It was a terrifying scene during the South Carolina State v. NC State basketball game Saturday when South Carolina guard Tyvoris Solomon collapsed on the sideline and athletic trainers had to administer CPR.

According to the team, Solomon was “stable and conscious” as he was being stretchered off the court and taken to a local hospital.

Solomon’s heart stopped with 13:08 left in the fist half at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The crowd fell silent, coaches and players were crying and praying, and Solomon’s mother was screaming for her son not to die.

Solomon, a junior from John’s Island, SC who has started every game this season, was revived thanks to fast-acting medical personnel, who also brought out an automated external defibrillator.

 

 

South Carolina head coach Murray Garvin accompanied Solomon to the hospital while associate head coach Rio Pitt took over head coaching duties after a 40-minute game delay.

 

 

The hospital reported that Solomon is in “fair condition” and will undergo further testing to determine the cause of his near-fatal collapse.

I’m not sure how either team was able to continue on with the game after that, but South Carolina State players decided to return to the court, and the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

 

 

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts had this to say following his team’s win:

“It was tough. It puts everything in perspective, and at that moment, basketball is not the most important thing. Our guys were really bothered. If you look at it, that could be one of your teammates. The decision to play came down to South Carolina State. I think what happened was once they found out their teammate was okay, we went back into the locker room until they decided to play.”

Even though the scoreboard said South Carolina State lost the game, I’m sure they’re walking away feeling like they’ve won. They still have a teammate with them.