Bill Self Hearings🙏 What It Means for KU

• 🏀 Hearing: Bill Self and KU’s future

• 📝 Quick Links: Great views of the New Booth

• 🔒🏀🏈 Practice stock reports coming soon

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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.

This summer finally felt familiar for those around KU basketball.

I’ve been Hearing it felt like a Classic Self summer. He was coaching hard; laughing more; barking. His players were competing and Self appeared to once again be enjoying it all.

There were signs the Bill Self we know — the one who lives for his players guarding somebody, practicing hard, and molding a team — was fully back. You could feel it.

Self said as much early last week, telling Andy Katz he was finally “attacking it every day again,” after more than a year of being on the “defensive” with his health.

Three days after the interview, everything changed.

Self is OK and recovering after experiencing what KU described as “concerning symptoms” and had two stents placed in his heart.

I’m Hearing it happened at a Lawrence country club, and that an ambulance took him to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. The incident seems to have been picked up on a local police scanner Facebook group.

He’s now recovering, and in true Self fashion, already back to literally hosting recruiting visits on campus.

But this wasn’t planned. And it wasn’t minor. Something more serious appears to have been avoided, thankfully. But this was a startling reminder: Bill Self’s health has been an ongoing concern since March 2023, following a heart-related scare and stent procedure that forced him to miss the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.

I’ve Heard concerns about his health persisted quietly through most of last season. As Self told Katz just before this latest procedure:

All of it makes this moment increasingly complicated.

WHAT I’M HEARING

Self has had fun coaching again this summer.

That’s come through in practices, meetings, and conversations around the program all summer. People close to the program tell me he’s been locked in. Not just engaged, but excited. The kind of excitement you feel when the work feels like joy again.

This summer hasn’t felt like a guy winding down. It feels like a guy getting back up.

Which is why this health scare is so hard to square. When someone rediscovers their fire, and then faces a moment like this, it sits a little different.

It leaves you thinking about the person and the decisions to come.

The Questions Worth Acknowledging

Will Self coach this season? Too soon to say. Anyone pretending otherwise is guessing.

What about after this year? Same answer… I believe Self had given real thought this summer as to how long he wants to keep doing this. It wouldn’t be the first he’s thought about it. But it had felt like more of an active topic.

Does that mean the 9th coach in KU Hoops history could be hired within a year? That question feels more real than it has in a long time. And it’s a reminder of what’s ahead for Kansas Athletics.

Is Jacque Vaughn the heir apparent? He’s obviously a top choice, but is he the top choice? I have to think his joining the staff was a long-term move by KU. It’s too early and too speculative, but I’m glad he’s on the bench right now.

And here’s one thing that isn’t a question: Bill Self has earned the right to make this decision on his timeline. Full stop.

If you’re wondering what it means for KU’s long-term future, you’re not alone. Just don’t let that wonder erase the human part of this moment, which is the part that really matters here.

The Bottom Line

We don’t have clarity on the future. And that’s uncomfortable, especially for a fanbase trained on Self’s stability, presence, and wins.

For years, I’ve Heard that Self sees himself as a steward of this program. He doesn’t want his KU chapter to end with two disappointing finishes. And he cares deeply, even obsesses, about leaving KU in a good place

But KU is in a good place.

So when the time comes, whenever that is, I hope the freakishly competitive, Hall-of-Fame coach who also answers to “dad” and “grandpa” makes the best decision for him.

Because Kansas basketball will be OK — thanks to Bill Self.

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🏈 Travis Goff shared this wild look at KU’s football stadium vs. the original renderings. This is a job well done.

🏈 You’ve gotta see KU testing out it’s new multi-colored lighting at the New Booth. Check the replies to see additional colors, too.

🏈 From the wrecking ball to laying down new turf, our friends at Drone Lawrence created this awesome two minute vid showing the major moments of The New Booth. It’s worth a watch.

Coming Soon to VIP 👀

I’m putting together one of our most popular drops every year: behind-the-scenes practice intel ahead of the season.

You’ve seen it with basketball — like the early AJ Storr concerns last year —and now I’m doing the same for football.

And don’t worry… basketball’s summer report is coming, too.

Whose stock is rising? Who’s slipping? What do you need to watch for on day one.

It’s all coming soon — and it’s only for VIPs.

(P.S. get texts like this sent straight to your phone days before anyone else had the scoop. Stop the endless scrolling. Get the scoop!).

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