Ex-KU star and NBA coach Jacque Vaughn steps in as interim coach for No. 19 Jayhawks at Colorado
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas standout and NBA coach Jacque Vaughn will serve as the interim coach for the No. 19 Jayhawks on the road against Colorado on Tuesday night while Bill Self continues to recover from a precautionary trip to the hospital.
Self was taken to LMH Health late Monday after feeling unwell. He received IV fluids and was released, the school said in a statement, but the 63-year-old Hall of Fame coach did not make the trip with the Jayhawks to Boulder, Colorado.
Self has missed several games in recent years because of heart issues, including the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments in 2023, when he had two stents inserted to help treat blocked arteries. Self had two more stents inserted last July.
In those cases, longtime assistant Norm Roberts served as the interim coach; he retired from coaching after last season.
“As I’ve said before, we have an elite coaching staff at KU, and I know our players are in good hands in Boulder,” Self said in a statement issued about 8 hours before Tuesday’s tip. “Jacque Vaughn will serve as the acting head coach tonight. He will rely on our great group of coaches — Jeremy Case, Kurtis Townsend, Joe Dooley and Tony Bland — throughout the game to lead the team.”
Self is in his 23rd season leading the Jayhawks. His run includes two national championships.
Vaughn is among the most revered players in Kansas history, starring from 1993-97 under then-coach Roy Williams. He was a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz and spent 12 seasons in the NBA, during which time the Jayhawks retired his jersey.
After his playing career, Vaughn spent three seasons as an assistant with the Spurs under Gregg Popovich before being hired as the head coach of the Magic in 2012, where he spent three more seasons. He eventually took over the Nets when Steve Nash was fired, led them to a pair of playoff appearances, and was fired 55 games into the 2023-24 season.
Vaughn was hired by Kansas last May, and many believe he could eventually replace Self should he decide to retire.
The Jayhawks got off to a shaky start to Big 12 play, losing at UCF and West Virginia amid their first three games. But with potential No. 1 draft pick Darryn Peterson finally playing regular minutes after a series of injuries, the Jayhawks have caught fire, routing then-No. 2 Iowa State 84-63 last week before trouncing Baylor 80-62 on Friday night.
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