Kansas coach Bill Self ‘day to day’ at March Madness
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bill Self’s status for Kansas’ opener in the NCAA Tournament was uncertain Wednesday, though assistant coach Norm Roberts said the Jayhawks remain hopeful he’ll be on the bench when they play Howard on Thursday.
Kansas’ Hall of Fame coach was discharged from a Kansas City-area hospital Sunday, where he’d been recovering after a procedure to treat blocked arteries in his heart.
Self attended practice at Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday morning but did not participate in his team’s media availability.
“He’s getting better all the time,” Roberts said. “We’re hopeful. Everything is day-to-day with him. If you ask our guys, he got after them today.”
Roberts said Self missed the news conference so he could get some rest before the top-seeded Jayhawks begin play in the West Region.
All-American Jalen Wilson said Self had good energy at practice.
“Looking great,” Wilson said. “He’s excited. We’re all excited. Great to have him back with us.”
Self went to the emergency room the night of March 8, shortly after watching the Jayhawks in a final shootaround ahead of their Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal. He was complaining of chest tightness and concerns with his balance.
Dr. Mark Wiley, the chief of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Kansas Health System, said the 60-year-old Self underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed to help treat the blocked arteries.
Roberts, coached the Jayhawks in the Big 12 Tournament. Roberts also served as acting coach earlier in the season, while Self was serving a school-imposed four-game suspension.
Kansas beat West Virginia and Iowa State in the Big 12 tourney with Roberts again on the bench before getting blown out 76-56 by seventh-ranked Texas in Saturday night’s championship game.
Self is 581-130 during two decades at Kansas, and 788-235 in 30 seasons as a head coach, which includes stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He led the Jayhawks to the national title in 2008 with an overtime win over Memphis. Kansas then hung a sixth championship banner in Allen Fieldhouse after its win over North Carolina last April.
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