Bill Self

From Free net encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)

Revision as of 01:08, 16 April 2006
ESkog (Talk | contribs)
rv libel - this is demonstrably false
Next diff →

Current revision

Bill Self (born December 27, 1962 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma) is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, one of the most storied progams in men's college basketball history. He replaced Roy Williams, who left KU to be the head coach at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 2003. Self played collegiate basketball at Oklahoma State University, where he was a four-year letterwinner between 1982 and 1985 and was an All-Big Eight freshman selection in 1982. He received his bachelor's degree in business in 1985 and a master's degree in athletic administration in 1989, both from Oklahoma State University.

He is a four-time finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003), and was named National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News in 2000.

Recently, he took his team to the NCAA Tournament in 2006, but was upset by underdog Bradley University from the Missouri Valley Conference in the first round. In 2005, Bill Self and the Jayhawks were sent packing by Bucknell in the first round, giving Self and Kansas the dubious achievement of being only the third team to be eliminated in the first round by a 13,14 or 15 seed in consecutive seasons. (Arizona '92,'93; South Carolina '97,'98)

[edit]

Collegiate coaching history

Self spent the 1985-1986 season on Larry Brown's coaching staff at the University of Kansas. Between 1986 and 1993, Self was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State University under Leonard Hamilton, then Eddie Sutton.

After Oral Roberts University, in the 1992-1993 season, compiled its worst record, 5-22, in its history, Self was hired as head coach of ORU. In his first season at ORU, the team managed just six victories. Things improved slightly the following year when ORU won ten games. In Self's third season at the helm, he guided the Golden Eagles to an 18-9 record. And in his fourth season, ORU registered a 21-7 record as the school made its first post season tournament appearance since 1983-1984 in the National Invitation Tournament.

Self soon left Oral Roberts for the University of Tulsa and spent three seasons (1998 to 2000) there, going 74-27. While at TU, he made two NCAA tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000. In 2000, TU went 32-5, setting a school single-season record for victories, as well as sending the Golden Hurricane to the Elite Eight.

The University of Illinois hired Self in 2000, and Self's teams compiled a record of 78-24 over three seasons. In those three seasons, Self led the Fighting Illini to two Big Ten regular-season championships, a Big Ten Tournament title, and three straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a run to the regional semifinal in his first season. After the 2003 season, Self resigned at Illinois to take the head coaching job at Kansas. While his run at Illinois was successful, the fanbase of Illinois was disappointed that Self left after such a short tenure. Self's most successful season was his first, coaching a team primarily recruited by his predecessor at Illinois, Lon Kruger. Self's stay at Illinois was so short that while he is credited with being a successful recruiter at Illinois, it was his successor as head coach, Bruce Weber, that reaped the benefits, taking Illinois to the championship game in 2005.

Self is 72-24 (.750) in his third season at KU and 279-129 (.683) in his 13th season overall and 13-7 in NCAA tourney play. He led the Jayhawks to win the Big 12 Conference Championship and Tournament Championship in 2006. In 2005, KU posted a 23-7 record and finished tied for first in the Big 12 Conference race at 12-4. In his first season at Kansas Self led Roy Williams's recruits to the Elite Eight at the NCAA tournament.

[edit]