Kansas Basketball: Bill Self one win from tying legendary John Wooden
By Mike Norris
If Kansas basketball picks up a tenth victory in as many games this season Tuesday against South Dakota, head coach Bill Self will tie UCLA legend John Wooden for 26th all-time on the men’s Division I coaching wins list.
It took Bill Self just two games to earn a top-five win as head coach for Kansas basketball and just four to lose his first game at the helm of one of college basketball’s Blue Blood programs.
Because of the expectations built in to running a program like the Kansas Jayhawks, you can bet he received more heat for losing to number 21 Stanford in his fourth game than beating number three Michigan State in his second.
Such is the life of head coach in Lawrence, Kansas. Having 663 career wins and 14 consecutive Big 12 regular season conference titles takes a back seat to the fact that you have “only” one national championship in your pocket.
If Bill Self retired today he’d still be a Hall of Famer. That’s because he was inducted last year. But Jayhawk fans need not worry, as he’ll be on the bench Tuesday for his team’s matchup against South Dakota.
While a win may seem insignificant in the big picture, it certainly won’t be. Number 664 will tie UCLA legend John Wooden — credited by many as the best men’s college basketball coach of all time.
Wooden doesn’t sit atop the list in all-time wins — that’s Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski with 1,109 as of Monday — but he does have the most NCAA championships with an astounding ten, or double that of Krzyzewski.
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Yes, you could argue Wooden’s titles came in a much different era and he couldn’t do that today, and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. But Wooden dominated college basketball for his time, and he is regarded as one of the best “teachers” of all time when it comes to the sport.
Self was hesitant to compare his accomplishments to Wooden’s. He gave his thoughts on those UCLA team’s of the ’60s and ’70s in 2017 shortly after securing a 13th straight Big 12 regular season title, per Kyle Boone of CBSSports.com.
"“Let’s put it in perspective,” Self said. “We won 13 [conference titles] in a row, they [UCLA] won 13 in row. They won 10 national championships in 12 years, we’ve won 1 in 13. So I still think we’ve got a little ways to go to catch that. I don’t think it’s right to be put in the same breath.”"
Self has a point. On top of the championships, at one point Wooden’s UCLA team’s once won a record 88 straight games. Not home games, or non-conference games against unranked opponents. That would be GAMES, as in, against everyone they played.
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However, Self has now reached the point in his career where he will tie and eventually pass Wooden in wins. Although he has mentioned not coaching past 60, if he doesn’t bolt for the NBA and changes his mind and coaches for 20 years, he will finish in the top-five of all-time wins, most likely earning another championship or two along the way.
Because coaches these days are judged in the court of public opinion only by championships, Self sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves. At just 55, he already ranks 28th on the coaching wins list. Wooden was 64 when he retired, and Maryland’s Gary Williams — who is next on the list with 668 wins — was 66 when he hung it up.
Before you chalk Self’s success up to the fact he coaches at a powerhouse like Kansas, realize 207 of his wins came at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He’s also accomplished more than his predecessor did in Lawrence — fellow Hall of Famer Roy Williams.
Williams has won three national championships at North Carolina, but take a look at the comparison between the two at Kansas.
Self (2003-current) Williams (1988-2002)
Seasons: 15 (plus 9 games) Seasons: 15
W-L: 456-96 (.826) W-L: 418-101 (.805)
Conference titles: 14 Conference titles: 9
Final Fours: 3 Final Fours: 4
National titles: 1 National titles: 0
Whether anyone — including Bill himself — wants to downplay his accomplishments is up to them. But when all is said and done, Self is still a Hall of Fame coach.
For now, Jayhawk fans can settle for their coach passing Wooden and eventually Gary Williams. Current Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is just five wins ahead of Self, but he’s got his No. 3 Volunteers winning at a pace that may keep him ahead of Self this season.
A 30-win season this year will allow Self to also pass former KU player and Wichita State coach Ralph Miller, Denny Crumb, Mike Montgomery and Don Haskins.
Tied at No. 20 with Haskins is none other than Dr. Forrest Clare “Phog” Allen. The man whose name adorns the exact building Self built his legacy in.
Next. Ranking Jayhawks Eight Basketball Coaches. dark
The debate next year on who is the best Jayhawk coach ever should be fun.
All stats per from sports-reference.com.