at first i thought he would be crazy to leave for ku, and im an ostate alum. its starting to make more sense with time, ok state gave him the opportunity to be so successful. why not come back home? why not? money, your alma mater. family, friends. why not?

Sean still should have gotten one more year...but there does seem to be some excitement about OSU basketball again.

Money is always the issue. Top 5 programs come and go-i.e. Indiana, UCLA, Georgetown, UConn, Michigan State.

Tim in Kingston- u r being ridiculous. Prostitute? Anyon, in any business, would do the same thing. He is at one of the top 5 programs in the country and will stay there. That's what coaches do; they start at a Tulsa, go to a Illinois, then try to get into a national power, Kansas. Don't be absurd. Leaving KU for O-State would go down as one of the dumbest coaching moves EVER. Self is smarter than that and ain't gonna happen. Money is not the issue here; winning nat'l championships is.

Jason, the same used to be stated about the University of Indiana in the Big 10. It is the coach, not the tradition.

If Bill Self leaves for OSU, there are some things he may want to consider. KU is one of those jobs in which the name makes the program, not the coach. With him leaving, that position becomes open. Since KU is a big name program, they have the opportunity to attract a big name coach. How would Self fair if he were recruiting against the possible likes of Pitino, Calipari, or others, armed with the traditions of KU basketball?

Wow, itsuckstobeinbred, ardmore, that's so clever. My fourth grader told me that one -- two years ago. At least now we all know your level of intelligence. For the rest of the folks on here, why is it getting so nasty about whether or not Bill Self actually materializes in Stillwater? Facts are, 1) no one here knows whether he is even considering it or not, 2) he is not going to say or do anything until after tomorrow's game, and 3) regardless of the tripe printed here (unless all of you actually think that, off chance, Self is reading this) he will make up his own mind. Tim, Kingston, I'm sure you would readily maintain your salary if a competitor came along and offered you two or three times what you make. Please, we all know better. Like it or not, Sooner fans, we now have a benefactor dumping money on our programs JUST LIKE OU has had with the Gaylords for eons. It was okay for OU then but now that OSU is benefitting from a like situation, its tainted? Does it appear to you (as it appears to everyone else) that you are talking out of both sides of your collective mouths? Actually, I think you are setting yourselves up for comments on future boards -- if Self makes the move to Stillwater, he's something that's "synonymous with prostitute," and if he doesn't make the move to O-State, then we OSU fans are ridiculed for thinking that he would. Truth be known, we're waiting just like everyone else to see. Would we like to see him here? You bet! Will he ever be here? Time will tell. And if its TBP's money that gets him here, great. If you want to cry foul, then have the Gaylord family pull their support for OU football and see how long Stoops stick around. If you're going to live in a glass house....

Now John, we all know why T. Boone stadium still has astroturf! it keeps the cheerleaders from grazing on the sidelines.

Bill Self(ish) will go where the money is. He coaches Tulsa to the Elite Eight in 2000, and the school asks him what he wants to make a long-term committment to stay there. He tells them what he wants, and they give it to him. Three weeks later,(Yes 3!!!) he leaves for Illinois. He pulls pretty much the same stunt 3 years later when he goes to Kansas. There is a word for that, and it is synonymous with prostitute.

Someone remind me what it is that we Sooner fans are jealous of.....I'm confused.

Yes Andrea, there really is a Santa Claus. His name is T.Boone Pickins. You're right, filling the vacant OSU basketball job won't come cheap and the Cowboys have plenty of dough. so we expect a superstar coach. The Sooners can't stand it can they? Does Gaylord Family Stadium in Norman still have a dirt floor? Go Pokes!!!

Look at the bottom of that last post, it came from the dictionary. That being said, spending a boat load of money on a high profile coach might not be in the best interest of osu, "a reckless person such as a driver pilot or manager who ignores potential risks"
Come on Holder "dont be a cowboy!

cow·boy Audio Help (kou'boi') Pronunciation Key
n.
A hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback. Also called cowman, cowpoke, cowpuncher; also called regionally buckaroo, vaquero, waddy2. See Regional Note at vaquero.
Slang A reckless person, such as a driver, pilot, or manager, who ignores potential risks.

Look what coach Fran accomplished at his prior jobs! then look what happened to him at the real A&M. That was a great post Gerald from Duncan. Tell T. Boone to put that vast amount of money into education, hire an up and coming coach, and if it works out then give him the raise he deserves. When I was a young lad, my grandpa told me about this great university that was on the rise! I have told my children the same story, we sit and wait, we sit and wait.

As an OSU alum, I have to congratulate ou on their decision to hire and stick with jeff capel...at the time an unknown commodity. The pokes need to find a jeff capel type commodity of their own, not throw tons of money at someone who is supposed to already be great....remember someone named Schnelenburger?

Mary, I totally disagree that "the fans want to see offense". One of the things OSU is known for is defense and there is nothing that gets GIA riled up like swarming, stifling, suffocating defense that leads to a turnover, be it a 5-second count, a forced time out, or a steal and THEN a dunk. That's what we all have been missing these last two years (that five-game streak at the end of this year being an exception). We have never really had hot-shot offense NBA style like other college teams, but we've had success because of GREAT defense combined with capable, blue-collar, hard-work offense.

At 63, KU AD Lew Perkins either retires in four or five years or he moves on. He did it at UConn in 2003. My guess, Perkins goes for more money at a higher profile school. And then where is Self in Lawrence? And my opinion on KU basketball future, it is that of Nebraska football over the last ten years. Too great a distance from the basketball recruiting grounds.

I would be less than proud to take the Boone Pickens blood money. Ask the thousands of Cities Service employees in Tulsa about the great benefactor T. Boone. T. Boone gave Chavez his power base.

yea, your right greg...i'm sure Roy Williams regrets his decision. He has only won a national championship, been to final fours, and won a couple of conference championships. I'm sure he is regretting that. So just keep on believing its bad karma, that or you can't win every game you play, you moron.

Mary, I disagree that a guy like reeves only comes around once every hundred years. Oklahoma porduces quite a bit more talent than that. Heck didn't Ryan Minor come out of Hammond the same year Reeves came out of Gans? Then there's guys like Tisdale, Humphrey, Eton Thomas, Sheldon Williams, Ebi Ere, Blake Griffin and the list goes on & on. Even the star Shooting Guard at Drake is from OK. These are all guys that can make up national contenders. The trick is keeping them here, in-state, while supplimenting Oklahoma talent with recruiting in Texas.

NO WAY SELF GOES TO OSU; HERE'S THE TOP REASONS;
#1. Bill Self loves KU A.D Lew Perkins.
#2. Bill Self wins a Championship at KU, he won't be a God, he'll be treated as if he were God.
#3. Kansas has more banners, final fours, titles and money than OSU thinks about.
#4. Mike Holder is a boorish, irrepresible tyrant who couldn't sell ice in an Arizona heat wave.
#5. Kansas is the Monarch of the Midway.
#6. You can NEVER GO HOME. Ask Roy Williams who just got has butt handed to him by the school he left. There was bad karma in that decision 5 years ago and Roy had it comin.
#7. Pickens and Holder may have a lot of money, but money never buys class and that is sorely lacking right now considering the latest slap in the face to the Sutton family.
#8. Bill Self realizes his own legacy, and stepping down to his alma mater would almost insure that he WON'T win another championship again,... ever.
Sorry Pokes, you can't buy your way out of this one.

Danny, "despite" his results??? Five (5) Big XII Championships and one National Championship isn't getting the job???

On this topic, it will be interesting to see if OSU can't get Self, if they'll offer a $4 million/year type deal to someone else.

Danny is calling the kettle black again.

I'm sure Boone has given Holder orders to flash some "big bucks" Bill Self's way at the Final Four, but it's just wishful thinking to believe Bill Self will come home to his alma mater where he would be endeared by the OSU faithful. I think winning national championships is more important to Bill than money at this stage of his career. The thing about Kansas is the name is it's own recruiting tool. Year after year you can recruit nationally the best players to come to Kansas with it's namesake first and foremost. They always go ten deep which enables them to play their "helter skelter" style of basketball for forty minutes. I almost have to laugh at what Eddie Sutton was able to accomplish with so little. A guy like "Big Country" Bryant Reeves only comes along once every hundred years in a state like Oklahoma, and at that he was a project, having played at an unheralded high school where not even the fundamentals were taught. Kansas always has two or three "Big Country's" year in and year out who come in as freshmen ready to contribute. Unfortunately, the players don't follow the coaches, they follow the history of the school's program. Eddie did a lot to bring OSU's program back to prominence, it would be ashame to see it fetter away, but there's only one Eddie. I'm certain that OSU will get a competent replacement for Sean but he'll really have to work to recruit nationally. There just isn't enough in-state talent to build a final four program. Even at that you see how Eddie did it with defense and unfortunately the fans want to see offense. Kansas is exciting to watch. They drive to the basket, they play the passing lanes on defense and get a lot of steels, they aren't a particularly great outside shooting team but they can jump on you in a hurry with their style of basketball. One thing Bill Self should remember though, his days are numbered at Kansas. This might be an opportunity of a life-time to become a favorite son of T. Boone Pickens and ensure his financial security for the rest of his natural life. They'll throw the red carpet out for Bill Self in Stillwater. They'll never do that for him at Kansas. They still have visions of Mark Turgeon taking over the program at Kansas. Bill would have his personal bungo at Karsten Creek with all the amenities. He's be back home where his family could be a part of his fortune and he could build a bigger house in Stillwater than Bob Stoops has in Norman. Come to think of it! Bill had better not mess this one up! This is the opportunity of a life-time. There's wealthy, then there's wealthy! Bill should think long and hard about this opportunity, because it may never present itself again.

Itsuckstobeyou in Ardmore, what a hillbilly, OU moron you are. You seem to be lacking any education and certainly intelligence.
Every major program has to pay good money to attract a top coach, dumba**. Do you think your ou could find someone to work for free?!
You Goons keep raising Bob "Lose The Big Game" Stoops' salary just to keep him staying in Norman despite his results.
You're a putz who hasn't a clue. You're just another jealous Sooner idiot.

Big money or not big money, we want a good coach. If the money is there then we need to leverage it to our advantage. At the end of the day, it's all business. Of course school's reputation and potential helps, and OSU is not exactly the 'blue blood' of college basketball. So if big money is all we need to get a trophy winning coach and the money is there, we should use it, either it's for Bill Self, Gillespie, John Lucas, etc. It's all business and Pickens is the master in it. SO, for example if in order to get a trophy winning coach, Pickens need to fork out $10 million a year, I don't see a problem with that. On the other hand, we should be grateful that we have a booster like him. It's nothing personal, it's strictly business...

I don't know. Does it annoy OU fans that they have to give Bob Stoops a raise almost anually to remain one of the highest paid coaches in the NCAA? Shouldn't he have fallen in love with Norman by now? Alma mater be damned, college sports is big business. Why would anyone expect to not be fully compensated for what they're worth? The Oklahoma media needs to look at national discussion that's going on with regards to the OSU vacancy. It's sad when the Pardon the Interruption guys and writers from Kansas City and Dallas have a better idea of the worth of the OSU program than some of our local sports media. And something tells me that if OU had dropped 5mil a year and gotten a coach of the caliber of Calipari (who was just dying to come to OU according to the local media), then we wouldn't be having this discussion.

osu fans, does it not insult your pride that T. Boone Pickens has to pay somebody big time money to want to coach in Stillwater? Shouldnt Bill Self himself want to come back to his own school to be with his own faithful, without being paid off? Such a shame for things to play out like they appear to be.