Dec. 6, 2004
University of Dayton women's basketball head coach Jim Jabir, on medical leave since October 28, will return to the sidelines as head coach for Tuesday's game against Wright State, two days before the Flyers take on No. 3 Notre Dame.
Jabir, 42, has been diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia, a condition that affects a person's heart rate. To treat the condition, Jabir was fitted with an internal defibrillator.
"I'm just really glad to be back. I love the people here at UD, and missed them while I was away," Jabir said. "It was difficult being away from our kids. I enjoy them, they're great kids who work hard and share our vision. I realize how lucky I am to still be around and be apart of where this program is going."
Jabir was hospitalized until November 19 - the date of the Flyers' season-opening win at Akron. His leave of absence lasted 35 days.
Last Thursday, Jabir returned to practice in a limited role, mostly observing while assistant coach Greg Williams ran practice. He began easing back into coaching duties with office hours as well. Jabir watched Saturday's game against No. 10 Ohio State from the President's suite at UD Arena.
Williams served as interim head coach and guided the Flyers to a 3-3 mark to open the season (wins and losses are reflected on Jabir's record).
"I'm extremely proud and impressed with the way our staff and players handled my absence. I'm grateful to coach Williams with coach Rooney and coach Jones, as well as everyone on staff. They handled everything so seamlessly," Jabir said.
"All the players and coaches are very happy to have coach Jabir back in good health," Williams said. "I want to compliment the players for focusing on their performance every day in practice during what could have been a very distracting situation."
The Flyers opened the season with a 3-1 start with road wins at Akron, Cleveland State and Toledo. Dayton currently stands at 3-3, and will meet Wright State Tuesday, in Fairborn, OH, in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. The Flyers host No. 3 Notre Dame on Thursday.
