It’s difficult to know exactly how close Kansas basketball coach Bill Self was to a return to the sideline and whether he really would have been able to join the Jayhawks in Las Vegas had they advanced to this week’s Sweet 16.
But thanks to a pregame interview on ESPN+ with Greg Gurley ahead of the Jayhawks’ loss to Arkansas, we at least had a better idea of exactly what Self had been going through in an effort to rejoin his team.
Self was in Des Moines, Iowa with the top-seeded Jayhawks last week and he did participate in practices, team meetings, game plan sessions and the like. But he did not meet with the media or make any public appearances and he watched both of KU’s NCAA Tournament games from the team hotel instead of being at the arena.
That environment allowed him the chance to closely monitor both how he was feeling and how his body was reacting to his recovery.
“I check my blood pressure every five minutes or so,” Self told Gurley. “I know one time, maybe when we didn’t get back in transition or got beat on a back-cut (in the first-round win over Howard), it went a little high, not near where to the point it was considered an issue. It runs pretty high anyway.”
Before both games, Self also spoke with radio play-by-play voice Brian Hanni, and he was decidedly more optimistic and enthusiastic about his recovery while talking before the Arkansas game than he was in Round 1.
“I am doing well,” he told Hanni. “I feel pretty good, have improved tremendously over the last week or so. I’m excited to be with our guys full time, just am not quite ready (to be there on game night). We had a collection of doctors giving advice, took everything (in) and made the decision that it’s not quite time yet. It’s disappointing to me, but (for the) best.”
Self told Gurley that he was sleeping better and that he had gotten his energy back “to an extent.”
All of those things will remain key in Self’s recovery moving forward, but he no longer will have an upcoming game to use as his target for a return.
That should give him even more time to recover in the comfort of his own home, and his next goal likely will be to get well enough to hit the road for recruiting.
Given KU’s current roster situation, most of the immediate work in that area likely will be done with players in the transfer portal, who will start lining up visits to schools across the country in the coming weeks.
In addition, Self and his coaching staff are always a class or two out when it comes to recruiting prep talent, as well.
According to NCAA.org, the upcoming recruiting calendar includes a dead period from March 30 through April 6, another dead period April 10-13, and a series of quiet, evaluation and open recruiting periods from April 20 through July 5.
Here are a few definitions that might help you understand exactly what’s ahead for Self:
• Dead period: A dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unof-ficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.
• Quiet period: A quiet period is that period of time when it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution’s campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
• Evaluation period: An evaluation period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.
• Open recruiting period: Authorized athletics department staff may make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.
Nick Krug
