bryan
07-29-2005, 05:49 PM
Loyola Marymount applies experience in tragedy
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Loyola Marymount's campus had seen this kind of tragedy before, and as a result, the reaction on campus was swift to Thursday's tragic death of Niagara Falls (N.Y.) High senior forward Miguel Respress at the Best of the Summer tournament in Los Angeles.
Respress, 17, collapsed and died at around 3 p.m. (PDT) underneath the covered atrium outside of the same athletic facilities where former LMU forward Hank Gathers died at midcourt during the 1990 West Coast Conference tournament.
Respress had just completed playing with the G.C. Ballers, an AAU team out of Niagara Falls, N.Y. Double-Pump Inc., which organized the event, canceled the rest of the tournament after receiving the recommendation from LMU. The event was scheduled to go through Sunday at LMU, Cal State-Dominguez Hills and Westchester High School.
The Buffalo News reported Friday that Respress already had received a scholarship offer from Division I St. Francis (N.Y.).
"Because there was a basketball player whose life was tragically taken on the LMU campus there is an association there,'' said LMU athletic director Dr. William Husak, who flew back from a business meeting in Northern California on Thursday night to deal with the tragedy.
"Ever since then we've trained and talked and prepared for any kind of incident within our department and our staff was spectacular in supporting those who were running the event,'' Husak said.
Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who had been seen shadowing Respress' AAU and high school teammate Paul Harris all summer, was outside when Respress collapsed. He said he was told Respress was waiting for a drink of Gatorade when the player reportedly felt odd. The next thing Hopkins saw was G.C. Ballers coach Jeff Bishop calling for help. Hopkins said he ran into the facility looking for a doctor. In the interim, someone had called 911 and the paramedics were en route.
"It was eerie, as if the whole event was in slow motion,'' said Hopkins, who said Respress was the brother of former Syracuse player Damone Brown. "He was convulsing on the ground. This certainly puts everything into perspective. Everyone did a good job of trying to make sure everyone [who witnessed Respress' death] was OK.''
LMU and the tournament organizers ensured that the G.C. Ballers were able to get to the hospital. School spokesperson John Shaffer said grief counselors were dispatched to the team's hotel before the team returned. He said vice president Dr. Laney Bove was alerted immediately and Bove alerted the psychological services. Bove was a vice president of student affairs when Gathers died.
Tournament organizer Phil Bryant of Northern California's Westwood High, said when he arrived on the scene, a trainer was administering CPR. He said Respress was treated quickly. Bryant said Double Pump Inc. had brought in contract trainers for the Best of Summer tournament.
LMU's Shaffer says it's standard procedure to have contract trainers in attendance for events sponsored by outside entities, but the LMU's medical personnel were also called into action when the tragedy occurred.
Hopkins said Friday morning he called head coach Jim Boeheim and recommended the Orange have emergency medical technicians onsite for their camps. Bryant said he might suggest the same thing in the future for the Best of Summer Tournament.
"There are trainers on duty, but I'm not sure there are ambulances like at football games and have never known of a situation where EMTs or first-responders are standard operation,'' Bryant said.
Shaffer said it was a matter of minutes before Respress was attended to Thursday and that where the player collapsed was near LMU's medical facilities.
LMU athletic director Husak said it might not be prudent to have an EMT on site, based on the chances of this incident recurring.
"Look at how many hours athletes are at events like this and the incident of fatalities,'' Husak said. "We were close to a health center, so we were there quickly to assist. There is a shortage of athletic trainers in this country and a shortage of medical personnel. It's a difficult situation. To what extent a basketball tournament like this becomes a dangerous situation I'm not sure.
"Everyone used good judgment and met the standard practices and the precautions were appropriate,'' Husak said.
It's unclear whether having an EMT on the site immediately would have made a difference.
Bryant said the G.C. Ballers, and the other teams in the tournament, were on their way home Friday.
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Loyola Marymount's campus had seen this kind of tragedy before, and as a result, the reaction on campus was swift to Thursday's tragic death of Niagara Falls (N.Y.) High senior forward Miguel Respress at the Best of the Summer tournament in Los Angeles.
Respress, 17, collapsed and died at around 3 p.m. (PDT) underneath the covered atrium outside of the same athletic facilities where former LMU forward Hank Gathers died at midcourt during the 1990 West Coast Conference tournament.
Respress had just completed playing with the G.C. Ballers, an AAU team out of Niagara Falls, N.Y. Double-Pump Inc., which organized the event, canceled the rest of the tournament after receiving the recommendation from LMU. The event was scheduled to go through Sunday at LMU, Cal State-Dominguez Hills and Westchester High School.
The Buffalo News reported Friday that Respress already had received a scholarship offer from Division I St. Francis (N.Y.).
"Because there was a basketball player whose life was tragically taken on the LMU campus there is an association there,'' said LMU athletic director Dr. William Husak, who flew back from a business meeting in Northern California on Thursday night to deal with the tragedy.
"Ever since then we've trained and talked and prepared for any kind of incident within our department and our staff was spectacular in supporting those who were running the event,'' Husak said.
Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who had been seen shadowing Respress' AAU and high school teammate Paul Harris all summer, was outside when Respress collapsed. He said he was told Respress was waiting for a drink of Gatorade when the player reportedly felt odd. The next thing Hopkins saw was G.C. Ballers coach Jeff Bishop calling for help. Hopkins said he ran into the facility looking for a doctor. In the interim, someone had called 911 and the paramedics were en route.
"It was eerie, as if the whole event was in slow motion,'' said Hopkins, who said Respress was the brother of former Syracuse player Damone Brown. "He was convulsing on the ground. This certainly puts everything into perspective. Everyone did a good job of trying to make sure everyone [who witnessed Respress' death] was OK.''
LMU and the tournament organizers ensured that the G.C. Ballers were able to get to the hospital. School spokesperson John Shaffer said grief counselors were dispatched to the team's hotel before the team returned. He said vice president Dr. Laney Bove was alerted immediately and Bove alerted the psychological services. Bove was a vice president of student affairs when Gathers died.
Tournament organizer Phil Bryant of Northern California's Westwood High, said when he arrived on the scene, a trainer was administering CPR. He said Respress was treated quickly. Bryant said Double Pump Inc. had brought in contract trainers for the Best of Summer tournament.
LMU's Shaffer says it's standard procedure to have contract trainers in attendance for events sponsored by outside entities, but the LMU's medical personnel were also called into action when the tragedy occurred.
Hopkins said Friday morning he called head coach Jim Boeheim and recommended the Orange have emergency medical technicians onsite for their camps. Bryant said he might suggest the same thing in the future for the Best of Summer Tournament.
"There are trainers on duty, but I'm not sure there are ambulances like at football games and have never known of a situation where EMTs or first-responders are standard operation,'' Bryant said.
Shaffer said it was a matter of minutes before Respress was attended to Thursday and that where the player collapsed was near LMU's medical facilities.
LMU athletic director Husak said it might not be prudent to have an EMT on site, based on the chances of this incident recurring.
"Look at how many hours athletes are at events like this and the incident of fatalities,'' Husak said. "We were close to a health center, so we were there quickly to assist. There is a shortage of athletic trainers in this country and a shortage of medical personnel. It's a difficult situation. To what extent a basketball tournament like this becomes a dangerous situation I'm not sure.
"Everyone used good judgment and met the standard practices and the precautions were appropriate,'' Husak said.
It's unclear whether having an EMT on the site immediately would have made a difference.
Bryant said the G.C. Ballers, and the other teams in the tournament, were on their way home Friday.