Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self will miss the remainder of the Big 12 tournament after undergoing a procedure, the university announced Thursday.
The university initially announced that Self would miss Kansas’ Big 12 quarterfinal against West Virginia due to illness. The The Jayhawks beat the Mountaineers 78-61 Thursday under assistant coach Norm Roberts.
Following the win, Kansas said Self will not rejoin the team for Friday’s game against Iowa State as he continues to receive treatment at the University of Kansas Health System. A hospital spokesman did not elaborate on the procedure, but noted that he did not suffer a heart attack.
“Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Stites would like to clarify that the coach did not suffer a self-inflicted heart attack as reported by some media outlets,” the hospital said in a statement. Report Kansas shared. “He came to the emergency department last night and underwent a standard treatment that went well. He is expected to make a full recovery.”
Self did not provide a timetable for his return, saying only that he is “excited to be back with my team in the future.” He added, “I’m very grateful for the many well-wishes my family and I have received.”
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After his team’s quarterfinal loss to Iowa State on Thursday, Baylor coach Scott Drew addressed Self’s absence.
“We’re praying,” Drew said. “Life is short, winning the game of life is the most important thing.”
Kansas enters the Big 12 tournament ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. With a 25-6 record when the field is announced Sunday, the Jayhawks are in contention for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Self won his second national title at the school last season, defeating North Carolina in the championship game.
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Roberts coached the team for four games earlier this season when Self was suspended amid an NCAA investigation into rules violations. No decision has been announced in this case.
He attended a shoot-around at the T-Mobile Center on Wednesday and appeared to be in normal condition. After meeting with reporters for about 20 minutes outside the locker room, he said his team is ready for another March run.
“We talked about going to Kansas City and trying to position ourselves to win this thing, but we better take it one game at a time,” he said. “I’ve put an emphasis on playing our best. It can validate what the (Big 12) competition does, what your regular season is. This is an opportunity to validate that.
Contributed by: Associated Press
