It shouldn’t be said that Bill Self has done enough to cement himself amongst the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. Self currently holds an 855-272 record, which includes a 648-167 stint with the Kansas Jayhawks. Of course, Self also brings with him two national titles, both coming during his time with KU.
Self has nothing to prove anymore, so why, after four straight seasons of not making it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, in the midst of an ever-changing NCAA, is he still doing it? Because he wants to.
When speaking on Jon Rothstein’s “Inside College Basketball Now,” Self navigated his motivation for coaching despite the NIL era and the fundamentals of being a coach he still appreciates.
“I really want to prove to myself that I can do it with the new generation of college basketball”
“I don't feel I need to [keep coaching]. I feel I want to. It's different now...But you know what? We all got to change.”
Since NIL and the NCAA Transfer Portal exploded, there is no question that the Jayhawks have seen a bit of a downturn in results. While a 92-43 record is by no means bad, the four seasons beforehand posted a 79.5% win rate, compared to the 68.1% since Kansas’ last national title in 2022.
“All professions change…And one of the challenges to me that I'm excited about is, can I adjust?”
While not every single big transfer has been a miss for the Jayhawks, the fact is, KU has found more hidden gems in the likes of Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White from the 2025 cycle, or Zeke Mayo from the cycle beforehand.
This year, while the perception is that the Jayhawks have underrecruited via the portal, Self and his staff have seemingly developed a team that is better built around incoming 5-star Tyran Stokes thanks to the addition of combo guard Leroy Blyden Jr. while also addressing Kansas’ scoring needs off the bench with Dennis Parker Jr. joining the ranks as well.
“…I really want to prove to myself that I can do it with the new generation of college basketball. So I love coaching. I love being around the guys. I love teaching. But I also have an inner drive to say, ‘you know what? I'm not so long in the tooth that I can't adjust.’”
Let’s be honest, attempting to predict who will win the title this far before the season even starts can be compared to throwing darts blindfolded. And even if the Jayhawks had the best team in the nation talent-wise, it is still no guarantee how far KU would get. The best thing you can ask for in this moment is a team that can put itself in the best position come March. If the Jayhawks can notch a third seed or better in the NCAA Tournament, then great; they are truly in the hunt for the title.
For now, though, the Jayhawks must wade through a tricky non-conference and Big 12 schedule before they can even start thinking of anything better.
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