Dwayne Polee 'Alert and Responsive' in the Hospital After Collapsing on Court During Game
ByThe San Diego State Aztecs experienced a scary moment Monday night when senior forward Dwayne Polee II collapsed on the court with no apparent provocation.
According to ESPN, Polee is in stable condition and was responsive when paramedics wheeled him off the court on a gurney. Though the team does not know what happened to Polee, they are glad to know that he has been "alert and responsive" since being taken to the hospital.
"I'll start with the most important thing and that's Dwayne Polee. I talked to Tom Abdenour (SDSU head athletic trainer) who spoke with the doctor at the hospital. (Dwayne Polee) has been admitted to the hospital," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said in his postgame news conference Monday night, adding that he had never seen something like this. "He is alert and responsive. They are going to run a battery of tests that will probably start tomorrow. The positive signs are that he is alert and responsive. They did the normal protocol including an EKG. He was never given oxygen and they didn't use anything to get him to be responsive. We will just pray that the tests can be run and can determine what the cause of it might be and move forward from there. Our number one thought right now is for Dwayne Polee and he is in a spot right now where the experts will be able to take care of them."
The Aztecs beat UC Riverside 61-33, fulfilling Polee's request upon being carted off the court. The senior collapsed with about 11 minutes left to play in the first half and appeared to have the presence of mind to break his fall with his hands, an indication he was conscious throughout.
Medical personnel treated Polee for about 10 minutes before taking him off the court hooked up to an electrocardiogram machine. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and Polee acknowledged with a wave, then fist-bumped his teammates before making his exit.
"I said, 'Dwayne, you're going to be fine,'" Fisher said after the game. "He said, 'I'm OK, Coach. Tell them to win the game.'"