‘I personally don’t like that’: Bill Self reacts to Mizzou moving on from Cuonzo Martin
.jpg "Kansas coach Bill Self, left, and his Jayhawks play host to the Missouri Tigers team coached by Cuonzo Martin, right, on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.")
The news that Cuonzo Martin was out as the Missouri Tigers’ coach broke while Kansas was getting ready to face TCU in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. So naturally, Bill Self didn’t find out until his news conference afterwards.
“That’s two coaches in the last two days that’s basically been our biggest rivals,” Self said Friday night after KU’s 75-62 victory at T-Mobile Center, also referring to Kansas State and Bruce Weber. “I personally don’t like that.”
The relationship between Self and Martin played a big factor in the renewal of the Border War rivalry, which went dormant for nearly a decade after Mizzou left for the Big 12. The pair personally talked on the phone to arrange a charity exhibition game called “Showdown for Relief” to support victims of natural disasters in the United States, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands in Kansas City in 2017, and the teams officially played in a regular season game this past December. The Jayhawks won 102-65.
Self remarked that he is disappointed any time colleagues are let go, but acknowledged that “schools and businesses have to make decisions that are sometimes hard to make.”
“I feel bad for Cuonzo,” Self added. “I did not know that (he was let go). I think he’s a really good coach. I think he’s a better guy. I’m sure he will land on his feet.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 9:16 PM.
