It took 61 days for SDSU senior forward Dwayne Polee to return to game action after he collapsed on the floor during the team’s game against UC Riverside on Dec. 22.
His first action back came in the Aztecs win against San Jose St. last Saturday where he scored three points and tallied a steal in 13 minutes.
On Monday coach Steve Fisher introduced Polee back to the media as he announced that he had been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
“He’s back where he belongs and where he feels comfortable. He’s back home on the basketball court,” Fisher said. “I think everyone is excited and thrilled that Dwayne has the opportunity to be safely back on the court, and that’s the most important thing. We’re very pleased that we’ve got him back.”
Fisher noted that a doctor traveled with the team to San Jose St. and that he monitored Polee’s pulse throughout the game, but he has been cleared to return with no restrictions.
While he does not expect a doctor to travel with the team the rest of the season, the team’s medical staff will monitor his health throughout the games.
Polee—Mountain West Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2013-14—returns at a pivotal time in the season as the Aztecs prepare for the MWC tournament in March.
“One accomplishment would be to win another (Mountain West) championship. From there on out, just keep winning games to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament,” Polee said.
He was also very grateful for the support that not only that SDSU showed him, but San Diego as a whole.
“As an athlete, sometimes you take this kind of stuff for granted – the fans and just the love of the game. It was a humbling experience,” Polee said. “All the prayers and all the loved I received, not just on campus, but from San Diego period, felt good to know I had all that support behind me.”