U. basketball coach reveals he had cancer removed in spring


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak announced Monday that he had a surgical procedure earlier in the year to remove cancer.

During his weekly radio show on ESPN700 with Bill Riley, Krystkowiak revealed that in spring he had surgery to remove his thyroid after doctors discovered cancer.

“I had my thyroid taken out this spring,” he said, speaking little of the procedure. “Found some cancer in it.”

Krystkowiak joked that he has to watch what he eats now as a result of the removal of his thyroid, saying “I gotta watch the midsection. That’s one of the byproducts of not having a thyroid. I guess you get a little chunky.”

Although Krystkowiak didn’t go into too many details about the procedure during the show, Bill Riley tweeted later that Krystkowiak was “cancer free.”

Krystkowiak expounded upon his stint with cancer following Utah's win over Utah Valley Tuesday, saying that he had kept the cancer "under the radar" for much of the time. He said he didn't tell his players, but that "they knew something was going on because I was missing a bunch of time with some medical appointments and different things."

He added that "there’s not a better place to have somebody try to take care of you than right across the street up at the (Huntsman Cancer Institute). I had a lot of things going in my favor. I’m happy to get through it, certainly, and I’ll never take anything for granted."

"I'm fit as a fiddle," he said.

Krystkowiak has been Utah’s basketball coach for six seasons, taking a down program to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 loss to eventual national champion Duke, and an NIT appearance. On Thursday, Krystkowiak claimed his 100th win as Utah’s head coach in a 92-84 win over Montana State.

“I was never really aware of any of that stuff,” Krystkowiak said of his 100th win. “We’ve talked about it always being about we and not me, and it probably should happen when you’re going on your sixth year, so it was a good effort on our part.”

Utah beat Utah Valley in a 87-80 victory Tuesday night. The Wolverines kept it close for much of the game before Utah pulled away late for the victory. The meeting was the first time the two programs have played each other in school history.

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsUtah Utes
Josh Furlong

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast