17-Year-Old High School Basketball Player In US Dies After Collapsing On Court

A 17-year-old basketball player in the United States died on Thursday after collapsing on the court during a workout session with his team. Caleb White from Pinson Valley High School in Alabama was training with teammates when he collapsed on the gym floor, Fox News reported. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors couldn’t revive him, Caleb’s grandfather, George Varnadoe Jr., wrote on Facebook. 

“At 17, he was dead!!!!” Mr Varnadoe wrote, adding that his grandson was an “honor student, very respectful, high intellect, excellent role model, phenomenal basketball player”. “Our whole family was really looking forward to his upcoming senior season and afterwards, playing for a D-1 school and then perhaps the NBA. But…..it wasn’t meant to be,” the grandfather added.

“You see, everything that happens, happens on time, because God wouldn’t allow it to happen, if it wasn’t on time. And so it was with Caleb. We all have an appointment with God, one that you can’t reschedule,” Mr Varnadoe concluded his post. 

The grandfather also said that his 17-year-old grandson suffered cardiac arrest, but the Jefferson County Coroner has yet to determine a ruling, New York Postreported. 

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According to Fox News, Caleb was a first-team all-state selection last season as a junior. He was ranked 25th among point guards in the nation and No. 2 in Alabama. He was both a shooting guard and a point guard. He was set to serve as the team’s captain for his final year at the school.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Caleb’s family, his classmates and basketball  team and extended school family,” Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Executive Director Alvin Briggs said in a release. “He was an outstanding student-athlete who played in the North-South All-Star Basketball Game last month. He was an outstanding student-athlete and role model,” he added. 

Separately, Pinson Mayor Joe Cochran said he was “heartbroken” by the news. “No words can be gathered to provide comfort to a family and community experience the loss of young life. I was honored to know Caleb personally and loved the spirit he carried. Life is fleeting. Enjoy every day as the treasure it is. I know Caleb did,” Mr Cochran wrote on Facebook.