Alabama State G Porchea dies after collapse

Apr 24, 2008 - 4:16 PM MONTGOMERY, Alabama (Ticker) -- Deshean Porchea, a sophomore guard at Alabama State, died suddenly Wednesday afternoon after collapsing during a pickup game. He was 19.

Porchea collapsed after walking off the court and was taken to Jackson Hospital. He never regained consciousness and died at 4:27 p.m. EDT. A school spokeswoman said Thursday that the cause of death still is unknown.

"Our campus is shocked and saddened by Deshean's sudden passing, and our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends," school president Joe A. Lee said. "Deshean will be remembered for his tremendous intensity and friendly personality, both as an athlete and as a student. He will be deeply missed."

A native of Rochester, New York, the 6-1 Porchea averaged 2.1 points in 24 games last season for Alabama State, which went 20-11 and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title.

"He was just a good all-around kid," head coach Lewis Jackson said. "He played with a contagious fire that carried over to his teammates - he was a good person. It is a great loss to our team and our university."