Wright State athlete critically hurt
Basketball player was reportedly found in makeshift pool.
A Wright State University basketball player was in critical condition Sunday at a Cincinnati hospital after suffering a traumatic injury Saturday during a large party in Oxford, near Miami University’s campus.
WSU’s Ryan Custer, a freshman from Cincinnati, was reportedly found in a makeshift pool that had been constructed using straw bales and a blue tarp. The pool had between six to 10 inches of water in it, with a slide contraption, according to Oxford Fire Chief John Detherage.
Police said Custer was having trouble feeling his extremities as medics cared for him at the scene.
He was flown by medical helicopter to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he is being treated.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office dispatched emergency crews at about 3:55 p.m. to a student rental in the 300 block of North Main Street.
Detherage said there was “a very large party with several hundred people” at the rental and that “it was packed.”
Custer was attempting to jump into the makeshift pool through someone’s legs when he was injured, according to WCPO in Cincinnati.
Elder High School basketball
coach Joe Schoenfeld, who coached Custer before his graduation in 2016, told WCPO that he had texted his former standout recently about participating in an open gym session.
“I still don’t know any real 100 percent of the details, but such a sad situation,” Schoen- feld said Sunday morning. “I know he had surgery. That’s all I know for now. I feel bad for him and his family.”
Custer, a 6-foot-7 forward, appeared in all 32 games as a true freshman out of Elder High School, where he also played quarterback.
He averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes
but was becoming a bigger contributor toward the end of the year, shooting 45.4 percent over the final 10 games and 55.6 percent from 3-point range in the last seven, including a career-high nine points on three 3-pointers in the regular season-finale against Illi- nois-Chicago.
WSU students offered their support for Custer, who some viewed as a up-and-coming player for the team.
Joshua Hatch, a pyschology major, offered well wishes to Custer.
“It’s definitely sad just to hear a student athlete, also who would be a leader on the campus, getting hurt just trying to have fun,” Hatch said.
Wright State University athletic officials declined to comment, citingmedical privacy concerns.
Miami University issued a statement Sunday extending wishes for a full recovery.
“While we await details on the cause and extent of the young man’s injuries, we at Miami send to him and his family heartfelt concern and wishes for a full recovery,” MU’s statement reads.
Police said one person was cited at the party for underage drinking.