“This is awesome, welcome back”: Kansas fans content as Bill Self and Jacque Vaughn address return of the Jayhawks legend

Kansas Jayhawks fans received good news on Wednesday with the announcement that Jacque Vaughn was added to Bill Self's coaching staff. Vaughn played for the Jayhawks from 1993 to 1997 and is now making his return to Kansas after nearly 30 years. Shortly after the announcement was made, Jacque Vaughn released a statement.

"I'm truly honored and overwhelmed with excitement to return to my alma mater and join coach Self's staff as an assistant coach. It's a blessing to once again to be part of the Jayhawk tradition."

Bill Self also released a statement showcasing his excitement.

"We're very excited to welcome Jacque and (his wife) Laura into the fold. I think he will be an excellent addition to our program, while also serving as a great mentor, coach and representative of Kansas basketball."

Shortly after Kansas basketball made its Instagram post, fans flocked to the comments to celebrate Jacque Vaughn's return.

"This is awesome, welcome back," one fan wrote.

"Expect a lot of luv. Let's win! U know what it takes," one fan commented.

"Welcome back Jacques! So excited about this news. Intensity. Integrity. Intelligence. #11 back in the nest!" one fan added.

Fans continued to react positively to the news in the comments.

"One of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!! What a blessing, Rock Chalk!" one fan wrote.

"Wouldn’t be surprised if he takes over when Self retires," one fan commented.

"So happy to see you back at Allen in the Phog!! Jayhawks fans are really excited!" one fan added.

Images via the comments of the Instagram post.

Jacque Vaughn brings NBA experience to the Kansas Jayhawks

While many fans are excited for Jacque Vaughn to return to Kansas because of nostalgic factors, they should also be excited about what he can bring to the team. Since leaving Kansas in the late 90s, Vaughn has been involved in basketball. He was drafted into the NBA in 1997 and continued playing professionally until 2009.

After retiring, Vaughn started his coaching career as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs in 2010. He got his first head coaching opportunity in Orlando in 2012 and held the position until 2015. His last position was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2022 to 2024.

Now, Vaughn is returning to college for the first time as a coach. It will be interesting to see what he brings to Bill Self's coaching staff next season.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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