Tarkanian to Have Angioplasty on Artery That Is 70% Clogged
Jerry Tarkanian is scheduled for an angioplasty next week to clear a heart artery that is 70% blocked.
“It’s no big deal,” Tarkanian said Monday. “They tell me I’ll be in one day and out the next.”
Under the procedure, a catheter is threaded into the clogged artery and a tiny balloon at the end of the catheter is inflated to clear the blockage.
Tarkanian underwent a physical after he being fired in December as coach of the San Antonio Spurs, a job he took after 19 years as coach at Nevada Las Vegas. He experienced chest pains on a couple of occasions while coaching the Spurs.
“Not too many people have had as much stress as I’ve had,” Tarkanian said of bitter battles with the NCAA dating to the mid-1970s and his ongoing row with UNLV administrators.
He has not attended any Rebel games this year, but said that he hopes to be on hand when the Rebels play at UC Santa Barbara on Monday.
The Rebels, mainly players Tarkanian recruited, are 16-3 and ranked No. 15 under new Coach Rollie Massimino.
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