Big 12 Basketball Hall of Famer Announces Retirement

One of the best assistant coaches in college basketball history is hanging up the whistle, as Kansas’ Norm Roberts has announced his retirement after 37 years of service to the sport.

Roberts has spent each of the last 14 seasons with the Jayhawks, winning seven Big 12 regular-season titles, three Big 12 Tournament championships, and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 five times, the Elite Eight four times, and captured the 2022 NCAA National Championship title.

“I want to thank everybody at the University of Kansas and from everywhere I’ve been lucky enough to coach,” Roberts said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate that I’ve never worked a day in my life. Being able to coach at Kansas and be part of this program has been unbelievable. After 37 years as a coach, it is time for me to move on, enjoy my family, spend more time with my wife (Pascale) and sons (Niko and Justin). The thing I’m going to remember most is the players and watching them grow, watching them succeed, and watching them fight through adversity and come back from that.”

A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame member, Roberts was on Coach Bill Self’s original KU coaching staff in 2003-04. Following that season, he was named the head coach of St. John’s, where he served for six seasons. He rejoined Self’s staff prior to the 2012-13 season and was on the Kansas sideline through this most recent season.

“This is a bittersweet moment for me because Norm and I have been together since 1995,” said KU head coach Bill Self about when Roberts joined his staff at Oral Roberts prior to the 1995-96 season. “Norm has played a key role in our success at all of the stops we have had together, especially here at Kansas. From recruiting to developing players to scouting and his knowledge of the game both on and off the court, Norm has been instrumental in what we have achieved. We won a lot of games together – many conference titles, deep NCAA Tournament runs, Final Fours, and a national championship. We’ve had some unbelievable memories that will last our lifetimes. 

Self added, “We should all be happy for Norm to go enjoy life with Pascale and his boys. Norm has done as good of a job as anyone in representing the University of Kansas, the athletic department, and our basketball program in a first-class manner.”