ESPN Enterprise Journalism – July 9, 2015

Andy Hall

July 9, 2015

Rise Up

SportsCenter (Sunday, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN2; multiple airings throughout day)

Five years ago, Jarvis Johnson was pronounced dead after collapsing on a basketball court. After a miraculous recovery, he’s now battling to save his basketball life. Diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening disease that impacts the heart muscle, Johnson plays with an internal defibrillator implanted in his chest. But his future in Division I basketball was halted this summer after the University of Minnesota, which signed Jarvis last fall, said he is not medically cleared to play. Andy Katz has this SC Featured story which chronicles Johnson’s lifelong devotion to the sport, his historical run to four straight high school basketball titles, and his desire to play the game that nearly killed him.

“You usually are on a timetable of minutes until you start having irreversible brain damage, kidney damage, liver damage. In Jarvis’ case, he went about ten to 15 minutes without any resuscitation.” — Dr. Christopher Carter, Jarvis’ cardiologist.

“You knew right away, when you watched him play, that he was a special player. He has this drive. An intensity. He has this determination that’s different. He pushed himself to the limits, knowing that he was on the brink of death.” –– Dave Thorson, Jarvis’ high school coach.

“I could die again. Or I could just be fine. I took that chance because I don’t know what I would be without basketball.” – Jarvis Johnson.

Lauren Holiday Ready for Life After Soccer

espnW

LINK

At just 27, Lauren Holiday is choosing to retire near her athletic prime, as a champion, and move on to the next stage of her life. Graham Hays reports on espnW.com.

The Sports Reporters