Kansas head coach Bill Self may head to retirement early.
Self, 54, who has led the Jayhawks to two straight Elite 8s in the NCAA Tournament, doesn't necessarily foresee himself coaching as long as some of his fellow co.
"I've said all along that if I could go to my late 50s, that'd be good for me," Self said Wednesday, via ESPN.com. "Now that I'm getting close to my late 50s, I'm like, 'Well ... ,' but my contract runs until I'm 59, so I've got five more years left. I definitely want to do that. Then whatever happens after that I'd be happy with whatever. But I don't want to [coach too late]."
A number of college basketball's most storied active coaches are well into their 60s, or even creeping into their 70s. Self, whose current contract ends after the 2021-22 season, may not have the energy to follow them.
"With recruiting the way that it is, it just wears you down," Self said.
Not only do college coaches have to battle each other blue-chip high school recruits, they now have to attend junior college games and attract graduate transfers to help strengthen their squads.
While Self's current lean to ride off into the sunset in a few years may seem odd for a coach in his prime, more coaches down the road could follow his lead if the rigors of college coaching continue to grow.
