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Baylor's Mulkey Better After Recent Health Scare

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 28, 2009

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said Friday she's feeling better after recent surgery to remove a kidney stone.

Mulkey missed the Bears' NCAA Tournament opener Sunday after being hospitalized with a reported reaction to medication. Mulkey said she went to the Lubbock, Texas, hospital early that morning because she noticed she was taking deeper breaths than usual.

Tests showed no sign of a blood clot or pneumonia, but she said blood work indicated what she called "major issues" - leading to worries about anything from ovarian cancer to sepsis, an infection in the bloodstream. She said doctors never were able to clearly determine what caused the problems, though they apparently began with her liver.

The 46-year-old Mulkey had the kidney stone removed surgically on March 20 in hopes of being with her team for its NCAA opener against Texas-San Antonio. Instead, assistant coach Leon Barmore led the second-seeded Bears (29-5) in their 87-82 overtime victory against the No. 15 seed in the Raleigh Region.

Mulkey returned to the team two days later as Baylor beat No. 7 seed South Dakota State 60-58 on a last-second shot, sending the Bears into today's game against Louisville in the round of 16.

Texas A&M Star Plays For Parents

Texas A&M star Takia Starks doesn't get stressed out about basketball.

With a father in a years-long battle with lymphoma and a mother who could be sent overseas for military duty at any time, Starks doesn't need to be reminded about what's important in life.

The senior sees her time on the court as a gift to her struggling parents. Two more wins and she might be able to hand them a present like no other - a chance to watch their daughter and the Aggies play in their first Final Four.

Vernon Starks was diagnosed with cancer when his daughter was a high school senior and has been fighting it throughout her A&M career.

Starks' mother, Debra, is an Army reservist and military police officer who recently was sent to Utah for training. She could be gone as little as a month, but there's a possibility she will be sent to Afghanistan.

The Associated Press

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