Kansas shares Bill Self’s status for NCAA Tournament opener

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Self is recovering after he underwent a medical procedure earlier this month, but the Kansas coach will not be on the sideline for the Jayhawks’ first game of the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas announced on Thursday that Self will miss the team’s game against Howard.

Self was hospitalized on March 8 after complaining of “chest tightness and balance concerns.” Doctors inserted two stents to treat blocked arteries, and Self responded well to the procedure. He was discharged from the hospital on Sunday night and said he was excited to rejoin the Jayhawks at some point this week.

Assistant coach Norm Roberts served as acting head coach during the Big 12 Tournament while Self was out and will again when 1-seed Kansas takes on 16-seed Howard. Roberts provided a positive update on Self while speaking with the media on Wednesday.

“He’s doing well today,” Roberts said. “He was at practice today, he was at practice last night and all of our meetings. He’s doing well, he’s getting better all the time. We’re hopeful and everything is day-to-day with him, but if you ask our guys he got after them pretty good today so he was doing really well.”

Self, 60, is one of the best coaches in college basketball history. He has led Kansas to two national titles and four Final Four appearances. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.