Kansas Basketball: Jayhawks brawl could mean Bill Self Era nearing end

Kansas basketball might have blown out Kansas State Tuesday night, but the brawl at the end of the game could have an everlasting effect on the program moving forward.

There’s been speculation for many years now that Bill Self could decide he’s done enough at the college level and opts to take his coaching talents to the NBA instead. This usually comes up once or twice a year, and Kansas basketball fans scoff at it, and then the talk dies down again.

After Kansas’ recent brawl with in-state rival K-State, however, could Self decide that this type of drama isn’t worth it anymore and bolt for the NBA? Not only does he have the controversy surrounding the program right now due to the fight, but Kansas is also under investigation for a recruiting scandal.

At what point, does Self look at his current situation and realize that he could escape this drama if he left Lawrence and took a head coaching position in the NBA? He’s been linked to the Spurs job for a while now due to having connections to the team’s CEO.

Earlier this month, Seth Greenberg predicted that Self would leave Kansas to become the head coach of the Spurs in 2020. Self later responded to the prediction and was very animated with his response, noting that he and the Spurs CEO never discussed it, and there was “zero truth” to any of it.

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While Self has been at Kansas for 17 seasons now, he’s accomplished about as much as any head coach could hope to accomplish at the head coaching ranks.

He’s won a national title, has 14 conference titles, three Final Four appearances, six Big 12 Coach of the Year titles, and has had KU in the tournament every year that he’s been in Lawrence; not to mention he’s in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Aside from adding another few national championships to that resumé, what more could you want as a head coach? That’s why, despite Self saying there’s nothing to the rumors of him leaving for San Antonio, it’s hard to believe he isn’t considering bouncing out of Lawrence while he’s still a hot coaching candidate.

If the NCAA comes down hard on KU like many are speculating will be the case, why wouldn’t Self take off and get out of there while he still can? It’d be tough for Kansas Jayhawks fans to see Self leave, but at the end of the day, it might be what’s best for him moving forward.