It was announced today that Louisville center Clarence Holloway, who missed all of last season after undergoing emergency open-heart surgery to repair the wall of his aorta and his aortic valve, has Marfan syndrome, a condition which will prevent him from playing sports.
The school announced today that Holloway has Marfan syndrome, a condition which will limit his physical activity and prevent him from playing sports. The 7-foot-1 center had emergency open heart surgery last fall, and medical tests revealed his latest condition.
"God works in mysterious ways," U of L coach Rick Pitino said. "Clarence developed a stress fracture his senior year (of high school), which kept him sidelined and probably saved his life. Detecting his heart condition and the subsequent surgery when he arrived at U of L was also a life-saving measure.
"Now, after this special testing, we know that the condition he has will make him unable to play basketball for the rest of his life. He will now begin a new journey, which will hopefully lead him to gaining a very strong education here at U of L and to prosper in a different walk of life. We're behind him 100 percent."
The school will file a permanent medical exemption on behalf of Holloway, which would allow the big man to remain on scholarship, but would not count against the team's overall scholarship limit.
With Holloway out, Pitino has one free scholarship.
You really have to feel for a kid like Clay who's had to overcome obstacle after obstacle, and now still won't have the chance to chase his dreams. At least now he'll have the opportunity to discover a world outside of basketball, something that might not have been true if his heart condition hadn't been discovered as quickly as it was.
Best of luck to Clarence in whatever he chooses to do from here on out.