Sitting before a packed media room inside Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Bill Self spent over 30 minutes talking to the media about his future and much more.
Not long ago, Kansas closed out the regular season by winning the Big 12 regular season championship and, in doing so, arrived in Kansas City, the site of the Big 12 Tournament, as the No. 1 seed.
However, shortly after meeting with the media on March 8, Bill Self, after not feeling well, was admitted to the hospital. As it turned out, Self wouldn’t coach again for the remainder of the season.
Kansas, awarded the No. 1 seed in the West Region on Selection Sunday, opened up the NCAA Tournament by defeating Howard in Des Moines, Iowa, but fell to Arkansas two days later. For the entire Big 12 Tournament of two games in the Big 12 Tournament, Norm Roberts replaced Self as head coach and, since that time, many fans have been left to wonder what Self’s future is in Lawrence.
For the first time since March 8, Self addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon and opened up his press conference with an opening statement.
“Obviously, I would never say this,” said Kansas head coach Bill Self with a smile. “I actually miss you guys just a little bit. But before you fire away, hey, I want to just make an opening statement. I'd like to express my gratitude and sincere, heartfelt, thanks for all the support that we’ve received over the last several weeks. The texts, the emails, the cards have been countless, and they're certainly appreciated. And I apologize for those that I have not been able to respond to. I'd like to be able to do that but I haven't been able to do that yet. But this was a health scare for me, and I certainly could not thank the KU health system for the care that they gave me. The doctors, the nurses, everybody's just fantastic. And want to thank all the supporters and everyone at KU. And primarily I want to thank my coaches and my players that I thought rallied around this.
“And even though it didn't end the way we all hoped it would've, certainly I thought they competed and gave it their very best when maybe there was a distraction that I certainly would never ever want to occur,” he added. “I've always taught my team to eliminate distractions at the most important time of the year, and here I am. I was one of them. So certainly, I hate that and wasn't being able to be there with them, but it was the right decision. And I'm just excited to get back to work. And I am working and certainly look forward to everything moving forward. So, you guys have at it now and you can ask anything you want.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Kansas athletics sent out a release stating Bill Self would conduct his season-ending press conference on Wednesday. Shortly thereafter, the news hit social media and, to the surprise of no one, the floodgates opened with speculation about Self’s future in Lawrence.
Not long ago, JayhawkSlant.com asked Self about his future in Lawrence and how he’s feeling heading into the offseason.
“Well, on Monday the future was the banquet on Thursday,” said Self. “And I was approached saying, "It'd probably be a good opportunity to get before the media before the banquets so the banquet's not about your health," which it shouldn't be. It should be about the guys. And I said, "That's fine." And so that's how the little bit of a firestorm or whatever you want to call it started on social media.
“But there was absolutely nothing to it anymore than just to address you guys and hopefully recap what's transpired, and to also look forward to what's getting ready to happen,” he added.
It became quite clear early during Self’s press conference that a change in Lawrence isn’t or wasn’t going to happen. Self, in meeting with the media for the first time since March 8, was as upbeat, fired up, and excited about the immediate future as any time in recent memory.
Self, when asked about the status of his health, didn’t hold back in terms of providing the latest update on where things stand and how he’s currently feeling. And, he also made it perfectly clear that he’ll be back on the bench next season.
“I'm doing well,” said Self. “I'll be honest, I haven't done a lot since the Big 12 tournament. But I'm exercising almost daily. I don't know if you guys can believe this: they told me that I need to improve my diet and exercise more. I don't know if anybody... both, and been pretty diligent at that. But I feel fine. My energy level is probably back to where it was prior to the episode but not where it's getting ready to go, I believe. I believe that. I think sometimes we don't realize we don't feel well until we actually feel well and know the difference. And I'm in the process of feeling well again. So, I'm excited about that.
“Well, unless my athletic director, my chancellor makes a decision to contradict that, I am 100% positive I will be coaching at the University of Kansas this upcoming season, and hopefully many more after that,” he added when talking about his future.”
SELF WASN’T SCARED, BUT THE FEELING WAS DIFFERENT WHEN WITH PROCEDURE
On March 12, Self was released from the hospital in good condition after undergoing a standard heart catheterization and having two stents put in for the treatment of blocked arteries.
"Coach Self responded well to the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery," the University of Kansas Health System added.
Self, while addressing the media, was asked if at any point during his time away from the team, he was scared or felt his condition was serious enough to walk away from the game.
“Well, I was never scared that I wasn't going to be okay, but it was a different feeling,” said Self. “I'm sure many have had it, but it was kind of like an out-of-body type experience that you really don't know what's going on. You have no control over what's going on. So, it was something that I'd never experienced before, but it was never to the point where I felt like I was in danger. I was in such good care and all that stuff. I just knew I wasn't right.
“Yes. I think that's a very fair question,” said Self when asked if this is something where it has made him think about the end of his coaching career. I think the last several weeks I've been able to reflect on a lot of things. The one thing I can tell you without question: I miss my job. I love my job and I want to do my job for a long time. That's what is positive. Now, for me to be as effective doing that, I think I have to wake up a little bit and maybe do some things from a lifestyle standpoint, a personal habit standpoint that I've been very, very, very inconsistent with my entire adult life. And I said that jokingly earlier. Can you imagine a doctor telling you you need to lose weight, eat right, and exercise? And I've been told that a long time, but I'm taking that serious for the first time I probably have in my life. But to answer your question, all this did from a job standpoint was reconfirm how much I love doing what I do.”
SELF FOCUSED ON THE TRANSFER PORTAL NOW
Looking ahead to the 2023-24 season, Kansas has a number of questions that currently remain unanswered. The big question right now is what KU’s roster might look like a few months from now.
Gone are Bobby Pettiford, Jr., Joseph Yesufu, Gradey Dick, Jalen Wilson, MJ Rice, Zach Clemence, and Cam Martin have moved on following the end of the season. Jalen Wilson and Kevin McCullar, Jr., are expected to leave, but it sounds like McCullar, Jr., might have a decision to make in the near future.
With so many open spots, Self, while addressing the media on Monday, talked about what Kansas is looking for in the portal.
“I think, obviously we need some height on the perimeter that can shoot, hopefully, play-making athleticism,” said Self. “We want guys that shoot 40% from three, 60% from two, and 90% from the line and they're more athletic than everybody else and they never turn it over. Okay, that's what we want.
“Then we need a big guy,” he added. “We need a big guy to go out and get 20 and 10. So if we could get that done then I think we're going to be in pretty good shape. But certainly, I feel like we're in on some good kids.
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