Bill Self discharged from the hospital, will rejoin Kansas for the NCAA Tournament
A massive storyline during this week’s Big 12 Tournament was the health of Kansas head coach Bill Self. The leader of the No. 1 seeded Jayhawks missed the event this weekend in Kansas City after being hospitalized and since going through ‘a standard procedure’. Now, although everything seemed okay with Self, many were wondering when he’d return to the sideline with the NCAA Tournament starting this week.
Per an update from Kansas, though, Jeff Borzello has shared the answer in a tweet this afternoon. Based on the release, Self was discharged from the hospital, has returned home, and will be rejoining the Jayhawks this week in preparation of March Madness.
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This news came out of left field as the Jayhawks prepared to open in the Big 12 Tournament. However, the team and interim head coach Nom Roberts did their best to provide updates and send love to their two-time national championship-winning coach.
While the program put up a valiant effort this week under Roberts, Kansas will want Self back and healthy for any potential run in the NCAA Tournament. It appears they’ll be getting exactly that too with this news that he has returned home and will be back on the floor with the Jayhawks this week.
Roberts provides health update on Kevin McCullar
Kansas guard Kevin McCullar did not play Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas but Jayhawks assistant coach Norm Roberts said it should not be anything for the long haul.
McCullar has been dealing with a back injury recently and his spasms flared up Friday against Iowa State. Roberts said McCullar is day-to-day and that not playing was a result of caution.
“He needed to rest. And we’re thinking about if for the long haul, given that the tournament is next week,” Roberts said after Kansas lost to the Longhorns.
McCullar was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team this season, his first for the Jayhawks after four years with Texas Tech.
He is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. He is also second in rebounds with 7.1 per contest. McCullar also has the second-most total steals and blocks on the squad.
“Kevin makes a big impact with our team,” Roberts said. “He can do so many different things and he does so many little things defensively. When you got him and Juan out there? You can do a lot of things as far as trapping or getting loose balls. Kevin is an excellent rebounder for us, too. We knew that going in. But it next-man-up mentality. Some of our younger guys did some good things. But we got beat too easy on back-cuts. And, really, the end of the shot clock? Giving up easy shots or easy plays. And we need to do a better job.”