🤬Monday's Panic over Bill Self Should Be a Turning Point for KU
KU's botched message created chaos and confusion in regards to Self's future
EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.'
In this Hearings newsletter:
This may be a little different from what you're used to seeing from me. The following is my opinion, and I know you may not agree, but that's okay. I believe it's worth writing about based on what I've seen from KU over the years.
Here’s a day in the life of a KU fan on Monday, April 3, 2023.
7:00am: Wake up and realize it's KU’s last day as defending National Champs.
9:15am: Get bored at work and watch YouTube highlights of last year’s title game.
10:47am: Get text from a friend saying “I just watched Natty highlights from last year.” Respond saying “Did that an hour ago.”
4:24pm: Ohhh Max Abmas is in the transfer portal. Texts friends about it.
6:46pm: *See a tweet about a random Bill Self press conference after he’d been silent and no one had seen him for a month* PANIC. PANIC. PANIC. WTF. HELP! HELPPPP!
6:17pm: *See tweet about this being a “standard” press conference with no other context.* STILL PANICS. IS SELF OK? AM I OK? WHY HASN’T ANYONE SAID ANYTHING?!
8:04PM: *Sees tweet saying Self will talk about the upcoming offseason during the presser* OH THANK GOD. WE GOOD? WE GOOD! 2023-24 NATTY CHAMPS LET’S DO IT.
8:15PM: Get pissed watching UConn and SDSU play in the National Championship.
11:07PM: One Shining Moment starts. Get pissed again.
11:10PM: One Shining Moment ends. You love this freakin’ sport.
So yeah, it was a stressful day for KU fans. Here’s what happened: rumors around Bill Self’s retirement rocketed from quiet whispers into widespread discussion because Kansas announced Self will hold a press conference on Wednesday.
First, I’ve seen the rumors that Self is retiring since the season ended. In fact, I’ve seen a lot of rumors all about Self’s future and health overall. The rumors have existed largely because Kansas — and Self — have been silent since the season ended. The silence led to a vacuum filled with foul speculation of Self's declining health and possible retirement.
I have absolutely no reason to believe Self is retiring right now. All evidence points to Self returning, as I’ve previously said on The Hearings. This column is not about Self retiring AT ALL.
Instead, it’s about years of KU’s lack of transparency creating issues for itself, its players, and its fans.1 The entire reason I started this Scoops Journey is because of the Les Miles and Jeff Long tenure at KU. The Athletic Department failed its players by allowing Les Miles to coach as long as he did.
This latest incident with Self highlights the need for change. On Monday, the Kansas City Star’s reporter rightfully tweeted Self will meet with the media on Wednesday. Fans understandably got scared. KU saw its mistake. Look at the damage control from as these three tweets played out:
Somehow KU forgot that its fans haven’t really seen Self since his hospitalization and don’t even really know if he’s healthy. There’s nothing standard about any of this. Self doesn’t even normally hold end-of-season pressers. KU rolling this out like this business as usual is beyond me.
Even the school’s first statement after he was hospitalized called his unplanned heart surgery “a standard procedure,” which may be true, but clearly downplayed the situation of a heart catheterization and two stents.
Kansas’ initial statement came well after Twitter rumors spread of a heart attack. That’s an impossible step to get right, but once you attempt to address it there’s no room for misinterpretation. The constant dripping of hope that Self could return soon after had many fans skeptical and confused by what “standard” meant. If you wondered how the players felt, one source close to the program described KU’s communication to the team as “very, very vague.”
The only reasonable excuse for Kansas staying silent as long as it did would be if Self truly was considering retirement. If KU didn’t know, it would be challenging to say much. Still, I’m of the belief that Self left Lawrence on March 23 and had a recruiting stop on his way to Florida.
Transparency matters. Especially at a time when the school continues to ask for help with funding/NIL. The fans deserve better. The players deserve better. And KU can do better. It's time for the university to step up and deliver.
So now Self will talk to the media Wednesday. He’ll talk about the offseason, the roster, and nod to the future. Then KU will then hold its annual end-of-season banquet on Thursday. Everyone will forget about their Monday panic. But maybe this was chaotic enough for KU to make a change.
This is not on the KU Comms Department either. They are taking orders from the top in the Athletic Department. That includes Bill Self.
I think one reason for not being transparent early on regarding Self not coaching in the tournament was to help secure as high a tournament seed as possible. The seeding committee will penalize teams with missing and injured players that are not at full strength.
"Transparency matters." - 100 emoji on all of this, Mike.