Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg Criticize Bill Self over Post-Game Comments
Following the Kansas Jayhawks’ 89-68 loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Kansas head coach Bill Self mentioned, “For the last month, I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest.”
While his comments were criticized by college basketball fans worldwide, two ESPN sports personalities chimed in and criticized Self for his wording.
“Knowing Bill, I understand Bill, but I think when you lead your line, or whatever you’re articulating, your headline, with that, that’s the wrong way to do it,” Williams said. “That, in essence, kind of throws your team under the bus. It makes a former player think that you kind of checked out on the team, even though I know that is not to be the case because I am a former player. But, I think the way that translates to the public, it sends the wrong message. And I think if Bill could do that again, I think he would do that differently.”
Self followed up his initial statement by saying, “Not in the moments during the game, but obviously, we had eight guys on scholarship, and we play, I mean, that were healthy there late. Injuries are part of the game. That’s not an excuse. But we could have done a much better job as a staff of putting more guys out there that we could play. And so that’s something I’ve thought about for a long time.”
Despite attempting to clear up his statement, Self’s comments generated a frenzy on social media, with college basketball fans chiming in on both sides of the argument.
“I know Bill,” Greenberg said. “I know how he is. I know what he meant. Basically, he always gets a pass. Bill Self gets a pass because he is a great guy. Did he misspeak? Yeah. Would he regret that? Yeah. But let me ask you this: if another guy said that, would you give him a pass? He should come back and say, ‘No, that was taken out of context. That’s not what I really meant.’ If I was Bill Self, I would do that. He misspoke, and whether it’s context or out of context, he did misspeak, and that needs to be addressed.”
Self and the Jayhawks now enter the offseason with change on their minds following a disappointing second-round loss. While Bill Self’s media persona may have taken a bit of a hit, he is still one of the best coaches in America and will be until he decides to call it a career.
