Why KU coach Bill Self agrees with IARP’s decision to strip Kansas Jayhawks of 15 wins

When the sun rose Wednesday morning, the Kansas Jayhawks basketball program was the country’s all-time leader in victories, with 2,385 to runner-up Kentucky’s 2,377.

Following a ruling that forced the Jayhawks to vacate 15 victories — games in which ineligible player Silvio De Sousa competed during the 2017-18 season — the Jayhawks ended the day seven victories behind the Wildcats.

Because KU used an ineligible player, the Jayhawks must also remove their 2018 Final Four banner from Allen Fieldhouse.

KU, which will now begin the 2023-24 season with 2,370 wins to UK’s 2,377, in one day went from eight up to seven down.

“I actually did feel like it was fair and I actually felt like it should have been done by the rule,” Self said. “We had a player participate while ineligible due to an illicit payment that we knew nothing about, but he (De Sousa) was still ineligible while participating.”

Self spoke at an afternoon news conference that followed the release of findings by NCAA’s Independent Accountability Review Process, or IARP — findings that finally closed the book on KU’s six-year NCAA infractions case.

“So the 15 wins that occurred while Silvio participated in the 2018 spring semester — he didn’t play in 2017 — I believe are warranted to be taken away, because that is the rule,” Self said. “If you take away the wins, you naturally take away a banner, because the banner wouldn’t have existed without the wins.”

Self said KU’s maintenance department “will take care of it (removal of the Final Four banner) for us. That was something that was imposed today I certainly expected,” he added of the ruling that forces KU to vacate victories.

Because the Jayhawks’ 2017-18 season has basically been wiped from the record books, KU now is tied with UCLA for most consecutive regular-season conference titles: 13. The Jayhawks’ run of consecutive league crowns was 14 before Wednesday’s ruling.

Also, KU’s record of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances has dipped from 33 and counting to 28, ending in 2017-18. KU still owns the all-time record of consecutive tourney appearances, with 28 to North Carolina’s 27.

“I’ll make one thing clear ... the penalties that were imposed today were basically the vacation of wins,” said Self, whose career record as KU’s coach dipped from 580-132 to 565-132. “The three years probation (announced Wednesday by the IARP) and the other penalties that have been discussed were self-imposed penalties we knew we were going to deal with because we self-imposed those before the ruling ever came out.”

Self and KU assistant Kurtis Townsend were each suspended for four games to begin the 2022-23 season. KU also self-imposed some recruiting restrictions ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Wednesday’s ruling also moved the NCAA’s Level I violations against Self and Townsend to Level II and III violations.

The IARP ruled that KU’s coaches were unaware of payments made by Adidas representatives to the guardian of De Sousa and mother of another former KU player, Billy Preston.

“Today is a good day for Kansas basketball,” Self said, “and the findings the panel found reiterated our staff acted with integrity and honesty and had no knowledge of payments to student-athletes.

“While this has been a very long process, I’m appreciative it has ended and where it has ended and I’m eager to move forward without this cloud hovering above our program.”

Self thanked “the IARP for their professionalism and fair review of the facts throughout this entire process.” He also thanked KU chancellor Douglas Girod and athletic director Travis Goff “for their support, leadership and alignment that exists within our university and athletic department and I’m very very proud to be head basketball coach here.”

Finally, Self thanked his players — past and present — for not letting the cloud of a six-year NCAA investigation affect them on the court.

“When you coach a group of young men, regardless of sport, or young ladies, it becomes more than a team, it becomes a family,” Self said. “With a family you deal with ups and downs. This is something we’ve dealt with. We’ve been straightforward, forthright and honest with our guys where this is and how it could potentially impact them.

“They’ve handled it like you’d think mature young men would. I’m proud of them. If you go back and look at it this there could always be a cloud that you have in the back of your mind thinking ‘what if?’ They eliminated the what if and pressed forward, and our staff did, as well.”

Self said Wednesday’s findings will help in recruiting.

“I think from a recruiting standpoint there’s no doubt this has impacted recruiting,” Self said. “I am not sure it impacted recruiting recently as much as it did three to four years ago, because the reality is I don’t think this is talked about as much today as what it was three or four years ago.

“I think, and my staff knows this, I think our recruiting will be impacted favorably, but I don’t know if it’ll be a huge impact. I think my staff has done a pretty good job in the last few years recruiting players that are difference-makers at the University of Kansas.”