Kansas won its prize, but what about its Self?
Bill Self’s “remarkable week” turned into extraordinary on Monday night. In a few days, extraordinary could turn into extravagant. But that’s how the game’s played for the newest coach atop college basketball’s mountaintop.
Amazing how quickly things change.
A little more than a week ago, the fifth-year Kansas coach was still seen as one of the “best coaches to never reach the Final Four.” A narrow escape against Davidson ended that.
It set up a showdown against the tournament’s top seed, North Carolina, led by none other than ex-Jayhawks coach and longtime fan favorite Roy Williams. If there was a must-win game for the good of Kansas basketball, this was it. One wild win later, the Selfesteem rose even more.
After Kansas’ overtime win against Memphis, it’s sky high. Good things do indeed come in threes. (Especially if you’re Self watching Mario Chalmers shoot his way into NCAA Tournament lore.)
“I'll be honest, I don't know how I'm gonna feel about this totally just yet because I'm a little in shock and a little overwhelmed,” Self said Monday.
That’s easy to understand since he knows Kansas’ hoops history and its March shortcomings.
Self cheered from the cheap seats at Kemper Arena in K.C., Mo. the last time the Jayhawks won the NCAA Tournament. Previously an assistant for then-KU coach Larry Brown, Self knew how much the school longed for another crown. When he took over for Williams in 2003, KU had been to four Final Fours and two championship games since winning it all in 1988. No titles to speak of.
In four seasons, Self took KU to two Elite Eights sandwiched around two humiliating first-round losses. In the meantime, Williams won a title with UNC. To say Kansas fans didn’t take it well would be an understatement.
“It’s a great responsibility to be the head coach at Kansas,” he said before the title game. “It’s a program with unbelievable pride, with terrific fans. It’s a way of life. There’s so much passion and people care so much.”
Yet, if the pressure built around Self, he simply responded by building the nation’s deepest, most balanced team and watched them bury all those previous failures by stunning Memphis. Kansas fans can breathe easy.
For a few days, at least. The bidding for Self’s services is about to begin.
When Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton resigned last week, it was clear Self was the school’s dream coach. He’s an Oklahoma native, played for the Cowboys and was a graduate assistant under Eddie Sutton.
But even more than the school ties – a deciding factor when Williams left for Carolina – is that Oklahoma State also reportedly has money to sweeten the deal. Lots of money. Lottery–type money.
Self’s Kansas salary is about $1.4 million annually, which will be boosted this season thanks to Final Four and championship bonuses. He’ll soon meet with KU athletics director Lew Perkins and they’ll talk about a well-deserved raise at a job he loves.
It would be a small miracle to match the $3.5 million Oklahoma State is reportedly prepared to offer Self, to say nothing of the $6 million signing bonus. With that kind of dough, he’d be a fool not to listen.
And Self’s no fool. The man knows when to double-team Derrick Rose, when to go to a three-guard lineup and when to ride a freshman center until he drops. He refused to talk about Oklahoma State last week, but never ruled it out. Monday night, he did the same.
“I’m not going to say that couldn’t potentially happen, because I guess it potentially can.”
Is it strange to think that a coach coming off a national title at one of the country’s premier programs would leave?
After all, he’ll be revered by the Kansas faithful and, since he's only 45, he could certainly build onto his already impressive legacy at the school. This is where James Naismith coached, where Phog Allen and Larry Brown won titles and where Williams established his legend. Self could conceivably top them all. Is strange to leave?
In a word, no.
It's not all about the money. Oklahoma State may not be one of the premier programs – Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA are the fab four, with Kansas and Indiana right behind – but it’s not like Self would be going to coach N.J. Tech. OK State is the third-best program in the Big 12 -- and that's after missing the Big Dance three straight seasons.
The Cowboys have a proud hoops tradition of their own (the first school to win back-to-back NCAA titles). Before Kansas’ run this season, the Cowboys were the last Big 12 team to make the Final Four in 2004. Eddie Sutton built the team into a competitive, occasional contender by preaching defense. A recruiter like Self would do even better. (A title in Stillwater isn't out of the question, but it'd take a helluva class.)
And if there’s boatloads of money involved, it falls to Self to decide what’s more important to him: Continuing your run at Kansas and making lots of money, or trying to re-build your alma mater and make tons of money.
Self-ish or Self-less? Depends on your point of view. As a Kansas graduate, I hope Self stays. I would understand the draw of coaching your alma mater and a big payday to boot. It sucks, but I understand.
(The prevailing thought around Lawrence if he leaves will likely be, "Well, at least he gave us a title before he left." Anything to take a shot at Roy.)
Either way, the game’s newest coaching superstar is about to make his big week even bigger. And good for him. He's earned it.
