Bill Self Back at Kansas: Changes the Jayhawks Must Make to Get Back on Top

Kansas basketball fans rejoiced on Wednesday as it was announced that Bill Self is officially headed back to Lawrence for his 24th season as head coach of the Jayhawks.

In a statement shared on social media, Bill Self said, “With renewed clarity and ongoing support from our administration, I remain focused and committed to Kansas Basketball competing for a National Championship. I look forward to seeing and hearing the best fans in college basketball next season at Allen Fieldhouse.”

Self returning to Kansas seemed likely given the timing of his announcement and the 15-day transfer portal opening up next week on April 7 for college basketball players across the country.

But while it’s great news for the program, particularly for the 2026-27 season, there are several changes that need to be made if this team hopes to be a true national championship contender next year and get past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.

Recruiting Strategy

In this day and age of college basketball, you have to have good 3-point shooting if you hope to make a run in March. That’s something Kansas has struggled with these past few seasons, ranking No. 140 in the country this year, No. 88 last year, and No. 194 the year before – according to TeamRankings.com.

Outside of Tre White, who shot 40.3% from 3-point range this year, and Zeke Mayo who shot 42.2% from deep last season, Self and the KU coaching staff have largely whiffed on getting good outside shooters in the transfer portal. And only Gradey Dick (40.3%) has been a good 3-point shooter that they landed out of high school.

That has to be more of a primary focus for the staff when it comes to recruiting this offseason. The days of the high-low offense are gone, and Self has to acknowledge that and build a roster accordingly.

And based on Self’s comments about his return, it sounds like the financial support is going to be there for him to construct a championship-caliber roster this upcoming season.

Roster Management

Love it or hate it, the era of Name, Image, and Likeness is here to stay – as is the transfer portal. That means managing a roster in college basketball is going to be a challenge year in and year out, and it’s one that Self could use some help managing.

Several college basketball programs across the country have begun to hire general managers to help manage these challenges, and it’s something KU should consider.

Someone such as KU great Nick Collison could be a great fit for the role. He’s currently an executive in the front office staff of the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, but for the right offer, it’s not unreasonable to think he might consider coming back to his alma mater to help manage the roster construction – and perhaps share a few pointers from time to time for the big men at practice.

It may be tough for Self to relinquish some of that control of the team at this stage of his Hall of Fame career, but it might be in the best interest of the program to do so.

All options need to be on the table to make next season a special one for KU, as it may very well be the last for Self at Kansas.