University of Denver men’s basketball coach Terry Carroll said he’s dealing with an illness, and suspicions regarding his absence do not mean he has lost his job or it is in jeopardy.
“I’m making progress every day,” said Carroll in a phone interview Tuesday from his home. “But I still feel very, very weak.”
He declined to disclose his illness.
Carroll, 51, has missed the past four games for the Pioneers (2-14, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference). The program did not send out a release about his absence until Jan. 2, after the team played two games without him.
School officials and players have been vague about Carroll’s absence, supporting athletic director Peg Bradley-Doppes’ request to uphold school and NCAA policy about not disclosing injuries or illness.
Some school employees have said they were instructed to say Carroll “isn’t feeling well” when asked why he wasn’t around. Coupled with the team’s dismal season, there was talk around the program that Carroll was upset from being ousted from the program and was in a termination settlement stage. Carroll had a 75-74 record at DU coming into this season.
“That’s not the case,” said Carroll, who added he is hoping to return to the team this season. “Hopefully I’ll be back there real quick. Maybe we’ll see you in two to three weeks.”
Senior forward Antonio Porch said Tuesday he and his teammates have not spoken to Carroll since before Christmas.
“We’re just going off what the assistant coaches tell us,” Porch said. “We’ve just been told he hasn’t been feeling well, and that’s what we’re going with right now.
“We’re concentrating on turning our season around right now.
“Of course, we hope he feels better, but we can’t concentrate on anything else beside the season.”
Bradley-Doppes said Saturday that Carroll hasn’t been feeling well since Dec. 20 and added he is under contract and remains DU’s coach. Through a spokesman Tuesday, Bradley-Doppes said nothing has changed. Assistant coach Kevin Reynolds was named interim coach Jan. 2 in a release posted only on the school’s athletic website.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
