Did Bill Self coach at Illinois? Kansas HC's career explored

For a long time, Bill Self’s name has been synonymous with being the Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach. At Kansas, Self has achieved most of his career success, reaching the very top of college basketball coaching multiple times. But there was a Bill Self before he came to Kansas. There were several stops in the coaching journey leading up to his eventual arrival in Kansas in 2003. Did these stops include one in Illinois?

Did Bill Self coach Illinois?

Bill Self coached at Illinois. The Illinois Fighting Illini hired him in June 2000 following the departure of their former coach, Lon Kruger, who left to coach in the NBA. Prior to accepting Illinois’ offer, Self was the coach of the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. He spent the next three seasons coaching the Illinois basketball program, marking several milestones in the process.

Self led the Fighting Illini to a shared Big Ten title in his first season in charge with a 13-3 record in conference play and 27-8 overall. Illinois also ended the season ranked No. 4 on the AP ranking. Going into the NCAA Tournament seeded No. 1, the Fighting Illini went as far as the Elite Eight before bowing out against eventual finalist Arizona. That season, he coached several future NBA stars, including Frank Williams, Robert Archibald and Brian Cook.

In the following season, Self’s team went all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, falling to his future team, Kansas. The Fighting Illini were the Big Ten regular season champions in 2002 for the second straight season under Self. He continued his impressive tenure with a Big Ten Tournament triumph in 2003 but fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Notre Dame.

After his third season at Illinois, a call came that Self couldn’t ignore. It was from Kansas, a program that holds a special place in his heart and career. It was in Kansas in 1985 that Self got the role that kicked off his coaching career as an assistant under Larry Brown. So when the Jayhawks lost the final of the 2003 NCAA Tournament to Syracuse and Roy Williams resigned, the offer came in for Self.

The move has proven to be the most important decision in Self’s career, taking charge of one of the best basketball programs in the country. In 20 seasons of coaching Kansas, Self has consolidated his reputation as a top coach, getting inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2017.