LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas coach Bill Self was discharged from a Kansas City-area hospital Sunday, where he had been recovering after a procedure to treat blocked arteries in his heart, and the Hall of Famer plans to rejoin the No. 3 Jayhawks as they begin defense of their NCAA championship this week.
Self went to the emergency room Wednesday night, shortly after watching his team in a final shootaround ahead of the Big 12 Tournament, and was complaining of chest tightness and concerns with his balance.
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Dr. Mark Wiley, the chief of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Kansas Health System, said Self underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed to help treat the blocked arteries.
“Coach Self responded well to the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery,” Wiley said.
The Jayhawks were coached in the Big 12 Tournament by Norm Roberts, who also served as acting coach earlier in the season, while Self was serving a school-imposed four-game suspension. They beat West Virginia and Iowa State before getting blown out 76-56 by seventh-ranked Texas in Saturday night's championship game.
Afterward, Roberts said he expected Self to coach the Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m so thankful for the amazing staff at the University of Kansas Health System for the excellent care I received,” Self said in a statement. "I am proud of our team and coaching staff for how they have handled this and am excited to be back with them as the best time of the season gets underway.”
The 60-year-old Self is 581-130 during his two decades at Kansas, and is 788-235 in his 30 seasons as a head coach, which includes stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He led the Jayhawks to their fifth national title in 2008 with an overtime win over Memphis. Kansas hung its sixth banner in Allen Fieldhouse after its win over North Carolina last April.
The Jayhawks, who won the regular-season Big 12 title, hardly seemed to be bothered by their lackluster loss to Texas, when they were also missing injured defensive stopper Kevin McCullar Jr. Instead, they were looking forward to the NCAA tourney and getting both McCullar and their coach back on the court.
“We already brushed it off,” Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. said in its mostly empty locker room Saturday night. “We’ve just got to get ready for March Madness. It’s a quick turnaround and a new season.”
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