Mitchell boys' basketball coach Gary Munsen at home resting after health scare

Longtime Mitchell High School basketball coach Gary Munsen underwent a "simple procedure" as a result of chest discomfort over the weekend, Mitchell Activities Director Geoff Gross told The Daily Republic on Sunday evening.

"He's fine," Gross said. "He had some chest discomfort and had it checked out.

"He had a simple procedure because of the chest discomfort over the weekend, and as of Sunday night he was resting comfortably at his home."

Munsen was taken to the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls for the procedure.

"He's feeling fine," Gross said. "He dealt with it right away, and that's what you need to do in those types of situations."

Munsen's son, Scott, who recently took over the cross country coaching position at MHS, said he heard of his dad's health scare Saturday morning.

Scott Munsen said his dad visited Dr. Lucio Margallo in Mitchell on Saturday morning. Margallo made the call to send Gary Munsen to Sioux Falls.

"His heart is in really good shape, it's just that one of his veins or arteries are blocked," Scott Munsen said. "They're going to give him some medicine to help clear it up.

"The good news is his heart is in good shape."

Gary Munsen was scheduled to have hip replacement surgery later this summer, Scott Munsen said. That surgery was scheduled for mid-August but now may be pushed back, Scott Munsen said.

"The tough thing for him is that the hip problems have prevented him from getting out and exercising," said Scott Munsen, who visited his father with his family Saturday evening in Sioux Falls. "They were going to schedule it for the middle of August, but now it may depend on how this thing goes for a while. Hopefully they'll keep it on schedule for mid-September at the latest.

"We're just real thankful that the good Lord was looking out for him."

Munsen, who completed his 38th season with the MHS basketball program last school year, coached the Kernel boys to a second-place finish at the Class AA state tournament in March. He has 33 trips to the state tournament and nine state titles in his time with the Mitchell boys' and girls' basketball programs. Last season, he surpassed 600 wins during his Mitchell High School career.

Messages were left, but attempts to reach Munsen for this story were unsuccessful.

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