photo by: Nick Krug

Basketball fans make their way around the Alamodome Saturday, April 5, 2008 in San Antonio.

San Antonio — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has been to San Antonio a handful of times since his Jayhawks won a national championship there in 2008. But never for a Final Four.

That will all change this weekend, — starting today, really — when the top-seeded Jayhawks (31-7) return to both the Final Four for the first time since 2012 and to San Antonio for the first time since 2011, with their sights set on bringing home some more hardware.

For Self, the goal today is the exact same as it was in 2008 — find a way to lead Kansas to two more victories and bring a trophy home.

And while the better part of the past few days, and, of course, the days ahead, will be spent focusing almost exclusively on that, Self took some time, before it all got going, to reflect back on his last trip to San Antonio for a Final Four, which ended with the KU coach standing tall atop a ladder with a net in his hand and grin on his face.

It was that net that provided one of the Self’s best lasting memories from that run in 2008.

“Well, I would say Mario (Chalmers’) three is the thing that rings home to me when I think about the championship game,” Self began. “Of course that’s the first thing that comes to mind. But certainly, walking off the court with my son (Tyler) with the net around his neck, that’s something that, you know, sticks out to me.”

Tyler, who was just 15 at the time, of course went on to walk-on at KU and was a part of the team for five seasons. He and his father never got back to a Final Four together during that time, but they will be able to share this one together.

Tyler now works for the San Antonio Spurs and will be the Jayhawks’ de facto host for this year’s Final Four. There’s no doubt that Tyler would’ve been there no matter where his dad’s next Final Four was played, but the fact that it’s in his backyard at a place that means so much to both of them only adds to the magic around this team’s achievement.

“Yeah, I would be happy wherever it is if our team is going there, without question,” Self said. “But the fact of the matter that it’s been exactly 10 years, and my son works in San Antonio with the Spurs, there’s going to be a lot of nice things about this. And then, of course, it will bring up some great memories of ’08 by being in the building and certainly being down there with our team.”

photo by: Thad Allender

Kansas celebrates their national title against Memphis on Monday, April 7, 2008 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

One such memory that already crossed his mind had nothing to do with the building or the 2008 national championship victory over Memphis itself.

“From the aftermath, I would say, having Coach (Larry) Brown there, and when we got back to the hotel, we had every family take a picture with the championship trophy, with myself and Coach Brown, and anybody else that wanted to be in it. That, to me, was cool. Really cool,” Self recalled. “And then, after that, I had a lot of buddies, had family, obviously, but had a lot of buddies, high school, college, guys that were there, and the fact that we hung out and they ragged on me for five hours and I ragged on them, and it wasn’t about us winning; it was about us just being together. To me, that was as good as it gets.”

Granted, Self may be a little biased, — but, remember, his team did lose in an Elite Eight here in 2011, so it’s not all roses — but he views San Antonio as the absolute top location for the NCAA to host a Final Four.

“I think it’s the best,” he said. “And there’s a lot of good ones, don’t get me wrong. But there’s no place, I don’t think, (where) the building (is) so close to downtown, walking distance, and then you have the River Walk, where all fans can enjoy (themselves). I don’t think players and coaches are going to enjoy it that much like the fans will. But just the proximity to all the events and everything, I think, makes it more special for fans, and certainly it has a different feel.

“We’ve had some Final Fours where it’s a 30-minute bus ride from where all the hotels are, and it’s hard to really enjoy it as much as you would in the confines of a two-square-mile area, which is where this will all fall.”

In order for the Jayhawks to maximize their time here, they are going to have to find a way to win Saturday night, thus putting themselves one victory away from bringing home another trophy and hanging another banner.

Self still remembers vividly the emotions and feelings that came with that in 2008 and wants the players on this year’s roster and their families to get a taste of that, as well.

“I hope this team will experience a lot of the same things that that team went through,” he said of the 2008 squad. “But to this date, it’s been a totally different run. It’s been a team that’s gotten hot at the right time. It’s been a little bit inconsistent. Certainly has had its fair share of doubters, including myself, at certain times during the year. But there’s no question that they’ve rallied and are really playing their best ball right now.”

That will be the requirement to get by Villanova and into Monday’s championship game, and Self said he always thought it took two wins to make this trip something that can be life-changing.

“I think (getting to the Final Four) changes your life and your popularity on a really short scale,” Self explained. “I mean, hell, (former Jayhawk and current radio analyst Greg) Gurley played in a Final Four, so the reality of it is, I think winning it is something that changes it forever. So we’ve got a ton of work (to do). Even though you say you’re so close, we’re still light years away from doing what we want to do. And, you know, who we’ve got to go through to do that (Villanova) is what makes it most difficult. But I do think it enhances it. I think for the short term here’s no question about it being life-changing; but long term, I think you’ve got to cut down the nets.”

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Bill Self whips the net during the clipping ceremony following the Jayhawks National Championship win over Memphis Monday, April 7, 2008 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.