Sunday, January 25, 2009

Harris collapses in Alabama game

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Kentucky guard Ramon Harris collapsed outside the team's locker room Saturday at halftime of the Alabama game.

Harris was taken by ambulance to the nearby DCH Medical Center, according to a school statement. Kentucky spokesman DeWayne Peevy said Harris' vital signs were good, and tests were run to determine why he had collapsed. Harris was later released from the hospital after several tests and was expected to return to campus on the team charter.

A team source told ESPN.com that Harris was short of breath at halftime, and fell to the floor holding his chest as the team was returning to the court for the second half.

"It's a serious deal when a guy faints," Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said. "He threw up and they said after that they started thinking he was feeling a little bit better. They had a little shortness of breath to start, and that's what concerned them the most."

A Kentucky spokesman said Harris was conscious when he left the building.

The start of the second half was delayed a couple of minutes, and Gillispie remained with Harris as the half began. Harris, considered Kentucky's best defensive player, played only seven minutes in the first half and scored one point.

"Ramon started out in the huddle with us. I looked around and A.J. (Stewart) was holding him up," teammate Perry Stevenson said. "Once our coach got back he said that Ramon was going to be fine so keep on playing."

On Dec. 3, Harris was carried off the court on a stretcher and taken to the hospital after colliding with teammate Michael Porter in a game against Lamar. He missed three games with a back and neck injury, returned for one game and then missed two of the next three due to back stiffness.

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