Kansas' Bill Self doing 'fine' after scare, has no plans to retire

Bill Self said he's doing well after a health scare kept him from coaching Kansas in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments last month, and he reiterated Wednesday that he has no plans to step away from the Jayhawks any time soon.

Self, 60, spoke to reporters for the first time since March 8, when he went to an emergency room after a final shootaround for the conference tournament. He was complaining of chest tightness and concerns about his balance and had two stents placed to help treat blocked arteries at the University of Kansas Health System.

«To be honest, I haven't done a lot since the Big 12 tournament,» Self said. «But I'm exercising almost daily. I don't know if you guys believe this: They told me that I need to improve my diet and exercise more.»

Self added: «But I feel fine. My energy level is probably back to where it was prior to the episode but not where it's getting ready to go, I believe. I think sometimes we don't realize we don't feel well until we actually feel well and know the difference. And I'm in the process of feeling well again, so I'm excited about that.»

Longtime assistant Norm Roberts guided the Jayhawks to the Big 12 title game, where they lost to Texas. They still received a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament, thanks to their regular-season Big 12 championship and strong schedule, and easily beat Howard in the first round before losing a 72-71 nail-biter to eighth-seeded Arkansas in the second round.

Self helped to run practices during both of the NCAA tourney games but decided against coaching on game day.

«I was never scared that I wasn't going to be OK. But it was a different feeling,» he said. «I'm sure many have had it, but it was kind of like an out-of-body type experience that you really