Kansas coach Bill Self hospitalized out of ‘caution,’ doesn’t travel with team to Colorado

By Zach Powell, CJ Moore and Justin Williams

Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self was taken to the hospital Monday “out of an abundance of caution,” the school said, and did not travel with the team for Tuesday’s game at Colorado.

Self was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital and received IV fluids, the school said, adding that he was “feeling better.”

It’s the second time in the last year that Self, 62, has been admitted to the hospital. He had two stents inserted in July after he “felt unwell and experienced some concerning symptoms.”

In March 2023, Self missed the Big 12 tournament and the NCAA Tournament because of a heart condition. He was admitted to the hospital for chest tightness and balance concerns, underwent a standard heart catheterization and had two stents placed for the treatment of blocked arteries. Self later said he’d had a heart issue going back to the fall of the 2022-23 season and had an aorta valve replaced. On the day before the Big 12 tournament, he coached practice and then went to the hospital soon after.

The only other action Self has missed in his 22 seasons at Kansas came at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, while serving a four-game suspension as part of the school’s self-imposed penalties in the aftermath of the FBI’s investigation into the underbelly of college basketball recruiting. Longtime Jayhawks assistant Norm Roberts, who retired this offseason, served as interim coach during the two absences that year.

It’s unclear who would step into Self’s place if he’s unable to coach for any period of time, as Roberts retired after last season, but multiple candidates on staff could be the interim coach. Kansas elevated 11-year assistant Jeremy Case to associate head coach this offseason and also hired alumnus Jacque Vaughn, who has NBA head-coaching experience with the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets. Kurtis Townsend, who has been on staff since 2004, is Self’s longest-tenured assistant.

Self and KU agreed to a new “lifetime” contract in 2023, putting him on a five-year rolling term and making him the highest-paid coach in college basketball.

Kansas (13-5) has climbed to No. 19 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll after consecutive wins over Iowa State and Baylor. After Colorado, the Jayhawks will travel to in-state rival Kansas State on Saturday before they host No. 13 BYU one week later at Allen Fieldhouse.