Self Named Fighting Illini Basketball Coach
June 9, 2000 | Men's Basketball
June 9, 2000
* Archived Press Conference Audio
Listen to the Illinois press conference naming new head coach!
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. - University of Illinois Director of Athletics Ron Guenther announced today that Bill Self has been named Fighting Illini men's basketball coach.
Self, 37, comes to Champaign-Urbana as the 15th basketball coach in Fighting Illini history replacing Lon Kruger who was named head coach of the Atlanta Hawks May 25.
In his seven seasons as a head coach, Self built a reputation as one of the nation's finest young coaches. Self coached the last three seasons at Tulsa, where he led the Golden Hurricane to the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years, including a 32-5 record and Elite Eight appearance in 2000, setting a school record for victories in a season. He comes to Illinois with a 130-80 (.619) mark following four seasons at Oral Roberts (56-53) and three at Tulsa (74-27).
During the 2000 NCAA Tournament run, the Golden Hurricane defeated UNLV, Cincinnati and Miami before losing to North Carolina in the regional final. The Hurricane completed the season ranked ninth in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and 18th in the Associated Press poll.
Tulsa was the first team to reach the 20- and 25-win plateau for the 2000 season, and its 32 wins tied Iowa State and national-champion Michigan State for most wins. The Hurricane won a second straight regular-season Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title in 2000 after posting a 12-2 league record.
In the 2000 campaign, Self was named the Don Haskins WAC Coach of the Year, as voted by the league's coaches, and also was selected as the John and Nellie Wooden Coach of the Year as presented by the Utah Tipoff Club. He also was picked as one of 15 candidates for the Naismith College Coach of the Year Award, which is selected annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
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Coach Self arrives at Illinois with 15 years of Division I coaching experience. |
At age 37, Self has 15 years of Division I coaching experience. He has been a part of nine teams that advanced to postseason competition, including six trips to the NCAA Tournament and three appearances in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Self's tenure at ORU, his first as a head coach at any level, was one in which he resurrected the Golden Eagles program. Before taking over the reigns, ORU had compiled the worst record in the program's history with a 5-22 mark in 1992-93. Although Self's first ORU team managed just six victories in 1993-94, the win total increased to 10 the following year. In his third season at the helm, Self guided the Golden Eagles to an 18-9 record. In 1996-97, ORU registered a 22-6 mark and made the school's first postseason tournament appearance since1983-84, receiving an invitation to the NIT.
Prior to his appointment at ORU, Self spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State University. He originally joined the Cowboys staff for the 1986-87 season and spent the next four years working under then-OSU head coach Leonard Hamilton. In the three seasons prior to arriving at ORU, Self served as an assistant on Eddie Sutton's staff at Oklahoma State.
During Self's seven seasons with the Cowboys, the team advanced to postseason play a total of five times, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament (1991-93) and two straight appearances in the National Invitational Tournament (1989-90). OSU posted a cumulative 128-88 record during his tenure, including a mark of 72-25 (.742) in his final three seasons.
At Oklahoma State, Self had the opportunity to help recruit and develop some of the Cowboys' top players, including current NBA players: Bryant Reeves, the 6th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, John Starks, Byron Houston and Brooks Thompson.
Before Oklahoma State, Self spent the 1985-86 season on Larry Brown's coaching staff at the University of Kansas. While Self was at Kansas, the Jayhawks registered a 35-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. In addition to his duties on the varsity coaching staff, Self also coached the Kansas junior varsity team to a 12-7 overall record.
| Coach Bill Self with wife Cindy, son Tyler and daughter Lauren. |
A native of Edmond, Okla., Self competed collegiately at Oklahoma State where he was a four-year letterwinner from 1981 to 1985 and was an All-Big Eight freshman team selection in 1983. He received his bachelor's degree in business in 1985 and a master's degree in athletic administration in 1989, both from Oklahoma State. Self is the second Fighting Illini basketball coach with Oklahoma roots. Former coach Lou Henson was a native of Okay, Okla., and coached at Illinois from 1976-96.
Self and his wife, Cindy, have two children: daughter Lauren (9) and son Tyler (7).
Self's College Coaching Record
| Year | Position | School | Record | Postseason |
| 1985-86 | Asst. Coach | Kansas | 35-4 | NCAA |
| 1986-87 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 8-20 | --- |
| 1987-88 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 14-16 | --- |
| 1988-89 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 17-13 | NIT |
| 1989-90 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 17-14 | NIT |
| 1990-91 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 24-8 | NCAA |
| 1991-92 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 28-8 | NCAA |
| 1992-93 | Asst. Coach | Oklahoma State | 20-9 | NCAA |
| 1993-94 | Head Coach | Oral Roberts | 6-21 | --- |
| 1994-95 | Head Coach | Oral Roberts | 10-17 | --- |
| 1995-96 | Head Coach | Oral Roberts | 18-9 | --- |
| 1996-97 | Head Coach | Oral Roberts | 22-6 | NIT |
| 1997-98 | Head Coach | Tulsa | 19-12 | --- |
| 1998-99 | Head Coach | Tulsa | 23-10 | NCAA (1-1) |
| 1999-2000 | Head Coach | Tulsa | 32-5 | NCAA (3-1) |
| Totals | 7 years (130-80) | |||
The Bill Self File
Personal
Born: Dec. 27, 1962, in Okmulgee, Okla.
Hometown: Edmond, Okla.
Education
High School: Edmond High School (1981)
College: Oklahoma State University (bachelor's in business, 1985),
??? Oklahoma State University (master's in athletic administration, 1989)
Playing Experience
High School: Played basketball at Edmond High School (Okla.) and was selected as the Oklahoma Big School Player of the Year in 1981 after averaging 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game. He was team captain as a senior and was honored as a Converse All-American. He played in the Faith Seven and Oklahoma All-State games.
College: Was a four-year letterwinner at Oklahoma State University (1981-85). He led OSU in assists two straight years and was named to the All-Big Eight freshman team. He led OSU in assists in 1983-84 with 126 and in 1984-85 with 108. He also led the Cowboys in free throw percentage in 1983-84, shooting .754 percent.
Coaching Experience
* 1985-86
Served as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas under Larry Brown. He also coached the Kansas junior varsity team that same year and led the squad to a 12-7 record.
* 1986-93
Was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, for seven years. OSU had an overall 128-88 record during that time span. During his seven- year stint, OSU advanced to postseason play five times, including three times to the NCAA Tournament and two appearances in the NIT Tournament.
* 1993-97
Was appointed head coach at Oral Roberts University on March 8, 1993. He registered an overall coaching record of 55-54 in four seasons, but over the past two seasons has compiled a 39-16 mark. He led ORU to an appearance in the NIT Tournament in 1996-97. Following a loss to Tulsa on Jan. 11, 1997, ORU won 12 of its final 13 regular season games in the 1996-97 season.
* 1997-2000
Was named head coach at The University of Tulsa on July 3, 1997. Despite a season of adversity, Self led his first Tulsa team to a 19-12 record and a third place 9-5 record in the Western Athletic Conference's Pacific Division. Tulsa won 10 of their final 14 games, with the only losses coming at the hands of #15 TCU twice, #20 New Mexico, by a combined total of six points, and a 10-point road loss at Hawaii. His 19-12 record was the fifth best mark for a first-year head coach among the 26 head basketball coaches in Tulsa school history.
