Three days removed from the Jayhawks' second-round loss to St. John's in the NCAA Tournament, rumors have been circulating that this might've been the last we see of Bill Self on the sideline in Lawrence.
Self has coached Kansas since 2003 after brief and successful stints at Illinois, Tulsa and Oral Roberts — and he's easily one of the best coaches of his generation. But recent health scares and lack of March success have changed the view of KU's program over the years.
With that said, Self appears to be shutting down the idea that he's retiring — at least for now.
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Bill Self calls retirement rumors 'bad info'
Per KansasCity.com's Gary Bedore, Self has called the idea that he's retiring this offseason "B.S." and that there's nothing to speculate about when it comes to his future at Kansas University.
"Bill Self tells me as of now there is no news to report regarding his decision. In fact he told me 'b.s., bad info' referring to some comments out there," Bedore shared. "That's as of now from the head coach."
Self has posted an incredible 648-167 record at Kansas with four Final Four appearances, two national championships and a ridiculous 17 regular season Big 12 titles. But time will tell what the former Oklahoma State guard decides to do on the back-nine of his coaching career.
Charles Barkley challenges KU star Darryn Peterson after early March Madness exit
Appearing on "The Jim Rome Show" Monday, NBA legend and basketball analyst Charles Barkley warned Kansas guard Darryn Peterson that he's going to have to be ready to answer some tough questions when he makes the jump to the next level.
“I mean, the questions are there. They’re fair questions. When you’re going to give a guy tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, you’ve got to know he’s going to be available,” Barkley explained. “He’s going to go one, two, or three, but man, he’s got tremendous talent."
"His interview process is going to be very interesting, and he’s got to answer some questions," the Hall of Famer added. "Why did you miss so many games? Is there something physically wrong when you have cramps? He’s got to be available. ... Those NBA teams are going to have to do their homework if they’re going to take him early in the draft.”
Self's future at Kansas has never looked more in doubt than it does right now. But if we take the coach's word for it, we can expect him to be back pacing the bench at Allen Fieldhouse in 2026.
