What happened to Bill Self? Health scare explored as Kansas coach addresses retirement
Bill Self is a legendary Kansas Jayhawks coach who's won two national championships with the team. However, the 60-year-old coach wasn't able to be with his team during the last NCAA Tournament.
Self has dealt with serious health issues over the past few months. The Jayhawks coach felt chest tightness and had problems with his balance, which is why he had to go to the emergency room.
Norm Roberts, the assistant head coach, coached the Jayhawks during March Madness. However, the team was eliminated in the second round in what was one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Bill Self does not play on retiring anytime soon
The health scare caused Bill Self to be hospitalized. There were rumors that the Kansas Jayhawks coach suffered a heart attack, which was certainly not the case. Instead, the coach went through a standard procedure.
Self was treated at the University of Kansas Health System, where he had two stents placed to help treat blocked arteries. While the medical procedure was standard, the doctors recommended him to stay away from basketball for a while as it could cause problems.
“The risk of my blood pressure elevating was something that they saw as a potential major concern, so that was eliminated,"Self said in his first interview after the procedure.
The Jayhawks coach was given the green light to return for the West Regional Final game. However, No. 1 Kansas was eliminated in the second round by No. 8 Arkansas, which was a huge upset.
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If the Jayhawks had won the game, they would have played against the UConn Huskies, who ended up winning the tournament.
The Huskies had one of the most dominant runs of all time, which is why their 23-point win over Arkansas was no surprise. However, it would have been interesting to see them match up against Kansas.
Self's health scare was something he had never experienced before. However, he is not going to let it affect his coaching career. The basketball coach said that he had no plans to retire, which is why we expect him to return to the bench next season.
"The one thing I can tell you without question: I missed my job. I love my job and I want to do my job for a long time," the coach said.
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Bill Self has been with Kansas since 2003. He's led the team to a 580-132 record and has won the national championship twice. Their most recent championship was in 2022, when the Jayhawks defeated No. 8 North Carolina in the final game of the tournament.