Bill Self Hopes To Be Back on Kansas Bench on Saturday
Kansas coach Bill Self told the Jayhawks’ pre-game radio show that he hopes to be able to coach in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
This assumes, of course, that the Jayhawks (28-7), the No. 1 seed in the West Region, defeat the No. 16-seed Bison on Thursday.
Assistant coach Norm Roberts was set to run the Jayhawks’ bench for the fourth straight game.
Kansas announced Self would miss the game about 90 minutes before tip-off in Des Moines, Iowa.
Self told Jayhawks pre-game host Brian Hanni that while his recovery is moving in the right direction he’s not quite ready to be on the bench.
“Everything is moving in a positive direction,” Self said. “It’s just taking longer than I had hoped it would to get me back to the point where I can be out there every day. If we are able to do some good things today, then hopefully Saturday will be a different story in that regard.”
Self’s comments were reported by the Kansas City Star.
Before Thursday’s game, Roberts said that Self had attended practice and all team meetings on Wednesday. He characterized Self’s status to be on the bench then as “day-to-day.”
Self missed the entire Big 12 Tournament after a health emergency last Wednesday night forced him to go to the hospital.
He went to the hospital complaining of chest tightness and balance concerns. After an assessment, Self underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed for the treatment of blocked arteries. Self was discharged from the hospital on Sunday and is expected to make a full recovery.
As of Thursday, Self has not spoken to the media. Roberts has handled all head-coach media obligations in his absence.
Without Self, the Jayhawks beat West Virginia and Iowa State in the first two games of the Big 12 Tournament before losing to Texas in the championship game on Saturday night.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
