Self returns to Oklahoma State

Jayhawks face off against Cowboys Saturday

By Rustin Dodd

Friday, February 22, 2008

Four years ago Kansas coach Bill Self walked into Gallagher-Iba Arena. Self – a 1985 Oklahoma State graduate – was returning to his alma mater for the first time as the coach at Kansas. Self saw old friends, toured new facilities and was showered with adulation.

Then the game started.

“The first time I went down there I did a terrible job,” Self said. His Jayhawks were crushed 80-60.

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Photo by Jon Goering

Head coach Bill Self at the Texas game.

Self, who played at Oklahoma State from 1982-85 and coached as assistant from 1986-93, returns to Stillwater, Okla., again on Saturday.

In 2004, Self had to deal with the distractions that go along with going home.

“I put myself in position to see a lot of people,” Self said.

This time around, Self has to deal with other issues.

Oklahoma State’s Sean Sutton replaced his father, Eddie, during the middle of last season, and so far, the results have been mixed. Sutton is 13-12 in his first full season, after coaching the Cowboys to a 5-6 record last season during the absence of his father.

With Oklahoma State struggling, the blogs, rumor-mills and fan message boards were flooded with speculation about the future of the Oklahoma State head coaching position.

Oklahoma State fans are curious. Would Bill Self ever want to return to his alma mater?

“It’s not something that is even worth talking about,” Self said yesterday at his weekly press conference. “It’s a dead issue. It’s not gonna happen.”

It’s not surprising Oklahoma State fans would be interested in Self. After leaving Oklahoma State, Self led three different programs — Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas — to Elite Eight appearances, and gained a reputation as an excellent recruiter. It’s also not surprising that the speculation would grab the attention of Kansas fans, after Roy Williams returned home to his alma mater, North Carolina, in 2003.

But Self said he hadn’t paid any attention to the rumors.

He said he wasn’t much for reading blogs, but he had newspaper writers from Oklahoma request interviews to ask about the speculation. Self respectfully declined.

“I really think its an injustice to their present staff,” Self said.

Self served as assistant coach for Eddie Sutton for three years — coaching Sean Sutton for two of those years.

“They deserve every chance to do as well as they possibly can do,” Self said.

Right now the focus isn’t on returning home, but rather making sure Kansas stays atop the Big 12 Conference. Kansas is tied at 9-2 with Texas. A loss at Oklahoma State would damper Kansas’ hopes for a fourth consecutive regular season Big 12 title.

Those 11 years that Self spent in Stillwater – those are behind him.

“That hasn’t been home for me in a long time,” Self said.

In the end, Self. who will coach his fifth game at Gallagher-Iba Arena as the visiting coach, said Saturday was just another road game. The old friends, the lunch dates, even his relatives — they can wait.

“You need to focus to do the job, as opposed to making sure that you’re friendly with everybody,” Self said. “There won’t be any social things for me until after this game is over,” Self said.

—Edited by Jared Duncan

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