Rick Majerus Will Not Return to St. Louis Basketball Team Due to Heart Issues

The St. Louis college basketball program received some troubling news on Friday when it learned that Rick Majerus will not be returning to the team this season.

According to Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports, the head coach is having a serious heart issue and will not be able to come back to the court.

"

Saint Louis announces Rick Majerus will not return. Been told he is extremely ill with heart condition.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) November 16, 2012"

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, assistant Jim Crews will take over as the interim head coach. 

The 64-year-old Majerus has been with various college programs since the early 1970s. He was a coach at Marquette, Ball State, Utah and most recently St. Louis, racking up over 500 wins to become one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history.

His biggest success came in 1998 when his Utah Utes finished as national runner-ups to Kentucky.

This year, St. Louis had high expectations after winning a game in last season's NCAA tournament. They also received some votes for the AP Poll in preseason rankings. 

So far, however, the Billikens are off to a 1-1 record after losing to Santa Clara in their second game of the regular season.

On-court performance aside, everyone associated with the team is surely keeping Majerus in their hearts and minds.