Any News on Kenny?

[valpo04]

Does anyone have any news on Kenny? How is he progressing? Any chance he will be able to play this year? What do our options look like?

[valpo04]

VU's Harris won't take classes this fall


Basketball standout still recovering from collapse

BY STEVE HANLON
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219.462.5151

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, September 2, 2005 12:08 AM CDT


MEN'S BASKETBALL

VALPARAISO | Kenny Harris, a 6-foot-10 Griffith grad who collapsed April 11 due to an undiagnosed brain trauma, said on Thursday he will not attend classes at VU this fall. He is undergoing speech, physical and occupational therapy Monday through Thursday, every week.

His speech is still slurred, but his smile and hope is as bright as ever.

"Pretty good," Harris said in the VU basketball office when asked how things are going. "Getting better every day. I just have to take my time. I've got to do it."

Crusaders coach Homer Drew said Harris will try to finish the academic incompletes he accumulated during the spring semester, when he was hospitalized for nearly two months.

Harris was unconscious for about 30 days after the collapse. He was first transported to the Porter hospital in Valpo. From there, he went to the University of Chicago hospital and eventually ended up at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Doctors still do not know what caused the collapse, but suspect it was some kind of heart arrhythmia.

Harris met with his teammates Monday and Drew said they all came over with smiles and hugs.

"That was great," Harris said. "They're my teammates."

If the long, hard road back continues, Harris would like to start classes in January.

"We're taking our time, slowly," said Kenneth Jolly, Harris' father. "We're working on completing the therapy. But every day, without a doubt, we know we've been blessed. We go to church every Sunday and Wednesday night. We know."

Drew has seen a lot in his lifetime of coaching basketball. But observing his player stroll into the gym, when many wondered if he would even recover, is near the top of all the wonderful things on his resume.

"The courage that Kenny and his family has shown through this long ordeal has been remarkable," Drew said. "It takes a long time when someone is coming back from a brain trauma. We're taking our time, he's taking his time, so when he does return he will be able to have success. And we believe that he will have success in all of this.

"It was wonderful to have his smile back at (Monday's) practice. We miss him."

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