# HS student makes winning basket in overtime to cap perfect season, then collapses and dies **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 4, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511 "2011-03-04T19:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/1 "2011-03-04T19:32:15Z")
[Story here](http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/michigan-high-school-player-dies-after-hitting-game-winning-shot-030311?GT1=39002) I guess that is the ultimate good news/bad news scenerio. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/2 "2011-03-04T20:48:55Z")
Wow. I heard on the radio today that a Michigan high school basketball player from somewhere collapsed and died, but I guess I missed the full story. Given that I’m from Michigan I thought that there wouldn’t necessarily be something this shocking to warrant mention on an all-news radio station, as it’s a huge heartbreak whenever any high school athlete dies during. competition. This is really something though, I don’t know what else to say. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/3 "2011-03-04T21:31:00Z")
What did he die of? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/4 "2011-03-04T21:31:15Z")
Am I the only one thinking of John Henry, here? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/5 "2011-03-04T21:32:15Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > What did he die of? Read the article. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/6 "2011-03-04T21:35:32Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > What did he die of? Story says an enlarged heart. Probably too early to pin down how that happened. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/7 "2011-03-04T23:44:01Z")
And the article says that a 14 yr old wrestler died recently from that same town. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/8 "2011-03-05T00:10:45Z")
Holy shit! I just heard the very tail end of that on ESPN, and thought, wow, what a shame. I hadn’t heard that he had hit the winning basket to end a perfect season! That’s movie-fodder, right there… Joe ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/9 "2011-03-05T00:29:23Z")
A depressing movie… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/10 "2011-03-05T01:29:45Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > A depressing movie… Yeah, that layup he makes at the end is the gamewinner. He dies just a few minutes later(well, has his heart attack, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/11 "2011-03-05T01:43:14Z")
How very sad. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/12 "2011-03-05T14:53:27Z")
His Mom teaches at the middle school in the district, as well. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/13 "2011-03-05T15:57:00Z")
I wonder how much truth there is to the story. It sure makes a good headline to tell it that way, much like the line on The Simpsons where it shows the “Straight A Student Dead” headline, refering to BART. Seems like way too much of a coincidence, unless the kid was on death’s door and only wanted to hold on long enough to finish the season? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/14 "2011-03-05T16:05:07Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > I wonder how much truth there is to the story. It sure makes a good headline to tell it that way, much like the line on The Simpsons where it shows the “Straight A Student Dead” headline, refering to BART. Seems like way too much of a coincidence, unless the kid was on death’s door and only wanted to hold on long enough to finish the season? What? He had an enlarged heart, something that can easily go undiagnosed. Why do you doubt this version of the story? He was the star of the team, actually, and quaterback on the football team. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/15 "2011-03-05T16:16:37Z")
I used to work in pediatric cardiology. IANAD/N, but did among other things handle triaging of scheduling appointments. We were always super-full on our clinic days, but one thing that got priority was ‘teenager complaining of chest pain.’ 90-some% of the time it was nothing, just musculoskeletal pain. But the rest were something more serious and previously undiagnosed, and you didn’t want to be seeing this kid’s family on the news saying “we called and the doctor’s office blew us off, said it probably wasn’t important, and the next appointment was in two months, and we believed them.” I don’t know if this condition would have caused any noticeable symptoms before, or in this teen in particular. But every year around here (Chicago) I’ve seen “teen athlete drops dead on the field/after practice/whatever” news stories, with previously undiagnosed heart problems the culprit. It really does happen. It is possible that this teen felt something was up and concealed symptoms for fear of being benched. It’s also possible that he felt nothing, or that anything he did feel was easily dismissed. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/16 "2011-03-05T16:31:17Z")
This story pisses me off. Really, really pisses me off. This kid has always been “big” - big enough that a coach whose team came up against him in Little League remembers telling her team to step back when he came up to bat. He was a 6’2" 16 year old over 200 pounds…and \*none \*of his doctors thought an ECHO might be in order before clearing him for multiple sports? These “young athlete drops dead” stories are always tragic, but this one seems tragic and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/17 "2011-03-05T17:27:58Z")
Six foot two and 200 lbs (or a bit over) is _not_ unreasonable for a true athlete with substantial muscle mass. Even prior medical testing won’t uncover all possible cardiac conditions. There are some that are difficult to spot until sudden death occurs. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/18 "2011-03-05T17:37:50Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Six foot two and 200 lbs (or a bit over) is _not_ unreasonable for a true athlete with substantial muscle mass. Unreasonable for an adult, no. But it’s pretty damn \*unusual \*for a 16 year old. At that age, the tall ones tend to be scrawny or obese. Muscle mass develops in late adolescence. And, as I said, it’s concerning mostly because he’s always been so big that people remember it. Hyperthyroidism, hyperpituitary, gigantism…lots of “excessive growth and metabolism” conditions - or even just being a huge kid - can do this sort of thing to a heart, and a cardiac ultrasound is a noninvasive inexpensive test that should, IMHO, be done at a physical for athletic participation, especially on these big kids. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/19 "2011-03-05T21:31:09Z")
A person can be physically mature at 16. In my case, I had reached my adult height by 14 and by 16 looked entirely adult - which, physically, I was. It’s a little unusual for a boy/man to be completely mature at 16 but not unheard of. Pictures of him show someone I’d call a man, not a child, if I saw him without knowing his age. As I said - it’s not beyond reason for a 6 foot 2 _young man_ who is an athlete to weigh 200+ pounds without being obese or having some sort of glandular disorder. We also don’t know if he _was_ screened for medical problems and none showed up on tests. Maybe there was something amiss that was missed, maybe not. Just not enough information to know for sure here. Given that an enlarged heart can arise suddenly (there are a couple of virus or parasite related diseases that can cause sudden onset) it is also possible for someone to have a normal ultrasound one year and the next have a problem. Again, without more information than we have here it is impossible to know what the heck was going on with this person. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511/20 "2011-03-06T05:15:48Z")
Well, , afterall! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hs-student-makes-winning-basket-in-overtime-to-cap-perfect-season-then-collapses-and-dies/573511.md?page=2)