Who is the Best Coach in College Basketball Right Now?
There are many things to take into consideration when being a young prospect looking to take his talents to college. Is the program the right fit? How much playing time will I get? What if things go south? And, of course, who’s going to be calling the shots?
Having an elite coach can go a long way for a basketball program. Obviously, so do how much that said the program is willing to pay for your services, even if it’s against NCAA policies; let’s not lie to ourselves.
However, those who are looking for player development and a winning environment can always count on Kansas. Coach Bill Self has turned it into the Big 12’s most prominent powerhouse, and we’ll let you know just why he’s the best coach in NCAA basketball right now.
Bill Self: The Best Coach In College Basketball
With Coach K, Jay Wright, and Roy Williams already out of the picture, Bill Self put the cherry on top of the sundae by taking the 2022 National Championship home with an epic comeback win over the UNC Tar Heels. It was already easy to make a case for him being in a league of his own in college hoops, but there’s simply no debate after that.
Self has turned the Kansas Jayhawks into a juggernaut. He entered the season with 16 Big 12 regular-season titles in 19 years. He’s also won the Big 12 Tournament title nine times, with four trips to the Final Four and two National Championships under his belt (some argue he should’ve won a third if it wasn’t for the COVID-shortened season in 2020).
He’s made it one of the most appealing destinations for top-tier recruits over these two decades, but he’s also an elite tactician that will actually help you learn the ropes of the game and become a professional.
At just 59 years old, Bill Self has coached countless McDonald’s All-Americans and future NBA players, such as Mario Chalmers, the Morris twins, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., Devonte’ Graham, Josh Jackson, among others, and his numbers in charge of the program are just remarkable.
Under Self, Kansas won 14-straight Big 12 regular-season titles from 2005 to 2018. He also helped them pass Kentucky as the winningest program in college basketball history. He’s just a handful of wins away from passing the legendary Phog Allen (590 wins) as the winningest coach in program history, boasting 579 at the time of writing.
With him at the helm, the Jayhawks have sold out Allen Fieldhouse for 350 straight games, which isn’t a surprise considering they’ve been atop-10 team for the past 34 weeks, the longest active streak in all of the college hoops, and one reason why they’re one of the biggest favorites on this page.
The Jayhawks have gone 305-17 at home with Self leading the way, and that includes seven undefeated seasons at home. If that wasn’t enough, they’re a perfect 36-0 at home on Big Monday, 158-11 in Big 12 home games, and 147-6 in interconference games at home.
Bill Self has led his team to at least 10 Big 12 wins every single season he’s been in charge of the program, and their streak dates all the way back to 1984, the longest streak of that kind in college hoops. They also have gotten an NCAA tournament bid in 31 straight seasons, the best of all time. Notably, 20 of those have come under Self.
If that wasn’t enough, the Jayhawks have been a powerhouse even against the strongest teams in the world, going 50-26 against Top-10 ranked teams since he took over in 2003. He’s in a league of his own, indeed.
