Bill Self Fined by NCAA

Mar 29, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts on the sideline against the Michigan Wolverines in the first half during the semifinals of the South regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas Jayhawks’ coach Bill Self received an official reprimand from the NCAA along with a fine for his actions in the NCAA tournament. The NCAA’s website reports that the fine was for a moment in particularly when Self angrily damaged the LED scorers table when he hit during his team’s 3rd round game against UNC.

"“Coach Self’s actions were out of line with the committee’s expectations that championship participants act in a manner that represents the highest standards of sportsmanship,” said Ron Wellman, chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and athletic director at Wake Forest"

It was a game which Kansas won but struggled at times and Self let his frustration boil over. While Self should not be hitting things in plain view like he did, it is a sign of a man who truly is compassionate about the game he coaches.

As well, with some of the news that has come out of college basketball recently, with coaches being rough on their players, Self’s actions seem tame in comparison. I don’t disagree that he earned himself a fine, he is in a position of leadership and public destruction of property is not cool. That being said, I doubt this is going to hurt his reputation as a coach or his ability to recruit star players to Kansas (let’s all ask Andrew Wiggins what he thinks about the incident).

Maybe the fine was spear headed by Wellman, out of frustration at Kansas for having landed the biggest prospect in well over a decade, knowing that his Demon Deacons were never really in the running.