CHAMPAIGN  If Bill Self wants to maximize the value of his new contract with Illinois, he''ll have to wait a while. But that''s fine with the Illini basketball coach, who got a contract extension Wednesday that will pay him about $900,000 a year for five seasons beginning in 2003-04. In addition to that annual amount, Self stands to collect a lump sum of at least $550,000 from a $110,000 annual deferred compensation account  but only if he''s still the Illinois coach in April 2008. "I think it says that basically you don''t deserve to collect unless you stay here," Self said. "I think it''s a statement by the university that they want me here, but I also hope they see it as a statement by me that, hey, you can defer compensation and I understand that. I think it''s a good contract for both parties." Self''s original five-year contract paid him $825,000 a year, plus 90 percent of revenues from his basketball camps, which he''ll continue to receive. Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther began talking to Self about extending that contract in March, but timing, Self said, precluded the two parties from finalizing a deal until recently. That deal was approved Wednesday by the executive committee of Illinois'' board of trustees. "Bill Self has proven himself as one of the top coaches in the country, and we feel great that he would make this commitment to the University of Illinois," Guenther said. "He''s won two Big Ten championships in his first two seasons; he works within our integrity model and totally supports our academic mission at the UI." The contract, of course, doesn''t guarantee that Self will stay put long enough to collect his deferred money. But the Illinois coach said he appreciates the safety net he gets from having a new long-term deal in place. "Just knowing that there''s security and you can take your time and do things the way you want to do them is always a positive, as opposed to feeling like you''ve got to get it done today," Self said. "I''ve always felt like the length was far more important than the other stuff, and certainly we feel good about that." * Healing power. Freshman guard Deron Williams gave his sore ankle a rest and didn''t practice Wednesday, but he''s expected back for Friday''s practice (Illinois will take an NCAA-mandated day off today) and Saturday''s game against Temple at the United Center in Chicago. Luther Head, who started in Williams'' place Tuesday against Eastern Illinois, practiced full speed Wednesday, a break from his recent post-game day ritual. Today''s off day, Self said, should give Head ample opportunity to rest his pelvic injury. The news isn''t as good for Blandon Ferguson, who didn''t practice Wednesday after injuring his right shoulder while trying to run through a screen Tuesday night. "Blandon''s probably out for a while," Self said. "Hopefully with the day off (today), he''ll be able to go on Friday."