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LAWRENCE | The reason that Bill Self hasn’t squashed the rumors that he could leave Kansas for Oklahoma State became pretty obvious during a meeting with reporters Tuesday morning, 10 hours after Self led Kansas to a national championship.
Self, who currently has three years remaining on a contract that pays him $1.375 million a year, is waiting to see what KU athletic director Lew Perkins and KU chancellor Robert Hemenway have in store for him when they meet this week to discuss his future.
“They said they wanted to talk,” Self said. “Hopefully, it’s not talking about where we’re gonna vacation this summer.”
Self has told others that he wants to stay at Kansas, but he hopes he won’t have to do it at the current rate. Self makes less than KU football coach Mark Mangino, who brings in $1.6 million per year. Self made it sound as if the most important thing for him wasn’t a jaw-dropping yearly figure like the one Oklahoma State is expected to offer, but the longevity of a new deal.
“Out of fairness to me,” Self said, “with my contract situation, why would I say that I’m positively (staying at Kansas) when I don’t even know if they’re gonna extend me? I’ve got three years left on my contract, and what I’d like to have is what everybody would like to have. I’d like to have some security. When I say security, I mean years.”
Perkins said last week that he knew the day would come when Self’s alma mater would come calling, and that it’s something he and Self have been preparing for. Even before Self’s Jayhawks beat North Carolina and then Memphis to win the school’s third NCAA title, Perkins indicated that Self could be due for a raise just for making the Final Four.
Oklahoma State is expected to call Self soon, and athletic director Mike Holder certainly won’t be bashful. A Tulsa World column reported a rumor that Holder was prepared to offer Self a deal worth $3.5 million a year with a $6 million signing bonus.
Still, despite all of that potential dough on the table, Self says he wants to know where he stands with Kansas before choosing whether to listen to Oklahoma State.
“We’re not gonna change our game plan because of the other situation,” Self said. “That’s not gonna force their hand. It’s not gonna force my hand. I’m just looking forward to visiting with them.”
Whether Kansas will be able to come anywhere near the rumored numbers from Oklahoma State is unknown. But influential Kansas booster Tom Kivisto — he of the Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium — told The Star on Tuesday that he didn’t expect KU donors like himself to get into a bidding war with Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens for Self’s services.
“We’re Kansas,” said Kivisto, who played basketball at KU during 1971-74, “and Kansas has lost some great coaches in the past — Larry Brown, Roy Williams. You look at coaching history, and this is the best job in college basketball. So I say I hope we don’t lose Bill, but Bill’s got to do what Bill’s got to do. We know he’s the best, but we know we’re the best job. If things happen just like they did with Roy, then we will go find the next-best guy.”
Kivisto seemed more concerned with Kansas taking the high road and sending the right message about coaching salaries. He doesn’t want KU to be mentioned in the same breath with schools like Alabama, which is paying football coach Nick Saban $4 million.
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