Bill Self reacts to Bruce Weber resignation, comments directed towards Kansas

Kansas State men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber resigned from his position last week, prompting responses from coaches around the Big 12 at the tournament. On top of his resignation, Weber parted with a shot at programs, like Kansas, that will make the Big Dance while under NCAA investigation.

Reporters asked Jayhawks head coach Bill Self what he thought of Weber’s comments and his decision to step away from the Wildcats.

“I heard him, and I think this time of year everybody feels a little bit of stress, pressure, certainly can be emotional.” Self said. “I know that I go through those phases as well. I’ve enjoyed competing against his teams and I thought he did a good job in Manhattan and I wish him well whatever he does.”

Weber spoke about serving on the ethics committee and explained why he grew his hair out this season. He said his hair is so long because he was growing it until a decision came about it. He noted his hair is still growing. The NCAA’s independent process started its inquiry in 2019, and ESPN reported in August it made decisions to speed up the timeline on a decision.

LSU received their notice of allegations from the NCAA to end the week. The findings prompted the Tigers to fire head basketball coach Will Wade for cause.

Over 10 seasons at Kansas State, Weber won 184 games, made five NCAA Tournament appearances and won two Big 12 championships. In 2018, he took his team to the Elite Eight.

Self, Kansas take Big 12 Tournament title

The Big 12 Championship game was a tight one from start to finish, but ultimately the Kansas Jayhawks won 74-65 and claimed the conference title. Free throws were the name of the game for Kansas, shooting 25-of-32 at the line compared to 6-of-13 for Texas Tech. Texas Tech fought back the entire game though, keeping it close and giving fans across the conference an exciting ending to the Big 12 Tournament.

Kansas senior David McCormack had an outstanding second half and was named player of the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Texas Tech’s Bryson Williams had 17 points to lead his team, shooting 8-of-17 from the field. Four other Kansas players scored in double figures as well — Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, Christian Braun and Remy Martin.

With the win, Kansas will likely earn one of the coveted No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.