FITCH PROMISING TO RETURN BY OCT. 4 : CLIPPERS COACH `FEELING GOOD'.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer Clippers coach Bill Fitch William Fitch (born May 19 1934 in Davenport, Iowa) is a former NBA coach who has been successful in making teams playoff contenders throughout his coaching career. Before entering the professional ranks he coached college ball at the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State , recovering from triple bypass surgery triple bypass surgery Coronary arterial bypass graft, see there , vows he'll be back to coaching the club by Oct. 4 training camp. ``I'm feeling good,'' Fitch said from Columbia Conroe Regional Center in Conroe, Texas
The 62-year-old Fitch felt chest pains Thursday night in his home in Conroe, near Houston. He checked into the hospital, where Dr. Connie Hutton performed emergency surgery to clear his clogged arteries. Hutton placed an artery from Fitch's leg to near his heart to bypass the blockage. ``I found a superstar (Hutton) to do the job,'' Fitch said. ``This will make me a better coach.'' Fitch was moved to a regular hospital room Monday and is expected to be released from Columbia later this week, then begin a rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. for four to six weeks in Texas. Fitch said he will look at game films during rehabilitation and prepare for training camp. Despite the seriousness of his situation, Fitch has his sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour . ``If you've ever had one of these, don't,'' Fitch said. ``They cut you in two and wire you back together. That's what the rehabilitation is for.'' An intense coach, Fitch said he will need to change his eating habits in order to continue coaching. But doctors have told him with the proper diet and rehabilitation, he can return to NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= coaching. He faces an uncertain situation with free agent Brian Williams This article is about the American journalist. For other uses, see Brian Williams (disambiguation). Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the flagship evening news program of the NBC television network. , who is negotiating with the club to re-sign. The Clippers are also searching for an assistant coach. Fitch is eager to get back. ``I'll be back before (Oct. 4),'' Fitch said. ``I'm taking a positive look at this. There are a lot of guys worse off than me. I've had proper time to recover.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO BILL FITCH Moved to a regular room Monday and may bereleased from Columbia Conroe Regional Center later this week. |
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