The elements were there for a compelling human interest story: a child suddenly collapses while playing basketball, is rushed to the hospital, has his spirits lifted when the coach of his favorite college team makes a surprise visit.
This time John Calipari was the coach. And to add to the melodrama, the uplifting visit came during a trip to his home area of western Pennsylvania.
Calipari’s coach at Clarion State, Joe DeGregorio, enjoyed telling the story. It began with a seventh-grader named Drew Furer collapsing while playing basketball. DeGregorio learned what happened because another of his former players at Clarion State was friends with the boy’s father.