Assistant Norm Roberts will serve as acting head coach
By Joe Morgan
The Kansas Jayhawks will be without their head coach for Saturday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas, the school announced.
Self, who also missed Thursday’s opening-round game against Howard, is recovering from a heart procedure he underwent last week.
Assistant Norm Roberts will serve as acting head coach against the Razorbacks.
Self did attend closed practice on Wednesday but is considered day-to-day, according to Fox4 Kansas City.
“I’m feeling much better,” Self said Wednesday. “I’ve got more energy. I’ve been with the team all week, on a limited basis in practice, but I’m there every day. Doing a lot of sitting in practice, I’ve never really done that. Getting better at that, I guess. But, still, I’m not ready to coach the game.”
“Norm is going to handle all the stuff. The same way he handled the first four games of the season, and the Big 12 Tournament.”
Kansas initially said this week that Self would coach in the tournament. He was discharged from the hospital on Sunday following the heart procedure.
“KU coach Bill Self was discharged from the University of Kansas Health System today in good condition,” the team said in a statement. “He arrived at the emergency department Wednesday evening March 8 complaining of chest tightness and balance concerns. Clinical Service Chief for Cardiovascular Medicine and Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Mark Wiley said Coach Self underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed for the treatment of blocked arteries. Coach Self responded well to the procedure and is expected to make a full recovery.”
The Jayhawks are the defending national champions and are 28-7 this season, earning a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
