Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self will miss the remainder of the Big 12 tournament after undergoing a procedure, the university announced on Thursday.
The university initially announced that Self would miss Kansas’ Big 12 quarterfinal matchup against West Virginia due to an illness. The Jayhawks went on to beat the Mountaineers 78-61 on Thursday under assistant coach Norm Roberts.
Following the win, Kansas said Self will not rejoin the team for their matchup against Iowa State on Friday because he’s receiving care at the University of Kansas Health System following a procedure. A hospital spokesperson didn’t go into detail about the procedure, but noted that he did not suffer from a heart attack.
“Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Stites wants to clarify that Coach Self did not suffer a heart attack as reported by some media,” the hospital said in a statement shared by Kansas. “He arrived at the emergency department last night and underwent a standard procure that went well. He is expected to make a full recovery.”
Self didn’t provide a timetable for his return, saying only that he’s “excited to get back with my team in the very near future.” He added that he’s “very grateful for the overwhelming number of well wishes my family and I have received.”
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Baylor coach Scott Drew addressed Self’s absence after his team lost to Iowa State in its quarterfinal game Thursday.
“We are prayerful,” Drew said. “Life is short. Winning the game of life is the most important thing.”
Kansas entered the Big 12 tournament ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll. With 25-6 record, the Jayhawks are in contention for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced Sunday. Self won his second national title at the school last season, beating North Carolina in the championship game.
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Roberts coached the team for four games earlier this season when Self served a suspension related to an ongoing NCAA investigation into rules violations. No decision on the case has been announced.
Self was present for a shoot-around at T-Mobile Center on Wednesday and appeared to be in normal condition. He met with reporters for about 20 minutes outside the locker room and said his team was ready for another March run.
“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” he said. “I’ve put the emphasis on let’s go play our best. What the (Big 12) tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
