Sophie McDonald
Sports Editor
On Oct. 27, former men’s basketball coach Billy Kennedy, now head coach of Texas A&M, released statements saying he had been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement.
“I am heeding the advice of my doctors and addressing the disease and its symptoms,” he said in a statement. “We have begun a long-term treatment plan and recovery. My doctors are encouraged and are telling me I will be able to come back soon.”
Kennedy is doing everything possible to get back onto the court, where Associate Head Coach Glynn Cyprien assumed coaching responsibilities.
“We have a good prognosis,” Kennedy said. “My intention is to return to the court as soon as it is prudent. Until my return, I have great confidence in Coach Cyprien and the staff I have assembled to lead this great group of young men and this basketball program.”
In a press conference Monday, Murray State Coach Steve Prohm said his mentor and friend is doing better.
“I talked to him the other night,” Prohm said. “(Texas A&M) had an exhibition game against Dallas Baptist and he was able to watch it from the video room. He’s slowly getting better.”
Kennedy is back in the office more and trying to extend his hours each day until he progresses back to 100 percent health, Prohm said.
Despite the diagnosis, Kennedy is still keeping up with all that’s going on in the sports world.
“He watched the LSU game the other night,” Prohm, a University of Alabama graduate, said. “We were texting back and forth during the game. He was happy, I wasn’t, but he was.”
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