Bio

In 20 seasons at Kansas, Bill Self is 565-132 (81.0 percent), averaging 28.3 wins per year. Overall, Self has a 772-237 (76.5 percent) record in 30 seasons as a head coach.

Kansas is entering its 126th overall season and Self was named just the eighth head coach in KU basketball history on April 21, 2003.

While at Kansas, Self has won two national championships, an NCAA record 13-straight regular-season Big 12 Conference titles, 16 overall, and eight league tournament championships. He has guided KU to three Final Fours and eight Elite Eights. He is 299-17 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse. In his first trip to the Final Four in 2008, Self’s team won the title. Self is one of only two active coaches (Rick Pitino) to have won multiple NCAA titles.

In Self’s 20 seasons at Kansas, he has coached 13 NBA Lottery selections including Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, the No. 1 and No. 3 overall selections in the 2014 NBA Draft and Josh Jackson, the No. 4 pick in 2017. Wiggins was the second-ever Jayhawk to go No. 1 with the other being Danny Manning in 1988.

A nine-time conference coach of the year, eight of which came at Kansas (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), Self has guided his teams to 23-win seasons in 23 of the last 25 seasons dating back to 1998-99. Self’s teams have won 20 league crowns in the last 25 years. His teams have never finished lower than third in the conference.

Kansas’ four-straight 30-win seasons from 2009-10 to 2012-13 are tied for the most consecutive 30-win seasons in NCAA history with Gonzaga (2017-20). Self has guided Kansas to nine 30-win seasons. In the first 700 games coached in his career, Self’s 529 victories rank eighth most all-time in NCAA Division I history.

Enshrined as a first-ballot honoree in the Class of 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Self became the ninth fastest in NCAA history to win 600 career games. Kansas’ 300 victories under Self in his first 10 seasons were more wins than any other NCAA Division I school in the previous 10 years. With 565 wins at KU in 20 seasons, Self ranks second on the school’s coaching list, only trailing Phog Allen’s 590.

In 2016, Self was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year for the second time, also earning the honor in 2009. The 2016 AP honor was one of four Self was recognized for as he was also the national coach of the year by his peers (NABC), USA Today and Bleacher Report. The 2008 and 2022 Winged Foot Award recipient for winning the national title, Sporting News named Self its National Coach of the Year in 2000, 2009 and 2012. The 2012 Naismith and Adolph Rupp National Coach of the Year as well, Self is an eight-time finalist for the Naismith honor (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017). In 2014, Self received the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and in September 2015 he received the Mannie Jackson – Basketball’s Human Spirit Award at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Self has been a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, the USA Basketball Competition Committee and board member for the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Self has coached eight league player(s) of the year and 80 all-conference performers, including five All-Big 12 selections in 2023. In addition, Self is one of six coaches in NCAA Division I history to have led three different teams – Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas – to the NCAA Elite Eight, including nine times with KU (2004-07-08-11-12-16-17-18-22).

In the classroom under Self, Kansas has 54 Academic All-Big 12 selections, including 45 first-team honorees. Included are Academic All-Americans Cole Aldrich (2010) and Tyrel Reed (2011) with Aldrich being named the Academic All-American of the Year.

Also while at Kansas, Self has been head coach of two gold medal winning USA teams. In summer 2018, he guided USA Basketball to a 6-0 record at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 World Championships in Canada. In summer 2015, he led a KU-based team representing the USA to an 8-0 record at the World University Games in South Korea.

Self came to KU from the University of Illinois, where he guided the Fighting Illini to a 78-24 record over three seasons, including two Big Ten regular-season championships, a Big Ten Tournament title and three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In Self’s first season in Champaign, the Illini advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

Prior to his stint at Illinois, Self coached at Tulsa from 1998 to 2000, where he led the Golden Hurricane to a record of 74-27 in three seasons, including trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2000. Tulsa went 32-5 in 2000, setting a school single-season record for victories and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Self began his head coaching career at Oral Roberts, where he resurrected the program. Before Self took over the reins, ORU had compiled the worst record in the program’s history with a 5-22 mark in 1992-93. Although Self’s first ORU team managed just six victories in 1993-94, the win total increased to 10 the following year. In his third season at the helm, Self guided ORU to an 18-9 record. In 1996-97, ORU registered a 21-7 mark and made the school’s first postseason tournament appearance since 1983-84, receiving an invitation to the NIT.

Prior to his appointment at ORU, Self spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State University. He originally joined the Cowboys’ staff for the 1986-87 season and spent the next four years working under then-OSU head coach Leonard Hamilton. In the three seasons prior to his arrival at ORU, Self served as an assistant on Eddie Sutton’s staff at OSU.

Self spent the 1985-86 season on Larry Brown’s coaching staff at Kansas. While Self was at KU, the Jayhawks went 35-4 and advanced to the Final Four in Dallas.

A native of Edmond, Oklahoma, Self played basketball at Oklahoma State where he was a four-year letterwinner from 1982 to 1985. He received his bachelor’s degree in business in 1985 and a master’s degree in athletic administration in 1989, both from OSU.

He and his wife, Cindy, have two children: daughter, Lauren, who graduated from KU in 2013 and is married to Hayden Browning, and son, Tyler, who played at Kansas from 2013-17. The Selfs also have two granddaughters, Ella and Phoebe, daughters of Lauren and Hayden.

BILL SELF NOTABLES

Two NCAA Championships, three Final Four Appearances, 12 Sweet 16 Appearances, seven Elite Eight Appearances.

Twenty Conference Regular-Season Championships (2 at Tulsa; 2 at Illinois; 16 at Kansas).

Nine Conference Tournament Championships (1 at Illinois; 8 at Kansas).

One of six coaches in NCAA history to advance three different schools to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

13-Straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles (2005-17), an NCAA record.

KU has won 16 of the Big 12’s 27 regular-season titles under Self.

Ten 30-win seasons, which is tied for third most in NCAA Division I history (tied for most amongst active head coaches).

299-17 record in Allen Fieldhouse; has seven undefeated seasons in Allen Fieldhouse.

Class of 2017 for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Winged Foot Award – 2008 and 2022

Wooden Award Legends of Coaching – 2013

V Foundation Dick Vitale Gala Honoree – 2013

Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame – 2013

Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award (USBWA) – 2014

Mannie Jackson – Basketball’s Human Spirit Award (Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame) – 2015

National Coach of the Year – 2000, 2009, 2012, 2016

Naismith Coach of the Year Finalist (Atlanta Tipoff Club) – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017

Conference Coach of the Year (9) – 2000, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

Has coached over 80 all-conference performers while at Kansas

10 conference players of the year, eight Big 12 Defensive Players of the Years, three Big 12 Freshman(s) of the Year, one Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, two Big 12 Newcomers of the Year, three Big 12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year and two Big 12 Most Improved Player.

Has coached 19 Consensus All-Americans (first or second team), three national players of the year and three national defensive players of the year.

Under Self, Kansas has had 54 Academic All-Big 12 honorees, including Academic All-Americans Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed. Aldrich was the 2010 Academic All-American of the Year.

Original member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee.

Member of the USA Basketball Competition Committee.

Board member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was president in 2017-18.

Ninth-fastest coach to reach 600 career wins in NCAA Division I.

His 654 wins in his first 25 seasons rank second most in NCAA history for coaches in their first 25 seasons.

Also in his first 25 seasons, Self’s 76.5 winning percentage (654-201) is fifth best in NCAA history for coaches in their first 25 seasons.

Self has had 20 NBA Draft first-round selections, including the overall No. 1 draftee, Andrew Wiggins, in 2014.

The Self File
Position	Head Coach
Alma Mater	Oklahoma State, 1985
Wife	Cindy
Children	Lauren Tyler
Grandchildren	Ella Phoebe

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2003-Present, Kansas (HC)
2000-03, Illinois (HC)
1998-2000, Tulsa (HC)
1993-98, Oral Roberts (HC)
1986-93, Oklahoma State (Asst.)
1985-86, Kansas (GA)

Coaching Record
Place (Yrs)	W	L	Pct.
Kansas (20)	565	132	.810
Illinois (3)	78	24	.765
Tulsa (3)	74	27	.733
Oral Roberts (4)	55	54	.505
Total (30)	772	237	.765

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
1982-85, Oklahoma State

Name	Title	Phone	Email Address
Bill Self	Head Coach	864-7929	billself@ku.edu
Kurtis Townsend	Assistant Coach	864-3056	ktownmbb@ku.edu
Norm Roberts	Assistant Coach	864-3056	normr@ku.edu
Jeremy Case	Assistant Coach	864-7958	jdcase@ku.edu
Fred Quartlebaum	Director of Basketball Operations	864-3056	fquartlebaum@ku.edu
Brennan Bechard	Director of Scouting	864-7904	bbb11@ku.edu

University of Kansas Athletics

2018-19 Men's Basketball Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff