Bill Self’s plan for Kansas Jayhawks’ basketball coaching vacancy? Mum’s the word
Bill Self says there’s no formal timeline for filling the newly vacant assistant-coaching position on his Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball staff.
KU’s 22nd-year head coach spoke with The Star in a brief phone interview three hours after longtime Jayhawks assistant coach Norm Roberts announced his retirement at the age of 59 following 14 seasons at KU and 37 years in the business.
“Certainly we hope to move quickly,” Self said. “Then again, we are not going to rush it. There’s no reason to rush, but we hope to move quickly.”
Roberts told The Star earlier Monday that he won’t be leaving his current job until June 30.
By then, KU — with 10 players currently on its 2025-26 roster — figures to have a full complement of 14 players in place. KU, which has landed three players from the transfer portal to go with three high school signees from the class of 2025, currently has up to four available scholarships to give in recruiting.
So how long until a new assistant coach is in place?
“Until we get the right guy,” Self told The Star.
Self on Monday had a lot of things to say about one of his best friends, Roberts, who worked with Self not only at KU, but Illinois, Tulsa and Oral Roberts.
However, Self revealed zero details about his coaching search.
“There is an opening with Norm’s departure,” he said. “There is a coaching position opening on our staff. There is definitely a position open.”
Aside from that, the coach was mum on the subject.
“I am not going to share our coaching search through the media,” he said, offering a no comment to a series of questions about what he is looking for in an assistant in the NIL era.
KU last had an assistant coach opening on April 6, 2021, when Jerrance Howard resigned to take an assistant’s job at Texas. Self hire former KU guard Jeremy Case, 40, as his replacement on Aug. 16, 2021.
Case, along with the 62-year-old Self, Roberts and Kurtis Townsend, 67, are assistant coaches with recruiting responsibilities on the road. Chase Buford, 36, is currently on the coaching staff as an assistant coach who cannot hit the road for recruiting, in accordance with NCAA rules allowing just four coaches on each school’s staff to make recruiting trips.
It is conceivable Buford, who has head coaching experience in Australia and the NBA G League, could be a candidate to replace Roberts.
Self said he was sad to see Roberts leave but thrilled that Roberts has decided to enjoy some time with family members in retirement.
“I’d like to give a special shout out to my assistant coach and more importantly, one of my best friends, Norm Roberts,” Self said in a video produced by KU’s basketball X account. “As people know by now, Norm announced his retirement from a very, very successful career in college basketball just earlier today. Even though it’s a bittersweet moment, because I think we should all be happy for Norm for making the decision to basically go enjoy life with Pascale (wife) and the kids (sons Niko and Justin).
“It is a loss because Norm has done as good a job as anyone in representing this university and athletic department and basketball program in a first class matter for now, probably 14 years. And we’ve been together basically since 1995. We won an awful lot of games together.
“We’ve had some unbelievable memories that are positive. We’ve had some that aren’t so positive, but that’s what happens in every family. Norm … we’re so happy for you. We’re proud of you, and thanks for being so loyal and such a great influence on so many young men that you’ve touched over the last 30 years plus in this profession. Enjoy it. You deserve it,” Self added.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Bill Self’s plan for Kansas Jayhawks’ basketball coaching vacancy? Mum’s the word."
