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LOGAN — Former Utah State point guard Abel Porter's days on the hardwood are likely over.
Porter, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard who prepped at Davis High, announced Wednesday that he will not play this season for Ohio State after being recently diagnosed with a rare heart disease.
"For 24 years, I've put everything I have into my basketball career," Porter wrote on Twitter. "So much time, money, blood, sweet, and tears have 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."
Porter was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and makes pumping blood to the heart more difficult. Fewer than 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the Mayo clinic.
"While scary, people with HCM generally lead healthy and normal lives but unfortunately this will end my basketball career," Porter said. "I'm thankful for the amazing doctors and great medical care I've received here at Ohio State. This diagnosis has turned my life upside down but having a long-term perspective has been so important as I've tried to accept this.
— Abel Porter (@Ah_bell) November 4, 2020
Porter will remain "part of the program," Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said in a statement.
"This has been a difficult past few weeks for Abel and his family," Holtmann said.
"He is a tremendous person, and I know he is very appreciative for the opportunity to be a Buckeye. Abel has expressed how thankful he is for the fantastic medical care he has received."
Porter played in all 34 games last year at Utah State, when he averaged 5.6 points and 3.2 assists per games en route to back-to-back Mountain West tournament titles for the Aggies. He committed to Ohio State in April after earning a master's degree with one year of eligibility remaining.
