NCAA basketball: Top 25 highest-paid college basketball coaches for 2020

10. Bill Self, Kansas

Salary: $3,985,857 | Buyout: $16,112,000

After a college basketball career as a player with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Bill Self got his start right away in coaching at Kansas as an assistant for the 1985-86 season. He then went to his alma mater, where he spent seven seasons as an assistant for the Cowboys. It was in the 1993-94 season, however, that he got his first shot at being a head coach.

Self quickly climbed the college hoops coaching ladder, taking Oral Roberts from 6-21 to 21-7 in four years, taking Tulsa from 19-12 to 32-5 in three years and then winning at least 25 games in three seasons with Illinois. It was his success in the Big Ten that ultimately earned Self the chance to return where his coaching career began, with the Kansas Jayhawks.

Since joining the Jayhawks as the head coach, Self has maintained the rich legacy in Lawrence. Not only is he an impressive 500-109 overall with the program but he’s brought them a bounty of hardware. Kansas has won the Big 12 regular season crown 15 times in the last 16 years while also making it to three Final Fours under Self. Oh yeah, they also got the goods in one of those trips, winning the 2008 National Championship.

It’s not just the titles that speak to Self’s credit, though. While there are detractors from the head coach, you can’t argue with his ability to sustain success at a high-level program. Perhaps the best indication of that is that Kansas has only lost consecutive games 13 times over Self’s 17 seasons with the program. That type of winning is only likely to continue, meaning he’s more than worth what he’s being paid.