A 100% blockage. A six-hour surgery. A chaplain called for his wife. Wichita State’s Paul Mills wasn’t describing a close game — he was explaining how close he came to death.

During a post-game press conference on December 21, 2025, Mills pulled back the curtain on a cardiac event that nearly ended his life just 15 days earlier. The Shockers’ head coach revealed that following a road win against Northern Iowa on December 6, doctors discovered a complete blockage in his right coronary artery.

What followed was emergency stent surgery that stretched six hours — and left his family preparing for the worst.

“They told my wife… we are not sure about his quality of life,” Mills said, his voice carrying the weight of a man who had stared down mortality. “They brought in a chaplain.”

That detail — the chaplain — landed harder than any medical terminology ever could. It signaled to everyone listening that this wasn’t a routine procedure. This was a moment where doctors weren’t discussing recovery timelines.

They were debating whether Mills would come back at all.

But he did. And now, the Wichita State head coach says he feels better than ever. Mills painted the transformation in vivid terms, comparing his restored blood flow to a home renovation. Before the surgery, he explained, his system operated like a shower with low water pressure.

Now? Somebody came in, remodeled, and installed three extra shower heads. The difference, he said, was immediate and unmistakable.

His ejection fraction — the measurement of how much blood the heart pumps with each beat — came back at 58. The ideal range sits between 55 and 60. Zero heart muscle damage. A full recovery from a blockage that should have killed him.

Mills then shifted from the medical to the philosophical. He stripped basketball down to its simplest terms, offering a perspective forged in a hospital bed. He had two choices: death and life. We all know what he chose.

The message was clear. Basketball matters. But it doesn’t matter most. Mills closed with a direct plea to anyone listening: “Pursue life, man, and do it with force. Do not skip those physicals.”

The response arrived swiftly, with prayers and gratitude flooding social media.

Paul Mills’ message sparks outpouring from college basketball community

The Field of 68’s post capturing Mills’ remarks accumulated 57,000 views within hours. But the numbers told only part of the story. The comments section transformed into something resembling a digital congregation — fans responding not to a basketball result but to a man’s survival.

“Praise the lord,” one fan wrote. Another echoed the sentiment with gratitude for community: “Grateful for my village. Love those who love you! Thank you, God!” Others absorbed Mills’ health warning directly, thanking him for raising awareness about CT Calcium tests.

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One response captured the broader resonance: “Our work is important, but it is secondary to our lives and our relationships.”

Mills’ experience is not unique in the high-stakes world of college basketball coaching, where relentless stress and demanding schedules can take a toll on health. In March 2023, Kansas head coach Bill Self was hospitalized after experiencing chest pain and underwent a procedure to insert two stents due to blocked coronary arteries.

Self, then 60, missed the Big 12 Tournament and the start of the NCAA Tournament but returned to the sidelines shortly after, later revealing it was part of ongoing cardiac issues requiring multiple procedures over recent years.

Self experienced similar health issues again in July 2025, when he was hospitalized after feeling unwell and had two more stents inserted for blocked arteries.

These episodes highlight the ongoing nature of his cardiac health management, echoing Mills’ concerns about the health of coaches facing high-stakes pressures.

For Mills, the outpouring reflects a connection that extends beyond wins and losses. This is a coach who built his reputation on resilience. He guided Oral Roberts to a Sweet 16 run in 2021 as a 15-seed — a Cinderella story that analysts celebrated as one of March Madness’ defining underdog moments.

He arrived at Wichita State in March 2023 and has already recorded the third-most wins by a Shockers head coach in their first two seasons.

Now, with an 8-5 record in 2025-26 and his health restored, Mills carries a message that transcends the hardwood. His closing words at the presser — “Merry Christmas” — landed with weight they wouldn’t have taken three weeks ago.

He almost didn’t make it to the holiday. Now he’s urging everyone else to do the same.