No. 7 Kansas found itself in an unexpectedly tense matchup with Cincinnati on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse, so you can forgive Jayhawks head coach Bill Self if he wasn’t checking his phone constantly to see what Joel Embiid was up to in Philadelphia.
Self, who coached Embiid during his meteoric rise at KU, only knew that the big man was closing in on 30 points near halftime of the 76ers game against San Antonio. The coach had no clue his former protégé finished with a franchise record 70 points — becoming the ninth player in NBA history to do so — until after Kansas finished off the Bearcats.
It was during an on-court interview after the game with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter that Self learned how Embiid’s night turned out and his reaction was perfect.
Bill Self on Joel Embiid's 70 piece lolpic.twitter.com/3K3ewYLZV0
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 23, 2024
“Hey guys, he learned everything in the eight months he was here in Lawrence, Kansas.” Self deadpanned. “Everything.”
Self went on to talk about how he knew Embiid was going to be a generational talent just from watching him in high school, but the quick quip is a solid reminder of the number one rule when coaching college sports: Always be recruiting.
