Heartbreak as 13-year-old dies suddenly after collapsing during basketball tryouts

“He had a lot of friends. He was a real generous, warm-hearted kid. A bit of a prankster, a funny kid, obviously taken from us far too soon. He would have had a great life.”

Eric’s mother Kathy added: “We’re heartbroken, and we’re probably forever going to be heartbroken.

“He had such zest for life.”

The 13-year-old was the youngest of three siblings.

Eric played hockey for the Wolverines, who paid tribute to their young player via a match earlier this week.

Jackie Dodds shared videos of the game via Facebook alongside the caption: “My heart goes out to the family and friends that are going through this terrible time. I didn’t know Eric but he meant a lot to his teammates and so many people. The house was packed tonight! RIP Homersham”

Tributes flooded social media following news of the young teenager’s sudden death.

“So sad. Gone way too soon with so much life ahead of him. RIP Eric. Condolences to the family,” one person wrote.

So sad. Gone way too soon with so much life ahead of him. RIP Eric. Condolences to the family. https://t.co/OBi8h9VZvQ

— NL Nutrition 🇨🇦 (@nutrition_nl) November 14, 2022

“😢”

😢

— Kainwerdm (@kainwerdm) November 16, 2022

No cause of death has been made available to the public.

The news of Eric’s collapse and tragic death during basketball tryouts comes after similar incidents have occurred this year.

On Wednesday, June 8, a school student-athlete – believed to be 16 years old – died after collapsing during after-school basketball practice.

The young athlete, who attended the Bayside High School in New York City, New York, died after collapsing during an ‘after-school conditioning’ training session.

The death of the unnamed student came a few months after three young athletes in the US died while playing the sport.

On February 5, 15-year-old Preston Settles collapsed during a game at Brooks School in North Andover.

Settles stopped breathing during the game and was rushed to Lawrence General Hospital, where doctors shocked his heart eight times but could not get it to start again on its own.

At the hospital, the teenager was placed on an automatic CPR machine and breathing tube, several hours before Settles began breathing again.

He was then airlifted to Tufts Medical Centre and placed on life support before later being taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday, February 27.

On February 8, Cameran Wheatley, a 17-year-old senior at Bremen High School, collapsed during a basketball game against Chicago High School at about 9:20 pm before dying later at Christ Hospital.

On the same day, Devonte Mumphrey collapsed and died during a Yellowjackets’ basketball game after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.

Devonte, 15, was a basketball standout who was nominated for Mr Texas Basketball Player of the Week after scoring 45 points in a single game in January. As a freshman, Mumphrey was named the District Newcomer of the Year.

In Spain, Dani Gómez, an 18-year-old player from the Peñas Huesca Basketball Club, died suddenly and unexpectedly.

His club, Peñas Huesca Basketball Club – located in the north of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain – announced that the young player had died late on Tuesday, August 23.

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