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The terrifying ordeal happened Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Chaminade High School in Mineola, school officials said.
Seventeen-year-old varsity player PJ Kellachan was heading to the sideline following a drill when he suddenly collapsed and began suffering a seizure.
The 17-year-old eventually stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.
“I remember being on the court, but then my mind kind of blacks out,” Kellachan told reporters at a press conference Thursday, Dec. 15.
That’s when coach Dan Feeney, assistant coach Bob Paul, and athletic trainer Jorge Vargas grabbed an automated external defibrillator (AED) and performed CPR and chest compressions until emergency crews arrived, officials said.
Kellachan’s teammates helped direct paramedics into the gym and cleared a path for a stretcher.
The teen was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital in Mineola and was released two days later, WCBS reports.
If positive tests continue, he could be back on the court shortly after Christmas, according to the outlet.
“I’m very grateful for having such a great training and coaching staff that was able to spring into action,” Kellachan said at the press conference.
“It was that team effort that was able to take a situation that was dire and turn it into a happy outcome,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman added.
Feeney, Paul, and Vargas were each given honorary citations and coins from the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County.
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