Former Alabama star Mikhail Torrance, who suffered a heart attack Friday during a workout at the IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla., began breathing on his own for the first time Wednesday after being taken off a ventilator.A CT scan done late Tuesday also came back negative, adding to the recent optimism surrounding him.
"This is great news, very significant," said Happy Walters, Torrance's agent, who has been in constant contact with the family at the hospital. "And we're hoping for more soon. We're hoping he wakes up soon.''
Torrance still has not regained consciousness since he collapsed on the court and was rushed to a nearby hospital by paramedics. Walters said there has been some movement in his arms and legs.
A hospital spokesperson said Wednesday afternoon that his condition has been upgraded to "serious but stable."
Walters said if Torrance awakens soon, he expects doctors to do immediate surgery to implant a device to protect him from having another heart attack.
Torrance, 21, has known for years that he had a heart condition, but it was not considered life-threatening by most doctors who had talked to him. He had played four seasons at the University of Alabama without a problem. He was expecting to be drafted by the NBA in June, but individual teams shied away after he underwent extensive medical testing at the pre-draft camp.
So instead, he signed a contract to play professionally in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv, and he was preparing for the upcoming season when he suddenly collapsed.
His family has asked for privacy at the Sarasota Regional Hospital, where they have been since Friday evening.
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