University Park, Pa. -- Penn State Nittany Lion basketball player Marlon Smith (Bronx, N.Y.) met with the media after Penn State's game with Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 15) to announce that he will not play for the remainder of the season.
Smith, who got ill at practice on Friday, Jan. 7, underwent extensive testing to determine the cause for some weakness in his extremities. Penn State Director of Athletic Medicine Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, announced that Smith had a small, transient, partial blockage of an artery in his brain related to a small blood clot.
"I'd like to thank everyone for their concern and support," Smith said in the press room after the Penn State/Michigan game. "I feel good and I just feel blessed to be back with the guys."
"This was a small, transient and partial blockage," Sebastianelli said. "Marlon is on a blood thinner for three months that will keep him from playing for the remainder of the season."
Dr. Doug Auckerman, Penn State's team physician, noted that the blood thinner made contact sports out of question for Smith. "When you're on a blood thinner, your blood does not clot normally, so Marlon has to avoid contact sports for now."
"I'd like to thank (head athletic trainer) Jon Salazer, who was right there at practice when this happened," head coach Ed DeChellis said. "He felt that Marlon's symptoms weren't a normal reaction and called Dr. Auckerman right away. I appreciated the diagnosis that was made right away and all the treatment Marlon continues to receive."
Smith was averaging 11.8 ppg and had a team-best .737 free throw percentage, 36 assists and 14 steals at the time he got ill.