Wes Leonard: US high school basketball player dies after making game-winning shot
A 16-year-old American basketball player in Michigan collapsed on the court shortly after hitting the game-winning basket and died hours later.According to the New York Daily News, Wes Leonard of Fennville High School went into cardiac arrest after the game.
Leonard, who scored over 1,000 career points, had just sunk the winning lay-up in a 57-55 win over the Bridgman Bees to round out Fenville's 20-0 season.
He was rushed to Holland Hospital around 9.20 p.m. on Thursday, and doctors were unable to restart his heart, a hospital spokesman said. He was pronounced dead at 10.40 p.m.
David A. Start, the chief medical examiner for Ottawa County, said the cause of death was "cardiac arrest due to dilated cardiomyopathy", or an enlarged heart.
Start said it is not clear how Leonard developed the heart condition.
The incident brings renewed focus on the safety of high school athletes - whether students are adequately screened for cardiac problems, and the importance of proper medical equipment and people trained to use it in emergencies.
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