Bill Self on Retirement: ‘I Won’t Consider Going Out on a Down Year'

Kansas head coach Bill Self's name has been mired in retirement talks for quite some time.

The speculation first began in 2023 when he missed the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments due to a health scare. Then, an ensuing health scare followed this summer when he underwent another heart procedure in July.

This is a topic that Self has not shied away from talking about, and he mentioned it during an exclusive interview with CBS Sports analyst Gary Parrish during Big 12 Media Days on Wednesday.

Parrish asked the Hall of Fame coach where he stands on the topic of retirement, and he offered as blunt of an answer as he could.

"I didn't think about [retirement] until I had my recent health scare," Self said. "Then the doctors kind of confirmed to me that 'Bill, if you love it, why would you stop it? Because you're fine.'"

"The thing that probably interests me as much as anything, we've had two down years by Kansas standards. I won't even consider going out on a down year. I mean, that's not even in consideration. We have got to get this thing back to exactly where I know it can be consistently."

Self went on to say that part of the reason retirement is not in the cards right now is because KU is coming off two down years. It sounds like the only way he wants to go out is on a high note.

This mindset is certainly encouraging for Jayhawk fans, as it sounds like he is only willing to retire if it is after a successful season for KU standards.

Apr 4, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts after cutting down the net after their win against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four championship game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Self is 62 years old and nearing the final stages of his coaching career, but he alluded to the achievements of longtime coaches like Eddie Sutton, Larry Brown, and Coach K, who spent decades in the sport yet continued to excel.

"What I would take great pride in are the Coach Suttons of the world, the Larry Browns of the world, the Mike Krzyzewskis of the world, that did it in different time frames and were able to figure it out enough to excel in each time frame," Self concluded. "I think that we've actually done a good job in winning it in '08 and then winning it 14 years later, but it's a different time frame now, and I really want to see if we can be in the elite in this time frame."

Regardless of what he said in this interview, it is apparent that he only has a few more years left in Lawrence. ESPN's Jeff Borzello recently put him on 'retirement watch' in an article earlier this month.

If Self were to retire, there are several head coaches in waiting on the staff. One of those is associate head coach Jeremy Case, who was recently promoted to his current role, and former NBA head coach and KU star Jacque Vaughn, who joined the staff this offseason.

There is no way of knowing what Self is truly thinking in his head outside of these interviews, but the Jayhawk faithful should appreciate his final years even more now that these conversations are rapidly approaching.