Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has the unusual distinction of putting together a coaching legacy that will rank among the all time greats at one of the nation's preeminent basketball schools...while being unquestionably underrated. Notwithstanding the Jayhawks loss to Oklahoma State this weekend, Kansas is leading the Big 12 and is the odds on favorite to win their eleventh straight regular season conference title (including co-championships).

Self's twelve seasons in Lawrence have also resulted in five Elite Eight appearances, two Final Fours, and a National Championship. Certainly, Kansas was a college hoops heavyweight long before Self's arrival, and the smart money is they will be so long after Self hangs up his coaching whistle. (Which any thinking Kansas fan hopes will not occur until about the year 2030 or beyond.) But, the way the Jayhawks have continued their winning ways under Self is remarkable.

Mind you, two of the aforementioned conference championships came in years in which the Jayhawks returned no starters from the previous season, and one of those titles came in a season in which Kansas was picked sixth in the Big 12's preseason poll. The point is that the Jayhawks have not always been seen as the king of the mountain in the Big 12 when the season begins, but under Bill Self, they literally almost always end up on top.

Self's teams were once-and maybe still are-looked at by some as the team that always “chokes” during tournament time or never quite lives up to its billing. This is a moniker that can only be labeled against a team that annually goes into March as a tourney contender or favorite. In fact, Kansas over the Self era has been one of the nations' most consistently dominant teams. Consider that Duke has more 1st round tourney exits than Kansas during the Self era and that Florida, Louisville, Kentucky, and North Carolina have all missed the NCAA tournament at least once during that time span. A cogent  argument can be made that only Michigan State has been as consistently excellent as KU since Self took the reins in the house that Phog Allen built.

This is not to say that Self is better than the coaches of similar heavyweight programs mentioned above. Indeed, coaches Donovan, Pitino, Williams, Izzo, and Krzyzewski have all more than earned their accolades as being living legends in the college coaching ranks. In fairness, it should be noted that all of these men hold either more NCAA championships and/or Final Four appearances than Self.

The point here is to ask the rhetorical question of why Self's name is not mentioned as readily among the active greats of college coaching with the same frequency and volume as the men referenced above. Even if one believes that Self doesn't yet reside in the exclusive zip code of those sublime coaches, there is no possible denying that he is a preapproved buyer just waiting for his new mansion to be finished.

It would easy to point out as a reason for the relative lack of acclaim that Self has attained his loftiest of heights during his career based in Lawrence, Kansas, which is not now and will never be confused with a major market. However, East Lansing, Michigan; Gainseville, Florida; Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina; as well as Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky-fine towns and cities all-are not exactly media hubs themselves. Yet the coaches who operate out of those bases don't lack for a fawning national media. Mind you, the assertion is not that Self doesn't get adulation outside of Lawrence. Its that he deserves more.

Consider this. Self is a young and energetic looking 52 years of age who will turn 53 in December. He has 544 career wins as of the writing of this article, which is indicative not only of his great success at Kansas, but also excellent records at Illinois, Tulsa, and Oral Roberts.

It is safe to assume that he will accumulate a few more victories before the end of this season; afterwards he will be entering a season (2015-2016) during which he will turn 53. Do you know how many career wins the sublime Mike Krzyzewski had going into the season when he turned 53? 461. That's right, Self is 80+ wins (and counting) ahead of the first coach in men's D-I history to notch one thousand victories at a similar place in their careers. (Billy Donovan is also well ahead of that nebulous point of evaluation, having attained his 462nd victory at the tender age of 49)

This is not to predict that Self will one day attain one thousand wins, much less surpass Coach K. (The wondrous Duke coach, a 67 year old who looks like he is about to turn 42, just might grab another thousand wins with the way he's going.)

Surely, Self's critics will assert that he needs at least one more national title, if not multiple titles, to earn the consistently high praise of the other greats. That's a subjective opinion that may have merit, but is also a testament to how ridiculously high the bar is for the Kansas coach in the eyes of some. (Last comparison. John Wooden, the greatest of all the college hoop coaching legends and holder of the most national titles with a breath taking 10, didn't win his first until he was 53.)

Regardless of where you rank Self among the top active coaches, the truth that can't be denied - even by his detractors - is that he is winning at an incredibly consistent rate and has won at the highest level, having secured a national title and dominating his competitive conference like none of his contemporaries.

He is very much appreciated for his outstanding career. It just seems from this view point that the appreciation should be much, much more intense. After all, it must be difficult to be truly great yet under appreciated at the same time.

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