Bill Self ‘seriously considered’ leaving Kansas for alma mater Oklahoma State in 2024, per report

Kansas coach Bill Self “seriously considered” taking the Oklahoma State job this past offseason, according to the Tulsa World’s Berry Tramel. Self is an Oklahoma native who played for the Cowboys in the 1980s and later worked as an assistant there before holding his first two head coaching positions in the state at Oral Roberts and Tulsa.

The Cowboys were seeking a replacement for fired coach Mike Boynton and ultimately settled on Western Kentucky’s Steve Lutz after Self opted to remain with the Jayhawks. However, Lutz’s hiring only came after Oklahoma State put a “hard sell” on Self. 

“Multiple Cowboy sources said OSU took a swing at Self, and Cowboy decision-makers grew increasingly confident that Self was impressed with the organization of the plan his alma mater had produced and was intrigued at the package, complete with competitive salary and budget to pay players in this new professional age of college basketball,” the report read. 

Asked about the report, Self on Friday said “I spoke to them, answered questions about the job and offered my opinion about what is needed to win in our league, which I have done every time the job has opened. 

“They got the right guy (Lutz),” Self added, per Brett McMurphy. “I did join Karsten Creek, one of country’s top golf courses, as an out of area member, but I’ve never spent a night close to Stillwater in last 20 years unless my team was playing there.”

The sales pitch to return home for Self, a two-time national champion at Kansas, may have registered so well because of Self’s circumstances at KU. The Jayhawks lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second season in a row last season, and their Big 12 dominance has waned with Houston’s addition to the conference.

Though Self opted to remain at KU, the 2024-25 season hasn’t provided a reprieve from last season’s struggles. The Jayhawks, ranked No. 1 in the preseason, are 17-9 (8-7 Big 12) entering Saturday’s home game against … Oklahoma State (13-13, 5-10).