trying to complete his coaching staff, attempting to locate and purchase a house in Lawrence, shuffling back to Champaign, Ill., weekends to see his wife and two children — busy, busy, busy.

“Since I’ve been here, this is the first time I have read a paper,” Self said, scanning a Journal-World account of former KU coach Roy Williams’ exploits in the Kansas Golf Assn.’s Senior Fourball tournament held Monday and Tuesday at Lawrence Country Club.

“It’s not putting down the paper. I just haven’t had time. All the press conference stuff … I have no idea what was written in the Chicago papers, Champaign paper, Lawrence paper, Wichita paper. I’ve not watched a “SportsCenter” but maybe once in the last five weeks. We’re just really busy.

“It’s been overwhelming in some ways because no matter how much you get done, you are just taking a shovel a day off a big ol’ sandpile. You don’t see, you don’t feel you are getting much done.”

Not that he’s complaining.

New Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self sits in his office. Self said Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse he had enjoyed his busy first month at KU.

Self is more than willing to continue at a hectic pace through June, which includes two sessions of his summer camp for youths (June 15-19 and 22-26), and into the recruiting period in July.

“It’s been great. It’s been exciting. It’s been emotional. It’s been tiring, but still the adrenaline is flowing,” Self said of his month at KU, which included eight days on the road recruiting and several other days successfully re-recruiting the four players who had signed with KU when Williams was coach.

“Hopefully in time we’ll be in a groove where we have our routine. I think by the first of July we should be organized enough to get into a routine.”

Self took an hour out of his day to speak with the Journal-World on a variety of subjects a month into his KU tenure.

• On visiting the homes of Omar Wilkes (Los Angeles), David Padgett (Reno, Nev.), J.R. Giddens (Oklahoma City) and Jeremy Case (McAlester, Okla.) and receiving re-commitments from all four early signees:

“Those were easy sells because all of their families and the recruits love Kansas. Obviously coach Williams and his staff were a factor in why they chose Kansas, with some of them a big factor. Also, whether it happened after their recruitment or before their recruitment, there was also a connection with Kansas — the players here, the traditions, the history. It was very evident when I talked to all of them.”

• On whether he had visited the homes of the parents of KU’s current players:

“No. That was a goal, but wasn’t realistic. I talked to all of them on the phone. I said, ‘I’m going to come see you when it slows down — when I’m in the area I hope to come see you because it’s been wild.’ They’ve all been great. They said, ‘Coach, you don’t need to do that.'”

• Self on all the Jayhawks except Brett Olson returning for the first session of summer school, including the four incoming freshmen, who are allowed to take two classes in accordance with new NCAA rules:

“I think it’s a great rule. I think there also are negatives to it. I think you worry about guys being in a different environment at a time it’s not nearly as monitored or organized, so to speak, where there’s more free time. They can become homesick. As far as freshmen having an impact on the program, the summer gives them a head start.”

• On his summer camp, which will include college players, possibly from KU and Illinois, as guest speakers:

“It’ll be run in similar fashion to which it was with coach Williams. If we choose to make some changes later on, we will. I have always been a big fan of the way Kansas ran its camps, even going back when coach (Larry) Brown was here. I think it’s a huge responsibility and we are definitely looking forward to it.”

• On ex-Jayhawks returning to town this summer:

“I’ll try to reach out to a lot of those guys to come back, maybe lecture and spend time with the campers. I don’t know those guys personally. I didn’t coach against Scot (Pollard), Paul (Pierce), Raef (LaFrentz) and Jacque (Vaughn) when I was an assistant at Oklahoma State. I feel I’ll give myself a chance to get to know them well and I’ve just mentioned a few. I know there’s a ton of them.”

• On his returning players:

“I’ve been impressed with them all, their attitudes, their abilities. It’s been a unique spring. They haven’t been pushed this spring like they would if a.) they didn’t play into early April, and b.) the coaching change didn’t occur. When we got the job, there were three weeks left (in semester). It was more important to me to develop great relationships with them and more important to be on the road recruiting than put them through tough physical workouts. They don’t have a real good feel yet of what life is going to be like with me from an effort standpoint.”

• On purchasing a house here:

“Cindy (wife) and I looked one day. We have found some beautiful homes. Unfortunately people are living in a lot of ’em. She’ll be here next week to continue looking.”

Self, by the way, wants a big house where current and former players feel comfortable visiting. He welcomes players into his abode in an open-door policy.

• On coaching peers:

“I’d say to ask advice, I definitely call coach Sutton,” Self said of Eddie Sutton, his mentor at Oklahoma State. “It may not happen as often now,” he added, laughing.

“Rob Evans (Arizona State), Tom Izzo (Michigan State) … that’s probably it as far as guys I call. I don’t have too many buddies in the profession. When I say buddies, people you call once a week or month just to say hi.”

• On loving the fact he’s planning on KU being a career-ending job:

“I’ve never been at a job where I’ve been able to enjoy the fruits of our labors. At Oral Roberts we’re 21-7, but you have to leave and go to Tulsa and have got to re-prove yourself. We go 32-5 and make the Elite Eight and have got to re-prove yourself at Illinois.

“We go back-to-back (league titles) and finish second and have got to totally re-prove yourself at Kansas. We’re just really excited about settling in here.”

l On completing his staff:

“I don’t know what I’m going to do right now,” said Self, who has hired full-time aides in Norm Roberts and Tim Jankovich. “I have a few options to look at.” He will hire one-more full time aide (Ben Miller, Danny Manning, Kevin Pritchard and Rex Walters have been mentioned as possibilities) and will likely tab two administrative assistants.