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Former USU Aggie Abel Porter Announces End Of Career Due To Heart Condition
Porter’s basketball career comes to a sudden stop, won’t play for Buckeyes this season.
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The former Utah State walk-on announces the abrupt end to his college basketball career.
No athlete can hear any tougher news, to be told your career is over after years of playing a sport, and the entire situation is completely out of your hands.
Abel Porter was recently diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart disease that can cause the heart muscle to become abnormally thick, which can in turn make it harder for the heart to pump out blood. The news was announced by Ohio State men’s basketball coach, Chris Holtmann on Wednesday. Though, Porter took to social media soon after to confirm the news and provide his own statement.
— Abel Porter (@Ah_bell) November 4, 2020
“While scary, people with HCM generally lead healthy and normal lives but unfortunately this will end my basketball career,” Porter wrote.
The 6-3 guard, became a graduate transfer after the 2019-2020 season came to a sudden halt and then conclusion back in March, due to Covid-19. While with the Aggies, Porter started all 34 games for Utah State in 2019-20, averaging 5.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds.
After beginning his collegiate career as a walk-on from nearby Farmington, UT, Porter was offered a scholarship during the 2018-2019 season after becoming a mainstay in the starting lineup during Craig Smith’s first year in Logan.
He also played a key role in the Aggies back-to-back Mountain West Conference tournament championships. His thirst for March Madness is what led to his commitment to the Ohio State Buckeyes back in April, as a possible return to the tournament helped steer his decision. But because of this diagnosis, Porter has been ruled medically unable to participate in the upcoming season.
“For 24 years, I’ve put everything I have into my basketball career,” Porter wrote. “So much time, money, blood, sweat, and tears has been invested in it. I never really prepared myself for a life without it. I especially never prepared for basketball to be stripped from me without warning.”
He ends his college basketball career having averaged 4.3 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 boards in 94 career games (54 starts) with the Aggies from 2016-20.
