In an alternate universe, Bill Self could have left Kansas for a Big 12 Conference rival just two years after winning a national championship.
The Tulsa World reported Friday that Oklahoma State, Self’s alma mater, made a “hard sell” last March in an attempt to pry the Hall of Fame coach away from the Jayhawks. The Cowboys went on to hire Steve Lutz to replace the fired Mike Boynton as coach.
The report said “decision-makers grew increasingly confident that Self was impressed” with Oklahoma State’s plan to evolve its basketball program and “was intrigued at the package, complete with competitive salary and budget to pay players.”
Self confirmed to Action Network on Friday that he spoke with the university, though his statement did not necessarily indicate he was interested in leaving Kansas for Stillwater, Okla.
“I spoke to them, answered questions about the job and offered my opinion about what is needed to win in our league,” Self told Action Network. “Which I have done every time the job has opened. They got the right guy (in Steve Lutz).
“I did join Karsten Creek, one of country’s top golf courses, as an out-of-area member but I’ve never spent a night close to Stillwater in last 20 years unless my team was playing there.”
Self, 62, is an Oklahoma native who played for the Cowboys 1981-85 and worked as an assistant coach there from 1986-93. His first two head coaching jobs, Oral Roberts and Tulsa, were in the state before he took over at Illinois.
Self has guided Kansas to two national titles (2008 and 2022), coached in four Final Fours and amassed an 827-257 record across four stops.
The Tulsa World report comes as Kansas (17-9, 8-7 Big 12) prepares to host Oklahoma State (13-13, 5-10) on Saturday, with Self’s 23rd-ranked Jayhawks having lost three of their previous four games and five of the past eight.
–Field Level Media
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