KU basketball planning on Bill Self coaching in NCAA Tournament, Norm Roberts says
Kansas basketball assistant coach Norm Roberts provided some positive news regarding Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self following the Jayhawks’ 76-56 loss to Texas on Saturday in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament at T-Mobile Center.
Roberts, who served as acting head coach for KU’s Big 12 quarterfinal win over West Virginia, semifinal victory over Iowa State and loss in the final, said the Jayhawks expect Self to return for the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.
The Jayhawks are projected to receive a No. 1 seed in the tournament, which would likely place them in action on Thursday, March 16, and Saturday, March 18, in Des Moines, Iowa, for the first and second rounds of the event.
Self since Wednesday night has been under doctors’ care at University of Kansas Health System.
“He’s doing well. We plan on him coaching next week,” Roberts said of 20th-year KU coach Self.
Could Self possibly be with the team when it gathers as a group to watch the Selection Sunday show?
“I would hope so, but I haven’t talked to him yet,” Roberts said. Point guard Dajuan Harris also referenced Self potentially being back with the team on Sunday.
On Friday, KU Athletics clarified internet rumors that Self had suffered a heart attack, saying — via a statement from the KU Health System — that Self “did not suffer a heart attack” and instead “arrived at the emergency department” on Wednesday evening and “underwent a standard procedure that went well.”
KU guard Joseph Yesufu, who scored 11 points versus the Longhorns, said Self “is very needed. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. We all miss him. We love him. We wish the best for him.”
“I pray,” Yesufu added, asked if he might see Self on Sunday.
Yesufu said he and his teammates have been concerned about Self but encouraged by updates on how he’s doing. Yesufu said he was relieved “as soon as I heard his voice” Friday on speaker phone, the morning of the Iowa State game. Self did not speak with the team Saturday but did speak to Roberts.
“Just hearing his voice made me feel very good knowing he’s OK and will be OK,” Yesufu added. “He’s going to be fine, He’s tough.”
Yesufu said he appreciated the job the other coaches have been doing during a tough week without the head coach.
“We all love the coaching staff. They are great people,” Yesufu said. “They’ve made me a better man since I got here.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 7:35 PM.