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Bill Self’s career wasn’t always so charmed.
There was one year, a former longtime assistant said Monday, that Self’s career faced questions. It was at Oral Roberts, where a 1-3 start in 1995-96 led some administrators and boosters to wonder whether the brash young coach had it in him.
“I was like, ‘Is Oral Roberts going to keep him? Is he the guy?’ ” said Norm Roberts, now the head coach at St. John’s after he spent nine years as Self’s assistant. “Yeah, there was some pressure there.
“He needed to be good.”
And, eventually, he was. It was 1995-96, Self’s third season at Oral Roberts, his first job as a head coach. His teams posted losing records in his first two seasons with the Golden Eagles, and another one looked as if it was looming. Roberts said Self shut out the negativity and ignored his critics, long enough for Oral Roberts to win its final 10 games and finish 18-9.
“We just kept working,” Roberts said. “All we did was, ‘Let’s hunker down and get tough here.’ ”
Roberts later followed Self to Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas. He left in 2004 when St. John’s hired him to replace Mike Jarvis.
Roberts said Self buried himself in his own expectations, to the point others could not want too much. Even at Oral Roberts, where Self was 55-54 in four seasons, Self was thinking about winning a national championship.
“He wanted to be the best coach in the gym,” said Roberts. “He wanted to win the national championship even when he was at Oral Roberts.”
Self, who is 45, finally did it Monday night, leading Kansas past Memphis, 75-68.
Roberts said he never doubted it was possible under Self.
But this time, Roberts was not on Self’s bench. Roberts said he planned to be at home, watching the game with his family.
“I’m going to think that finally, a guy is going to be getting what he deserves,” Roberts said.
“I don’t think there’s anybody who deserves it more.”
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