Oh, no doubt about it. This is a delicate situation for everyone involved. Bill Self became an iconic head coach in Lawrence. Over the last 23 years, he has won over 600 games, taken Kansas to four Final Fours, winning a pair of national titles in 2008 and in 2022. However, we have hit a bit of a rough snag on the hardwood with KU. Since winning it all in 2022, Kansas has failed to reach the Sweet 16...
The Jayhawks were one possession away from getting back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2022 when taking on Rick Pitino's St. John's Red Storm last Sunday. Instead, playing the foul game culminated in one of the most embarrassing moments in Self's coaching career. You could see right after the made whistle how badly Pitino felt for his hall-of-fame counterpart on the Kansas bench.
There is really no way around it. People are getting so tired of this... We are talking about Kansas basketball here, one of the preeminent blue-bloods in the sport. Basketball was birthed in Lawrence. While not every team can win a national championship, as was the case with this past year's team, a Kansas basketball player should expect a trip to the Sweet 16 at least once if he stays for four years.
We have to ask ourselves how much longer will Self continue to skate on by with diminishing returns.
Bill Self has to address the elephant in the room when it comes to Kansas
After the heartbreaking loss to St. John's over the weekend, Self talked about his coaching future.
"I'll get back and get with family and visit and see what's going. I love what I do, I need to be able to do it where I'm feeling good and healthy to do it fairly well. I'll get back home, and it'll all be discussed."
The 63-year-old head coach has had health issues over the last few years, which could play a factor.
While Self has made it a point to say he views the Kansas job in two-year segments now, as opposed to the five when he first came over from Illinois in 2003, it does go to show that things could be slowing down for him here soon. If this job does become available, it immediately becomes the best job in the sport. North Carolina may think it is the best job, but Kansas has been the better program.
In the end, Self should be allowed to go out on his terms at KU. He has earned that right. Again, this is Kansas, and not some other job belonging to a wanna-be blue-blood. Everything must be handled with care and done with tact. Self is already a hall of fame head coach. What should be prioritized here is Self's health, as well as leaving the basketball program in a viable spot for his future successor.
Ultimately, Kansas should allow him to coach next year if he wants to. However, if the Jayhawks fail to get to the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight season, then Kansas and Self need to come to conclusion that he should sail off into retirement. Self built something so special in Lawrence for nearly a quarter century, so it would be a shame to see it unravel on him when he has clearly lost his fastball recently.
The most important thing Kansas can do is to be united in every decision they make alongside Self.