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Parkland coach: Prince seemed fine before collapsing
Clemmons Middle School yearbook photo
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Published: December 3, 2008
Updated: 12/03/2008 12:57 pm
Khalid Prince, a junior-varsity basketball player for Parkland High School,remained in critical condition this morning after collapsing last night during a game.
Prince, 15, was taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
At a press conference this morning, coach Keith McInnis described the moments just before the player fell. It was the beginning of the second quarter, and Prince had just hit a three-pointer. The team came off a time out and set up a full court press against North Surry High School. Prince fell without warning, he said.
Parkland science teacher Tara Cleveland is a First Responder, and assigned to the games. She performed CPR on Prince and used a defibrillator until paramedics arrived.
Prince had had the required physicals and had been cleared to play both football and basketball, with no restrictions, McInnis said.
The game did not continue after Prince collapsed, and all games and practices at Parkland have been cancelled for the day. School officials said they would make day-to-day decisions about when to resume athletics activities.
"He is our leader. He's the starting point guard and a wonderful kid," McInnis said of Prince.
Parkland sophomore Jamaal Saahir played on the football team with Prince. He said he never passed out during practice or showed any signs that he was struggling.
Saahir was among the 200 people in the gym when Prince collapsed. He said he didn't think much of it at first.
"When he didn't get up for a while, I knew something was wrong," he said.
He said he has talked with others on the football team about what happened.
"Everybody's just hoping he'll be OK," Saahir said.
A school-crisis team is at Parkland today to talk with students.
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