SAN DIEGO, California — As Kansas basketball has made its way through this season, there’s been speculation at times about whether coach Bill Self will return next season or retire.
Self, who’s coached at KU for more than two decades, has downplayed those rumors that this is his last run. He did so in March, as the Jayhawks looked ahead to the Big 12 Conference tournament this year. He even said that he hasn’t had to address his future in recruiting at all, and that the only time he’s had to address it is when speaking with the media.
But with the end of the season Sunday, as No. 4 seed Kansas (24-11) lost 67-65 on a buzzer-beater against No. 5 seed St. John’s in San Diego, California, came another moment where he had to address it again. His Jayhawks will not continue to the Sweet 16 of the men’s NCAA tournament in the East Region, and instead return home to Lawrence. And Self, who’s dealt with health issues in recent years, gave his answer to whether he’ll continue his more than two-decade tenure at KU or not.
“I haven’t really gone through much on the court,” Self said. “I’ve gone through some stuff off the court. So I’ll get back and get with family and visit and see what’s going on. 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 will all be discussed.”
Asked to clarify whether he’s made a decision on whether he’ll coach next season, he noted he hasn’t yet and again mentioned he’ll go back and discuss it with his family. Asked about how he’s feeling and if he’s going through anything right now, he detailed that he is feeling as good as he’s felt in a long time. He detailed that, having coached this long, he’s looked at things in five-year increments and is now looking at them in two-year increments.
Self tried to focus on this season and get to a second weekend, but wasn’t able to. The Jayhawks haven’t been to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament since 2022, when they last won a national title. Should Self retire, he’ll leave KU with a pair of national championships and numerous Big 12 Conference championships.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Bill Self addresses his Kansas basketball coaching future