Kansas head coach Bill Self released from hospital just in time for NCAA Tournament
By Kristen Wong
Kansas head coach Bill Self was discharged from the hospital after receiving a heart procedure and should make a full recovery.
Kansas head coach Bill Self is returning just in time to coach his team at the NCAA Tournament as the Jayhawks look to defend their title.
Self and a dominant Kansas squad are setting out to make history this year despite losing the Big 12 championship to Texas on Saturday. Self had recently checked into a hospital on Wednesday to undergo a surgical procedure on his heart, missing the entire Big 12 tournament. The more important thing is that he appears to be on track to make a full recovery.
The school declined to comment on Self’s specific health concern when the long-time head coach first checked into the hospital, but the details have since been released: Self had a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed to treat blocked arteries.
Per Kansas’ assistant Norm Roberts, Self is recovering well and is expected to return in time to coach Kansas at the start of the NCAA Tournament; the first round is scheduled to begin on March 16-17 with the exact seedings yet to be announced.
Kansas coach Bill Self discharged from hospital today, per release, which says he arrived March 8 with "chest tightness and balance concerns." He underwent a "standard heart catheterization" and had two stents inserted to treat blocked arteries. "expected to make a full recovery"
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 12, 2023
Kansas HC Bill Self was discharged from hospital and is ready to coach again
Having Self back on the sidelines should inject another boost of confidence in the Jayhawks, who are projected to take a No. 1 seed and put up a fierce title defense.
In Self’s 20-year tenure at Kansas, the Jayhawks have won two national titles, one in 2008 and one in 2022, and 17 regular-season Big 12 titles.
In this year’s Big 12 Tournament, assistant coach Norm Roberts took over the reins to lead the Jayhawks into the championship game against Texas, ultimately falling 76-56 against a superior shooting side.
With the NCAA Tournament start just days away, Kansas gets a shot to prove it has what it takes to win a second consecutive championship — and the program will do so with one of college basketball’s winningest coaches back in the driver’s seat.
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