HoopsHype.com Rumors

Alex Kennedy: Mikhail Torrance has been cleared to play basketball again, according to sources. Excellent news after a very scary month. Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Former Alabama basketball star Mikhail Torrance will be discharged from Sarasota Memorial Hospital in the next few days, continuing his remarkable comeback after an on-court heart attack Aug. 20 left him on life support. Torrance, 21, is facing a lengthy rehabilitation process upon a return to his family's home in Eight Mile, Ala. FanHouse.com

Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: Mikhail is up and walkin' on his own. Not yet able to speak, but is communicating with smiles and emotion. He's eating small portions of food. The Tip off Club at Univ of Alabama has set up the Mikhail Torrance Fund to help defray some of the medical costs that he n his fam r going to have to incur. He has a long road ahead of him and many hours of rehab in the future. Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Torrance, 21, still hasn't spoken, but he has been responding to commands from his doctors and family members, who have been by his side from the start, according to agent Happy Walters. Torrance also has been able to eat, and he cried when he first saw his girlfriend. "This is like a miracle,'' Walters said. "He recognizes people. He laughs. He shows emotion. These are all good signs. Things are coming back. Everyone is really encouraged right now.'' FanHouse.com

Mikhail Torrance 

Torrance, a four-year starter at Alabama, was expected to play professionally this season in Israel after signing a two-year contract. He was bypassed in the NBA Draft in June after an extensive physical exam raised concerns about a heart condition he has known about -- but considered not dangerous -- for years. He never missed a game at Alabama because of the condition. A hospital spokesperson Monday would only confirm his condition had been upgraded to stable. "He's undergoing more treatment and therapy,'' the spokesperson said. FanHouse.com

Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: Mikhail Torrance update: Improving every day. A therapist is working with him. He is opening his eyes. Trying to focus. Starting to recognize some things. This is great news and everyone is excited. We hope that he will be able to follow some commands soon! Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Former Alabama star Mikhail Torrance, who suffered a heart attack Friday during a workout at the IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla., began breathing on his own for the first time Wednesday after being taken off a ventilator. A CT scan done late Tuesday also came back negative, adding to the recent optimism surrounding him. "This is great news, very significant," said Happy Walters, Torrance's agent, who has been in constant contact with the family at the hospital. "And we're hoping for more soon. We're hoping he wakes up soon.'' FanHouse.com

Mikhail Torrance 

Torrance still has not regained consciousness since he collapsed on the court and was rushed to a nearby hospital by paramedics. Walters said there has been some movement in his arms and legs. A hospital spokesperson said Wednesday afternoon that his condition has been upgraded to "serious but stable." Walters said if Torrance awakens soon, he expects doctors to do immediate surgery to implant a device to protect him from having another heart attack. FanHouse.com

Mikhail Torrance 

Former Alabama star Mikhail Torrance, who suffered a heart attack Friday during a workout at the IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla., began breathing on his own for the first time Wednesday after being taken off a ventilator. A CT scan done late Tuesday also came back negative, adding to the recent optimism surrounding him. "This is great news, very significant," said Happy Walters, Torrance's agent, who has been in constant contact with the family at the hospital. "And we're hoping for more soon. We're hoping he wakes up soon.'' FanHouse.com

Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: Mikhail Torrance is doing better. We are all optimistic. He had a CT scan and it came back negative so everyone is hopeful that he will wake up sooner rather than later. Doctors are taking it slowly. Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: Mikhail Torrance update: Doctors have lowered mikhail's body temp to normal. Waiting for him to wake up. Family is talking to him. Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: Not yet responding to commands, but there is some movement in arms and legs. We hope he will wake up so doctors can assess brain function. Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Mikhail had been diagnosed with "Athletes Heart" - athletic bradycardia - which is a common enlarging of the heart due to extreme training. It's not life threatening, but is something that is monitored on a regular basis and is common among endurance athletes. Mikhail never had any problems; he was medically cleared every year by Alabama so he never thought anything of it. He even cleared the NBA's Combine testing without an issue. HoopsWorld

Draft, Mikhail Torrance, Maccabi Tel Aviv 

Enter the New York Knicks. The Knicks do a more thorough heart test as part of their medical evaluation and Mikhail was flagged as having a predisposition to ventricular tachycardia - the same thing that killed Hank Gathers. Once word got out that Mikhail could have this condition, his draft stock dropped through the floor and he ultimately went undrafted. A few teams said they'd consider signing him if he passed genetic testing - which he passed. Everything seemed like it was going to blow over. Offers started coming in and ultimately Mikhail signed in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and his dream of playing professional basketball was going to come true. HoopsWorld

New York Knicks, Draft, Mikhail Torrance, Maccabi Tel Aviv 

Maurice Williams: My heart and prayers go out to mikhail Torrance and his family for the pain and heartache that they are going thru. Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, Maurice Williams, Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: As many of you may have heard, one of our players, Mikhail Torrance, is seriously ill. There are many reports that are inaccurate. Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Happy Walters: He is stable and in an induced coma. His heart is fine. The Doctors are going to bring him out of his coma tonight in order to evaluate Twitter

Mikhail Torrance 

Less than 10 minutes after he came to the sideline with a smile to greet a writer he had met only once before, former Alabama basketball star Mikhail Torrance collapsed on the basketball court Friday afternoon, touching off a dramatic, emotional and urgent rescue attempt to save his life. Before leaving to join Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli powerhouse with whom he signed earlier this summer, Torrance wanted to work out at the acclaimed IMG Academy, where he also worked out before the 2010 NBA draft. Friday was his third day there, and he looked and sounded excited before the workout began. There was hop in his step. FanHouse.com

Draft, Mikhail Torrance, Maccabi Tel Aviv 

Then everything turned tragic. Torrance had just finished his first shooting drill and was heading toward the sideline for a drink when his knees buckled and he crashed to the floor, hitting his head. Hard. Within seconds, one trainer was by his side, then another and another in a busy training facility that was quickly cleared. He moved a few times as they tried to keep him conscious, but that didn't last long. Paramedics arrived within a few minutes and started pumping his chest, trying to revive him. Torrance had stopped breathing. They also tried using the defibrillator to shock his heart. He was not breathing when he was taken from the gym. He was rolled onto a stretcher while CPR continued to be administered, then whisked to nearby Blake Memorial Hospital in Bradenton, where he was treated for an hour before being transferred to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Although the hospital still would not release any information on his condition, a source close to Torrance confirmed Friday that he was breathing with the aid of ventilator. A hospital spokesperson would only confirm that Torrance had been admitted to the ICU, while his family was rushing in from Birmingham, Ala. FanHouse.com

Draft, Mikhail Torrance, Maccabi Tel Aviv 

Mikhail Torrance, the former Alabama point guard, has signed in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv according to the Euroleague's official website. Torrance will head overseas after a peculiar couple of months on the cusp of the NBA. The 6-foot-5 point guard was seemingly on his way to being drafted in June's NBA Draft after solid showings at the Portsmouth Invitational and then the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago as he was ranked in the top 50 prospects by both ESPN's Chad Ford as well as DraftExpress. Sixty players heard their name called that night, though, and none of them were named Mikhail Torrance - despite a draft class that had very few NBA prospects at the point guard position and none with Torrance's mix of size, versatility and athletic ability. The reason, as we'd later find out, was due to a heart condition known as "athletic heart" - an ailment Torrance says means that his heart is just "a little bit bigger than normal." Ridiculous Upside