Defending national champion Kansas men’s basketball will be without coach Bill Self to begin its 2022–23 season, the program announced on Wednesday. Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend will each serve a self-imposed four-game suspension to start the campaign. Stadium’s Jeff Goodman was first to report the news.
The self-imposed sanctions stem from the 2017 NCAA investigation into the Jayhawks program, according to Goodman. Kansas was tied into that year’s FBI investigation into corruption in the sport, with the NCAA alleging that Self and Townsend “embraced, welcomed and encouraged” representatives of Adidas, KU’s long-time apparel partner, recruiting players on the program’s behalf, an effort that allegedly involved improper benefits.
Norm Roberts, the former coach of St. John’s and a Self assistant since 2012, will take over interim head coaching duties during the suspension.
