Bill Self to miss Kansas’ first-round game

Kansas coach Bill Self will miss the Jayhawks’ first-round game of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday as he continues to recover from his recent heart issues.

Assistant coach Norm Roberts, who coached Kansas in the Big 12 tournament, will lead the top-seeded Jayhawks against 16th-seeded Howard on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I’m doing better. I’m feeling stronger and everything. I’m not going to coach today,” Self said on the team’s pregame radio show, per the Kansas City Star. “I don’t think I’m at the point where I can be very good for our team if I was out there. I’ve been at practice every day, sitting and watching practice more so than actually on the court participating in a big way.

“Everything is moving in a positive direction. It’s just taking longer than what 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.”

If the Jayhawks defeat the Bison, they will face the winner of Thursday’s game between ninth-seeded Illinois and eighth-seeded Arkansas.

Self was just released from the hospital Sunday. Self “arrived at the emergency department Wednesday evening March 8, complaining of chest tightness and balance concerns,” per the school.

Self, 60, underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed for treatment of blocked arteries, the school said. The school denied late last week that Self had a heart attack.

–Field Level Media

Feb 25, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self gestures toward an official against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports