UNM's Negedu Quits Basketball Due to Heart Condition

April 14th, 2011

New Mexico forward Emmanuel Negedu will play no more basketball for the Lobos, ending his career prematurely because of a heart condition first discovered when he was enrolled at Tennessee.

Negedu will remain at UNM as a member of the team and on scholarship, but his grant will not count against the Lobos' allotment of 13 and he will not compete or practice. The university received a waiver Thursday from the NCAA that permits this arrangement.

He played in only 10 games last season and led the team in rebounding three times, but at halftime of a pre-Christmas game vs. The Citadel, his internal defibrillator produced a reading that led doctors to keep him from finishing the game. He never returned to competition.

Negedu had been an elite recruit for Tennessee in the 2008 class, but he played sporadically his first season. He collapsed while running at UT's indoor football facility as a sophomore in September 2009. He lost consciousness and emitted no pulse. Trainer Chad Newman and director of sports medicine Jason McVeigh revived him with a defibrillator and CPR.

Although Tennessee officials offered to keep him on scholarship, they declined to clear him for further competition and Negedu went searching for a school that would allow him to play after he'd had the internal defibrillator implanted.

“The most important thing about the situation is Emmanuel’s health,” New Mexico coach Steve Alford said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that due to health concerns he will no longer be able to participate. However, Emmanuel will continue to be a vital member of Lobo basketball on a daily basis.

"He will remain on scholarship and work hard towards attaining his degree as well as continue to get the medical care he needs.”

Article Courtesy of Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News