Indiana State's Graves has successful heart surgery
MBB: The Sycamore head coach has taken an indefinite leave of absence
Indiana State Head Coach Matthew Graves has had successful triple bypass surgery, according to a statement released by his family.
After recently experiencing tightness in his chest, Graves visited with his doctors, who recommended immediate heart surgery.
“Our family is incredibly grateful to share that Matthew’s triple bypass surgery was successful,” the Graves family posted in a statement today. We want to extend our deepest thanks to the talented doctors, nurses, and staff at Union Health for their outstanding care and compassion throughout this process, We’re so thankful for their expertise and the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and the community.”
There is no timetable on when Graves will be able to return to work. Sycamore Associate Head Coach Mark Slessinger will be Indiana State’s Acting Head Coach as Graves is away from the team. Slessinger won 171 in 14 years as the head coach at the University of New Orleans, leading the Privateers to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Graves is entering his second season as Indiana State’s head coach. He spent five years as the head coach at South Alabama from 2013-18. Indiana State will play their exhibition game at Butler, Graves’ alma mater, on October 29th. The Sycamores will then open the regular season November 3rd at Charlotte.