ROSEMONT, Ill. — It’s strange with the year-round nature in the current basketball world for a college coach to feel the need to take time to look around.
That’s what happens when real-life issues take over, like they did earlier this year for Suzy Merchant.
Michigan State’s women’s basketball coach fainted on the sidelines during the Spartans’ New Year’s Day game against Illinois. Merchant was hospitalized again six days later in New Jersey on the Spartans’ road trip to Rutgers and missed three weeks. The 47-year-old eventually had a small device implanted in her chest to monitor her heart rate after doctors determined she has an abnormal heartbeat coupled with lower-than-usual blood pressure.