BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Jacque Vaughn’s point guard days at Kansas may be long gone, but he’s still collecting assists for the program.
Vaughn paced the sideline as he filled in for head coach Bill Self and guided the 19th-ranked Jayhawks to a 75-69 win over Colorado on Tuesday night.
Self didn't make the trip after going to the hospital on Monday because he was not feeling well. He was released after receiving IV fluids. Self has missed several games in recent seasons due to heart issues.
Their coach was on their mind.
“It was definitely win one for Coach Self, win one for Coach Vaughn, win one for the team as well,” explained Tre White, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds. “We definitely had an extra chip on our shoulder today.”
The win goes on Self's resume and, despite being at home, he improves to 22-1 in his career against the Buffaloes. Vaughn was just fine playing the acting coach role. He walked the sideline, alternating between folding his arms and gesturing.
“I told the guys that the best part of team sports is everyone has a part, and my part was to fill in for coach,” said Vaughn, a decorated point guard at Kansas from 1993-97 who had his jersey retired. "You do the best that you can. You do it in your way.”
His team responded to his instructions. The Jayhawks (14-5, 4-2 Big 12) clamped down, too, holding Colorado scoreless for a 3-minute stretch late in the game to earn their third straight win.
After the game, Vaughn said he received a text from Self.
“He definitely was watching,” Vaughn said. “We didn’t play as well as we could have or wanted to, but he’s excited that we got a ‘W.’”
Will Self be back on the sideline for the game at Kansas State on Saturday?
“I don’t know about the timeline,” Vaughn said. “I’ll do my part, whatever it is, but he’s excited and we look forward to seeing him when we get back.”
Vaughn returned to Kansas last May as an assistant. He brought a wealth of NBA head coaching experience after being in charge in Orlando and Brooklyn.
His team appreciated his demeanor on the sideline. The Jayhawks needed a late run — and some tight defense — to escape Boulder with a win.
“He's pretty calm,” said forward Flory Bidunga, who had four blocked shots and 11 points. “He has faith in us and trusts us. He told us we need to get the job done, told us we need to be who we are and nothing else.”
That sank in. Especially for Melvin Council Jr., who scored 10 of his 18 points in the final 5:07. Darryn Peterson also hit a pivotal banked-in 3-pointer down the stretch.
“We talked about, at the end of the day, can we leave this with an empty tank?" Vaughn said. “So that you leave everything on the floor for your teammates.”
A mantra straight out of Self's book.
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