NBA Coach's Son Undergoes Cancer Surgery

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ The son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl underwent surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes at a Boise hospital Monday. <br/><br/>Karl said doctors spent seven hours operating

Tuesday, April 3rd 2007, 7:40 am

By: News On 6

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ The son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl underwent surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes at a Boise hospital Monday.

Karl said doctors spent seven hours operating on his son, Coby.

The surgery was the second in 13 months for Coby Karl, who had his thyroid removed last year after being diagnosed with papillary carcinoma, a form of treatable cancer. He also underwent chemotherapy to try to kill off any remaining cancer cells shortly after his surgery.

His condition at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center was not immediately available Monday night.

``My family and I would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers. We appreciate it a great deal,'' George Karl said. ``It was a long day, but the doctors are optimistic that they've gotten everything out and are hopeful that Coby will be fully recovered in a couple of weeks.''

George Karl, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005 and underwent surgery, said it was doubtful he would coach Tuesday night against the Lakers.

The 23-year-old Coby Karl recently finished his final season as a basketball player at Boise State University.

The lymph node cancer was discovered in mid-January before the Broncos played at Utah State. The younger Karl kept the diagnosis private until after Boise State lost to New Mexico State in the WAC tournament semifinals, ending the team's season.

Coby Karl led the Broncos with 14.8 points per game and was the team leader in minutes played, assists and 3-pointers. He finished his career third on Boise State's career scoring list with 1,698 points and is the school's career leader in games played, and 3-pointers made and attempted.