Bill Self gets long-term extension at Kansas

Kansas basketball Coach Bill Self agreed to a restructured contract Friday that extends through the 2021-22 season and includes a raise to $3.857 million a year. Self’s previous deal, worth $3.376 million annually, would have run through June 2018.

Self is coming off his second appearance with Kansas in the Final Four. He led the Jayhawks to the 2008 national title and lost to Kentucky in the championship game in April.

“I know there are a lot of great jobs out there, but I certainly don’t think it takes long to call roll for the best of the best, and I’m fortunate to have one of those,” Self said.

“I can’t imagine myself coaching anywhere else as long as the people at Kansas want me to be here.”

Self’s new contract includes bonus provisions of $50,000 for conference regular-season titles, $25,000 for winning the conference tournament, $100,000 for earning Associated Press coach of the year, $150,000 for reaching the Final Four and $200,000 for winning the national championship.

The restructured contract includes a retention bonus of $876,000 per year, payable in 2015 and 2018. The bonus is replaced in 2019 by an agreement to pay Self a one-time sum of $6 million if he remains the Kansas coach through March 2022.

The Jayhawks have won a record eight consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles under Self, and averaged 29.9 wins per year. They have not been seeded lower than fourth in nine NCAA tournaments, and have made six trips to the round of 16 and five appearances in the Elite Eight.

ETC.

Unbridled’s Note wins at Santa Anita opener

Unbridled’s Note won the $100,000 Eddie D Stakes by 11/4 lengths on the opening day of Santa Anita’s autumn meet Friday.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Unbridled’s Note covered 61/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course in 1:12.45 and paid $8, $5.60 and $3.80 as the 3-1 favorite. Chosen Miracle returned $11.60 and $7.80, while Mensa Heat was another neck back in third and paid $10 to show.

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Lindsay Whalen scored 20 points, Seimone Augustus had 19 and the defending champion Minnesota Lynx beat the visiting Seattle Storm, 78-70, in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals Friday night.

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Lindsey Harding scored 23 points to lead the Atlanta Dream to a 75-66 win over the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

WNBA scoring leader Angel McCoughtry added 16 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta, which beat Indiana in three games in the East finals a year ago.

Katie Douglas scored 13 points and Tamika Catchings had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Fever.

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Top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia out-rallied Fernando Verdasco of Spain from the baseline to win, 7-6 (5), 6-4, and move into semifinals of the Thailand Open in Bangkok.

Tipsarevic set up a match with 2009 champion Gilles Simon, who won an all-French quarterfinal match with Gael Monfils, 6-4, 6-1.

Another Frenchman, second-seeded Richard Gasquet, beat Bernard Tomic of Australia, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

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Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain rallied past Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the semifinals of the Malaysian Open.

He’ll face Julien Benneteau of France, who defeated Alejandro Falla, 6-2, 6-2, at Kuala Lumpur’s Putra Stadium.

Second-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina beat Vasek Pospisil of Canada, 6-3, 6-4, to set up a semifinal against Kei Nishikori of Japan.

Nishikori, Asia’s top-ranked player, advanced when 2009 champion Nikolay Davydenko retired after losing the first set of their quarterfinal, 6-4.

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Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland overpowered Germany’s Angelique Kerber, 6-1, 6-1, to reach the final of Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Russia’s Nadia Petrova beat Sam Stosur of Australia, 6-4, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

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Chris Economaki, a journalist regarded as the authoritative voice in motorsports for decades, died Friday at 91. Obituary, AA5