Utah State Hoopster in Critical Condition
Player Collapsed During Practice
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah State basketball player who collapsed at practice and had to be revived is waking up and responding the way “doctors want him to,” his brother said Wednesday, although the player remains in critical condition.
“As of right now, things are looking good,” John Berger, the brother of Utah State forward Danny Berger, said in a statement he read to reporters at Intermountain Medical Center.
Hospital spokesman Jess Gomez said Danny Berger remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.
Berger, 22, collapsed on the court during practice Tuesday in Logan, said Zach Fisher, a spokesman for Utah State’s athletic department. He said the school’s athletic training staff performed CPR on Berger and used a defibrillator to get Berger breathing again.
It is unknown what caused Berger to collapse. Fisher said tests and evaluations are ongoing, and the school will release more when information is available.
In his statement, John Berger thanked the university trainer.
“He saved my brother’s life, and I thank God for him,” he said.
Berger was born in Fort Collins, Colo., and went to high school in Medford, Ore. He played basketball at Chemeketa Community College in Oregon before coming to play for Utah State. The junior is a starter at forward and averages 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds a game.
A game scheduled Wednesday night between Utah State and Brigham Young in Provo was postponed because of Berger’s condition, school officials said.
Students at the campus in rural Logan were stunned by the turn of events as they prepared for the big rivalry game with BYU, which will be rescheduled at a later date.