Beilein on mend after open-heart surgery
John Beilein wasn’t all that enthused about taking his annual stress test this year. The procedure already had been put off for a bit because of the Michigan basketball coach’s busy schedule.
“I actually wasn’t going to do it because it’s no fun,” Beilein said. “They get you on the treadmill. They run you.”
Now Beilein can vouch for the importance of such tests after doctors discovered he needed a double-bypass heart operation. Beilein had the surgery in early August at the University of Michigan’s Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center and he looked and sounded like his normal self when he met with reporters Tuesday before the Wolverines started practice. The 65-year-old coach is ready for the upcoming season and although he’s still dealing with some soreness, the lingering effects of surgery are relatively minor at this point.
“I can’t throw a chest pass. I can’t yell yet,” Beilein said. “But I expect to be able to do that.”
It already had been an eventful year for Beilein. He led Michigan to the Final Four, where the Wolverines reached the national title game before losing to Villanova. Then he was in the mix for the Detroit Pistons coaching vacancy, but ended up staying at Michigan. Then came his health issue and all that entailed.
“This has been as unique a nine months as anybody could have,” Beilein said.
Beilein described the initial shock of realizing he needed the operation and the immediate aftermath of such a serious procedure. “When you wake up and you realize what just happened to you: your heart’s been stopped for a long period of time and you’ve been carved open,” Beilein said. “The doctors were incredible, but you realize that was literally life changing.”
Beilein had surgery Aug. 6, giving himself plenty of time to recover before the season. Michigan has an exhibition game Nov. 2 and the season opener against Norfolk State is Nov. 6.