Bill Self, whose Kansas team is the defending men’s national champion, will miss his team’s Big 12 tournament quarterfinal Thursday after being hospitalized because of an illness, the school announced.
“Self is doing well and receiving great care at the University of Kansas Health System,” the school said in a statement, providing no further details on the 60-year-old coach’s ailment or condition.
Self spoke informally with media members after the team’s shoot-around Wednesday in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center, where his team’s tournament opener against West Virginia will be held.
“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” he said (per the Associated Press). “I’ve put the emphasis on let’s go play our best. What the [Big 12] tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”
ADVERTISING
Earlier this year, Kansas won the Big 12 regular-season title for the 17th time in Self’s tenure and earned the top seed in the Big 12 tournament after going 13-5 in the conference and 25-6 overall. The Jayhawks are a likely No. 1 seed on the NCAA tournament’s Selection Sunday.
Assistant coach Norm Roberts will fill in for Self, who missed four games earlier in the season because of his role in an NCAA infractions case.
Roberts offered no information on Self’s health in a brief interview with ESPN as the team arrived at T-Mobile for the afternoon game.
“We always say next man up; faces change but expectations don’t,” he said. “That’s what coach preaches every day and our guys know that. We know he’s in good hands and he’s doin’ well.”
“Self is doing well and receiving great care at the University of Kansas Health System,” the school said in a statement, providing no further details on the 60-year-old coach’s ailment or condition.
Self spoke informally with media members after the team’s shoot-around Wednesday in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center, where his team’s tournament opener against West Virginia will be held.
“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” he said (per the Associated Press). “I’ve put the emphasis on let’s go play our best. What the [Big 12] tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”
ADVERTISING
Earlier this year, Kansas won the Big 12 regular-season title for the 17th time in Self’s tenure and earned the top seed in the Big 12 tournament after going 13-5 in the conference and 25-6 overall. The Jayhawks are a likely No. 1 seed on the NCAA tournament’s Selection Sunday.
Assistant coach Norm Roberts will fill in for Self, who missed four games earlier in the season because of his role in an NCAA infractions case.
Roberts offered no information on Self’s health in a brief interview with ESPN as the team arrived at T-Mobile for the afternoon game.
“We always say next man up; faces change but expectations don’t,” he said. “That’s what coach preaches every day and our guys know that. We know he’s in good hands and he’s doin’ well.”
