Kansas basketball fans’ thoughts on Bill Self’s lifetime contract

Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self will go down as one of the greatest NCAA basketball coaches of the modern era.

His new contract with Kansas, worth 5.41 million each year, is one of the most intriguing and interesting ones to date.

Since 2003, the national championship coach had made quite an impact at Kansas. One of the greatest experiences for students and fans is watching his team’s performances at Allen Fieldhouse.

With this in mind, we took it upon ourselves to capture some of those student’s opinions on the Jayhawks’ head coach and his new contract with Kansas.

Reaching out to a handful of KU students, we gathered some interesting thoughts and memories from Kansas fans in Lawrence.

Here’s what they had to say:

Luke Jansen, Freshman

Q: Do you think Bill Self will be a long-term solution for Kansas?

A: I think he will. Bill self is always good about learning from losses. Teams rarely beat Kansas twice because he is great at understanding where they went wrong and how to combat the opponent’s strengths.

Q: Do you approve of Kansas’ decision to sign Bill Self to a lifetime contract?

A: This one is weird. From a fan’s perspective I like it, but from an administrative perspective it doesn’t make much sense. A life long contract is no joke, so they are putting a lot of faith in Bill self to pull through. I believe he will, but I’d still like to have a backdoor exit if things go poorly.

Zach St. Denis, Junior

Q: Do you think the ongoing investigations from the NCAA will impact Coach Self’s future with Kansas?

A: No, I think we will get a positive return from the NCAA, and Bill Self will be here for a long time.

Q: Do you approve of Kansas’ decision to sign Bill Self to a lifetime contract?

A: Yes, us at Kansas are 100% behind King Bill.

Cal Riedley, Senior

Q: Who is your favorite NBA player from a Self team?

A: Mario.

Q: What are your best memories with Bill Self as head coach at Kansas?

A: Probably either the 2021 Final Four team or 2020 team. Snoop Dogg!

Dana Kleinknecht, Freshman

Q: What are your best memories with Bill Self as head coach at Kansas?

A: Before moving to Kansas for college, I was a Kentucky fan. I remember one time seeing Bill just out and about. I went to say hi and he was the nicest man I’ve had a conversation with.

Q: Do you think Bill Self will be a long-term solution for Kansas? 

A: I think he will be a solution. Under Bill Self, Kansas has won 15 Big 12 titles, 14 straight appearances to the tournament, and won 8 (Big 12) tournament championships. Bill knows what he’s doing.

Brendan Meeker, Freshman

Q: Who is your favorite NBA player from a Self team?

A: I would say Joel Embiid would have to be my favorite from the Self era. His multiple All Star appearances and his internet personality make him one of my non-home team favorites.

Q: What are your best memories with Bill Self as head coach at Kansas?

A: My best memories with Bill Self as head coach are limited as I followed Texas teams before coming to KU. But watching the Jayhawks stage a such a great comeback in February following their January slide was definitely something I’ll remember.