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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Commentary: Self to OSU? Don’t make us laugh

Stillwater's a fine place, but Kansas is one of the top five jobs in college basketball

By By Berry Tramel - The Oklahoman

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Bill Self's Kansas basketball machine comes to Stillwater on Saturday, and many an Oklahoma State fan hopes the next time Self appears at Gallagher-Iba Arena, he's coaching the home team.

Sean Sutton's future, despite two straight Cowboy victories, remains uncertain, and the idea still simmers that Boone Pickens' money could entice Self back to his alma mater.

Self calls it a "non-issue" and a "dead story" and won't dignify the issue with a comment. So I'll comment for him. No way is Self leaving Kansas for OSU.

It's Kansas. KU is a destination job. KU is a job you take to win NCAA championships and coach at the highest level.

Plenty of coaches have returned to their alma maters because of warm fuzzies and a desire to restore a tradition and, yes, money. But such odysseys almost always are taken by a coach on the back side of his career. Eddie Sutton to OSU. Bob Huggins to West Virginia. Jerry Tarkanian to Fresno State.

Coaches in their prime, coaches still hungry to scale the peak, coaches 45 years old and still seeking their first Final Four, do not move from Lawrence to Stillwater.

OSU is a fine basketball job. One of the top 20 or 25 in America. But Kansas is one of the top five. And the notion that Self might be getting antsy because of mounting Rock-Chalk pressure is just plain silly. Kansas hoops has high expectations. It also is the most stable job in American sport.

Self is the eighth coach in Kansas basketball history. Think about that. Eight coaches in the 110 years of KU basketball. UCLA has had eight just since John Wooden's retirement in 1975.

Kansas is a bastion of stability. Even Larry Brown, basketball's great vagabond, coached the Jayhawks five years, and this is a guy who coached two years at UCLA, one year with the Knickerbockers, two years with the Pistons, two years with the Nets and four years with the Spurs.

Kansas is a place that allows coaches to prosper. Self won't walk away from that, no matter what kind of money Pickens might offer. Some things, money can't buy, and an annual chance at the Final Four is one of those.

ESPN the Magazine reported that KU athletic director Lew Perkins said the Jayhawks "will not be T-Booned." That's not true, of course. Pickens wins all bidding wars.

But this is not about money. Self is paid handsomely to coach Kansas; he'll take all he can get, like most every other American, but not at the expense of torpedoing his championship chances. Not at this point in his career.

Yes, Self's family and in-laws still live in Oklahoma, but he's coaching in Kansas, not Alaska. And if Self really is all fired up to get back here sooner rather than later, there's a better chance he would sign on with the Oklahoma City Sonics, working for general manager Sam Presti, the protege of his old pal R.C. Buford.

Self in Stillwater? Maybe some day. In the far, distant future.

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Comments

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Don't leave, Bill, but you've already done enough for KU to deserve to do whatever you want to do now.

On the slim chance you do leave for OSU, we wish you the best and will replace you with someone that we hope can win the ring you and Roy could not quite get...unless you grab one this year.

If Larry, Roy and Bill have taught us anything it would be:

1.) schools can never keep coaches, whether they win rings, or not, from leaving when they want to;

2) coaches leave for all manner of reasons ranging from money, to disliking bosses, to greater challenges, to being nearer to loved ones, etc.; and

3) the only thing KU can do is constantly be on the look out for the next great KU coach.

Who's next?

Danny Manning.

Have we had a coach who was a former player since Phog? Harp maybe? Regardless, Phog did okay.

I know we've never had a coach who won a ring as a KU player and won a ring as a KU coach.

Kansas basketball is about making the impossible happen occassionally.

Danny needs a ring coaching so he can finally transcend his mentor--Brown.

Go get'em Danny. You've got the right stuff, too.

But what would be even better, is if Danny got 4 more years seasoning under Self, Self won three rings the next four seasons, and decided to move to the OKC pro franchise and out do LB by becoming the first coach to win mulitple rings in college and multiple titles in the NBA. Now that would ice Bill's greatness, and his bank account.

February 20, 2008 at 5:25 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

tomike (anonymous) says...

5:25 a.m., in dream

February 20, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

lalawguy (anonymous) says...

I always think about who KU would hire should something happen to its current head coach. I actually said when Roy Williams was head coach that if he ever left, I hoped KU could get Bill Self!

Personally, I think that Self will be here to stay for awhile, and that is a good thing.

February 20, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

logansprings (anonymous) says...

Well, let's see...

You have Cole Aldrich coming into his own for next year.

You have Tyrel Reed and Conner Teahan, neither one really tested, but both have great potential.

You have excellent recruits coming in next year.

Could Mario decide to stay for another year?

And, will you go to Stillwater?

You make the call...

February 20, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

cobweb (anonymous) says...

All of Pickens money hasn't made a bit of difference in their teams. Self is ambitious and competitive like Jimmy Johnson was in football. Johnson used OSU as a stepping stone like Self used Tulsa. Guys like this never move backward. Maybe in 15 years OSU. Dream on for now. I hear Kelvin Sampson might be available.

February 20, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

okiedave (anonymous) says...

Here is what Oklahoma State offers Bill Self:

1. Never having to worry about money again - i.e. a $5m signing bonus and $2m/yr. takes care of a lot of worries about future. If he can't produce he can buy his own NBA team after his contract is up. Perkins is an old man and will not be taking his money with him. He is giving it to O.S.U. like waste water.

2. Less pressure - a few losses do not bother OSU fans -they are used to it.

3. The only way the future could go at O.S.U is up. He has to be successful for the first two years. It could not get much worse.

4. It's home - his kids can see grandma and grandpa more often.

5. His chances of winning a national championship game at O.S.U. is not that much worse than at K.U. - hasn't OSU won a couple and K.U. perhaps three. The difference between a top 20 team and top 5 team is a few lucky shots. How many times has K.U. been bumped out of the tournament by a much lower ranked team? Did'nt K.U. Play O.U. in a national title game in '88? K.U. hasn't been any better at getting to the national title game than lowly O.U. during the last 30 years.

6. OSU will be real grateful and heap lots of love to the Self family (as long as things go reasonably well). Henry Iba is a legend and he never did much except lose to K.U. most of the time and finish in the middle of the Big 8 fairly consistently. Same with Eddie Sutton.

What are self's chances of changing ship? It may be a tougher decision than K.U. fans would like to think. Unfortunately, reason number one is a pretty powerful incentive in our society today. I think OSU will give Sutton one more year, unless Perkins decides to make a move. When Perkins moves, he will continue making offers until he makes an offer Self can't refuse. Your AD should keep his ears open.

February 20, 2008 at 5:03 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

melrank (anonymous) says...

Self to OSU - no way!

But, if he did . . . who would we want to take his place?

Interesting message board question:

Billy Donovan?
Mark Turgeon?
Bill Gillespie?
Bob Knight (chuckle - wouldn't that make for interesting message boards)?
John Calipari?
Bob Huggins (I might throw up in my mouth)?

February 20, 2008 at 5:20 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

njjayhawk (anonymous) says...

Bill Self to OSU is the funniest joke I've heard in a l-o-n-g time. Pickens' money has not won championships for OSU in football. If $ speak that loudly, then why is not Jim Tressel or Pete Carroll or Les Miles (he left OSU) or Urban Meyer coaching in Stillwater? Sorry, but OSU basketball is grade school caliber in history and success when compared to KU, Duke, UNC, Kentucky and UCLA. Besides, Lawrence is a short drive to Edmund, OK...so what's the big deal about "going home". Nonsense.

February 20, 2008 at 5:52 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

NavyHawk (anonymous) says...

Dear okiedave,

1. It's pickens! Perkins is AD for Kansas!

2. KU has played in at least 4 Final Fours in the last twenty vice thirty years, winning one championship, losing one. OU hasn't. Overall KU has played in 12, count 'em 12 Final Fours and won two National Championships, the last in '88.

3. OSU hasn't won a national championship since it was the Big Six for God's sake and Henry Iba was coach! They won back to back 1945-46. Since 1970 Eddie took them to two Final Fours.

February 20, 2008 at 6:08 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

davidsmom (anonymous) says...

I was both angry and sad when Roy Williams announced he was leaving, and now I look back and realize how much more I love Bill Self. I hope Lew Perkins does whatever he can to keep Bill Self (and Mark Mangino!)

February 20, 2008 at 6:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

BoulderHawk (anonymous) says...

Hey Good News, Bill's in-laws live in Stillwater. If that
is not a solid reason NOT to go back to Stillwater I don't know what is.

February 20, 2008 at 10:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

hawkman1031 (anonymous) says...

Like he said, this is dead...not even an issue. But if he left, I expect we would hire... Larry Brown ... who would keep Danny on board.

I was not angry or sad when Roy left. For all of his victories, it seemed we had no plan with the shot-clock running down, and could not adjust when teams figured out and stymied our offense in the biggest games. I think you have to change something when they disrupt all of your passing lanes because you pass it in the same pattern all of the time. Defensively, I still remember chasing and chasing the guards of Rhode Island. I think a zone would have preserved energy and been more effective. KU is bigger than the coach and we will always attract the biggest names and the best talent. So why be angry at Roy? We had a lot of good ball. Who knows, one day he might send us another assistant (in the unlikely case that Self leaves) who ends up winning the most of anyone, like Dean sent us Larry and Roy. We might send NC their next coach after Roy is done. We got the love from NC when Dean sent us those coaches. It would be hard to be against the alma mater of Michael Jordan, unless we actually play them. I hope NC pounds Duke every time. Duke got away with referee-aided murder in 86 in the final four, and to our misfortune, Archie also injured a knee. Duke is the nemesis. It was nice to whup them in 88. Kentucky, UCLA, Syracuse are in there too. We need to whup them at all times.

Off the subject. It wouldn't upset me if Texas lays an egg at KSU Monday.

If Boone Pickens thinks he can get Self, he will find it slim pickens :D

February 21, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jross1972 (Joe Ross) says...

I agree largely with what has been said...

Nothing to see here, move on~~~~

February 21, 2008 at 8:49 p.m. ( | suggest removal )