Bill Self Addresses Coaching Future After Kansas Falls to St. John's

Self discussed his future after another early NCAA tournament exit for Kansas.

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self was unsure about his future after his team lost to St. John’s in the 2026 NCAA tournament. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bill Self is facing an uncertain future at Kansas after his Jayhawks bowed out of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.

The Jayhawks, who were the fourth seed in the East region, suffered a heartbreaking 67-65 defeat at the hands of fifth-seeded St. John’s in the second round. It marked the fourth consecutive season in which Self failed to get his team out of the tournament’s opening weekend.

After the game, the 63-year-old coach faced questions about his future. Self has dealt with health issues over the years, including when he missed a Jan. 20 game against Colorado this year after being hospitalized due to dehydration and AFib. When asked if he had thought about what’s next, Self was noncommittal.

“I haven't really gone through much on the court. 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,” he said. “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.”

Bill Self on his future:

"I'll get back, get with family, 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'll all be discussed... I love what I do. I wanna feel good… pic.twitter.com/zYELDwTdZK

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 23, 2026

Given his next answer, his future seems up in the air.

“No, I haven't decided,” Self said. “I'll get back and visit with family. I've had obviously some issues off the court, health-wise.  And that will be discussed. But I love what I do.  I want to feel good while I'm doing it, though. We'll get back and we'll discuss that when we get back.”

Self just finished his 23rd season at Kansas, and is already a Hall of Famer. He has led the Jayhawks to two national titles (2008, 2022), three Final Fours (not including one that was later vacated) and 17 Big 12 regular-season titles. His record at Kansas is 634-167 (.792) after removing 15 vacated wins from the 2017-18 season.

Despite Self’s legendary status in Lawrence, the Jayhawks have struggled over the past three seasons. Kansas hasn’t won the Big 12 since 2023, and has made it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament just once since 2019. Granted, when they did get to the second weekend in 2022, the Jayhawks won the whole thing.

Given his health issues and the lack of success over the past few years, it would be understandable if Self decided to step away. It sounds like he has a lot to think about with his family.

Bill Self career record

Self just finished his 23rd season at Kansas, but he has continuously been a Division I coach since 1993, when he was 31 years old.

The Oklahoma State alum began his coaching career as an assistant at Kansas in 1985, then moved to his alma mater from 1986 through ’93. After that, Oral Roberts hired him to be its head coach. He spent four seasons leading the Golden Eagles and put together a record of 55-54 (.505), but was 39-16 in his final two seasons.

Tulsa hired him in 1997, and in three seasons he went 74-27 (.733) and won the WAC regular season title in 1999 and 2000. He guided the Golden Hurricane to the Elite Eight in 2000, and that success saw Illinois swoop in and hire him.

Self coached the Fighting Illini for three seasons beginning in 2000 and went 78-24 (.765). He won two Big Ten titles and reached the Elite Eight in 2001. After Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina in ‘03, Self replaced him in Lawrence.

Overall, Self has coached college basketball for the last 33 years. His career record is 841-273 (.755), and he has won 21 conference titles to go with those two national championships.

Self is certainly a controversial figure, given multiple recruiting violations over the years. Silvio De Sousa was retroactively ruled ineligible for the 2017-18 season after receiving payments from an Adidas representative. That led to the school vacating 15 wins and a Final Four run, and Self receiving a “show cause” penalty. Self was also suspended for the first four games of the 2022-23 season after Kansas self-imposed penalties for recruiting violations.

Despite all of those issues, there is no doubting his coaching ability. He is still one of the best in the game, and losing him would be a huge blow to Kansas.

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