Former Kansas Basketball Assistant Predicts How Much Longer Bill Self Will Coach at KU

The guessing game of when Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self will retire has been a big topic of discussion in college basketball circles over the past couple of years.

After having at least two separate heart-related health scares (one in March 2023 and one in July 2025) – combined with the ever-growing challenges of managing college rosters in the era of revenue sharing and Name, Image, and Likeness – fans and media members have begun to ask the question of “How much longer is Self going to coach at Kansas?”

This question was posed to one former KU assistant this week when Norm Roberts joined the Field of 68: After Dark podcast to talk college hoops. Roberts coached alongside Self for a total of 22 years between stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas.

“I would probably guess maybe three to four more years,” Roberts said when asked how much longer he thinks Self will coach. “I don’t know if he’ll do it much longer than that. But I do know this – because of the scares that he’s had, he’s in so much better shape now. I mean, he’s lost 35 pounds. He looks great. He’s exercising every day. He’s eating right – all those things. He’s doing really well, great energy right now.”

How much longer does Norm Roberts think Bill Self will be coaching?

"I'd guess 3-4 more years. He's in so much better shape now. He's lost 35 pounds. He looks great, he's exercising every day... he's doing really, really well"

🎥: https://t.co/7lZyHFdpoR pic.twitter.com/8cXnME3iXG
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 14, 2025

As long as Self remains healthy, there’s no reason to think he can’t or won’t coach another three to four years as predicted by Roberts – who knows Self as well as anyone.

He’s certainly not recruiting like he plans to step away anytime soon after just signing what is currently ranked as the No. 1 class in the country for 2026.

Self has also spoken repeatedly about how he feels like his role as the coach of Kansas is to be a steward of the program. He recognizes that the program is bigger than any one player or coach – and his goal is to leave the program in a really good position when he decides to retire.

If KU suffers another disappointing season and gets bounced in the first round like they did last year, Self is not going to step away with a finish like that. He will want to finish on a high note – or what he deems is a high note – before calling it quits. And if he truly feels like he is no longer the best person for the job, he will step away at that time too.

Whether that happens this year, next year, or three years from now, Self has earned the right to make that decision when the timing is right for both him and the program he’s helped guide to so much success these past two decades.