Away Game
Coach Bill Self Prepares for Universiade
Photos courtesy of University of Kansas
The United States will be represented at the upcoming Universiade games in men’s basketball by a team led by current University of Kansas (KU) coach Bill Self and a squad composed of players from his collegiate team. Self boasts an impressive résumé, with an eye-popping 352-78 record (81.9 win percentage) in 12 seasons at KU, including a national championship in 2008, a return to the title game in 2012, and multiple National Coach of the Year awards—all making him significantly qualified to lead the US team. “We did pursue [the opportunity],” says Self, describing how he came to lead the team. “We submitted the information [the selection committee] requested, and they selected us. Of course, we were ecstatic.” Self and his players are eager for international competition – “You know you’ve got to win because you’re representing your country.”
Self detailed the benefits of taking on such a challenge. “Team bonding and seeing another part of the world. I’m also actually excited about studying and experimenting with the [international] rules.” He went on to describe some of the ways in which international basketball rules differ from those of the US collegiate game and the specific challenges that might present for both him and the players. “There will be an adjustment period. I’m going to call a timeout when you can’t call a timeout and players are going to want to sub in when they can’t sub in. There are going to be a lot of things like that.” However, Self did mention that one of the biggest differences in the international rules could actually prove to be a boon for his team. “To me, the biggest adjustment is being able to handle a 24-second clock [as opposed to the 35 seconds in US college games for the team possessing the basketball to put up a shot]. I think anything to force pace is good for us, though, because the college game is moving toward a quicker pace.”
Self discussed the prospect of facing international competition, and the growth of the sport worldwide. “I do think that the popularity [of basketball] is spreading like wildfire. Kids are beginning to play at an earlier age. Instruction is getting better and better all the time.” Self’s current university squad at KU includes at least one such member of the international basketball community, rising sophomore Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who will not be able to play with his teammates representing the US due to being a Ukrainian national. Self expressed his admiration for how international players who choose to play college basketball in the US handle the adversity. “The biggest issue is there is a little bit of a language barrier. What we forget in the States is how bright these kids are. We speak one language, but the majority of the kids that come [to the US] from another country speak two or three languages fluently. So, sometimes when we think they don’t understand – the bottom line is that we don’t understand. They’ve done such a great job of adapting.”
In comparing the current state of basketball with the rest of the world, Self added, “I think international basketball is growing and growing. Everybody says the world is catching up, which they are, but it’s not because [the] USA is going backwards – it’s because there is so much room for growth.” At the Olympic level, the US men’s basketball team has seen a resurgence to the top after falling below expectations in the early 2000s. This was accomplished under the tutelage of another highly successful US collegiate head coach, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University. Considering that Krzyzewski is currently 68 years old, Self was asked if he might consider being a possible successor for the leadership of USA basketball, as he makes his first foray into international competition at the Universiade at the age of 52. He denied any such intentions, saying, “No, and I’m not in a position to be considered for anything like that. Certainly, USA Basketball is on very solid footing and has made great improvements over the last decade or so.”
The 2015 Universiade will mark another first experience for Self and his team— the trip will be the first time in Korea, or Asia as a whole, for the entire group. As to his current knowledge of Korea, Self remarked, “The first thing that comes to mind is the city of Seoul, which is obviously one of the greatest cities in the world.” As for the city of Gwangju more specifically, he added “Something that really comes to mind is population. If I’m not mistaken, Gwangju is not a city that’s well known across the world, but you have in the neighborhood of two million people living there, which would be the equivalent of a major, major city in the United States.” Coach Self expressed hope of gaining more than on-court success at the Universiade, but hopes to also take away a greater appreciation for Gwangju and Korea as a whole. When asked if he had had a chance to learn more about the history or culture he admitted, “We haven’t yet, but we will.”