Many college athletes are forced to the sidelines for extended periods of time with injuries or other health problems. And then there’s High Point (NC) University forward Allan Chaney.
On Friday, the Baltimore native will play his first NCAA game since 2009, when he was a freshman at Florida. While sitting out the 2009–10 season after transferring to Virginia Tech, Chaney was diagnosed with viral myocarditis — a potential infection of the heart that causes inflammation — and was told he would never play again following a near-death experience during a pick-up game that summer.
After Chaney sought and received a second opinion, a wireless defibrillator was installed in his chest one year ago Wednesday, with a follow-up surgery this past March. After many schools balked at offering him a second chance, Chaney received an offer from High Point, where he’s a grad student after earning his degree from Virginia Tech in the spring.
“That [first] doctor said I’d never play again,” Chaney told Eye on College Basketball’s Jeff Goodman. “Now look at me. I’m playing. I don’t know how far I can go, but I’m looking to go far.”
He’ll have a lot of fans cheering for him to do so.
