Abel Porter - Ohio State Basketball
1. Describe to us what it meant to you to play on some historic Utah State teams. What was your reaction when you weren’t able to play the NCAA tournament?
Winning that first Mountain West championship at Utah State meant so much to me and the school in so many ways. Being the first Utah State team to ever win felt amazing, especially for a school that had been such a force in the WAC then recently moved into the conference. With a new coach, new team, and basically zero expectations, we did what no one thought and there's really just no way to describe that feeling. I owe so much to Coach Smith and everyone on that coaching staff for just giving me an opportunity and for developing me as a player and a person.
Playing in the NCAA tournament is something every basketball player dreams of. I remember as a kid I would watch every single March Madness game and just think of how cool all of those players were and when I finally got the opportunity to it was as cool as I thought it would be. The second year, when the tournament got cancelled I was obviously devastated. At the same time though, I was grateful that we had the opportunity to play our conference championship game and finish the season in the crazy way that we did.
2. What made you want to grad transfer to Ohio State?
Things at Utah State kind of came to a natural ending and I began looking for other opportunities that I could do after the season ended. I had finished my undergrad, finished a graduate program, my wife was finishing her undergrad and at the same time the freshman class I had come in with were all finishing their careers. I decided it was probably best to move on to something else.
When I entered the transfer portal I had a lot of teams reach out and then it became about what situation would be best for me. As I was getting recruited I wanted to make sure that the school was 1. Going to be a competitive and good team that had a change at the NCAA tournament that year. 2. Somewhere I could get a great education to set me up for later in my life and 3. Somewhere my wife and future daughter would be comfortable living. Ohio State's coaching staff is amazing and the culture is great here, Columbus is a great city to live in, and Ohio State had an awesome graduate program in finance that I thought would fit really well with my career goals.
3. Why did you have to medically retire?
During a conditioning session in the fall, I passed out on the field and it was recommended, out of an abundance of caution, that I go through some heart screenings before getting back to working out. After the heart screenings, the cardiologists found some stuff that they thought might be HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) and recommended that I get a genetic test to determine if I had the disease. I had to wait weeks for the results. Those weeks were some of the hardest of my life knowing that my basketball career was completely dependent on those test results.
4. What were your emotions like when you heard that news/made that decision?
Sad, heartbroken, devastated, you name it I probably felt it when the doctor told me that I wouldn't be able to play competitive basketball anymore. It crushed me. I'll always be grateful that this was found while I was here and that the doctors did their job in helping me but a part of me will always wish that I could've lived in ignorance for at least 6 more months to finish out my basketball career. I've been super lucky to have a supportive wife and a newborn daughter to turn to when I'm feeling down for some support in an extremely tough period of my life.
5. What are you doing now?
I just had surgery to have a defibrillator implanted inside of me. HCM is a disease that makes it more likely for a person to suffer heart failure and this defibrillator will protect me for the rest of my life. I'll be able to return to exercising and living an active lifestyle, within the restrictions from my doctors. Things are looking up.
6. Did any experiences in your life prepare you for this obstacle?
I see sports as a type of microcosm of life. Having played sports for my entire life I've been through challenges. Whether it be in games or practices or injuries, there have always been things that I felt like I had to push through in order to reach a goal or win a game. I think that these small, and pretty meaningless challenges that I've faced since I was a kid have been a sort of training for how to face real challenges in real life. Being tough, knowing priorities, and being optimistic are things that I had to do in sports, and now am needing to apply in my own life as I face this new diagnosis.
7. What advice would you give to young athletes trying to compete at the highest level?
Obviously it's important to work hard and become the best physically you can be, but what helped me the most as an athlete to compete at a high level is the mental side. As an elite athlete you need to be able to control your emotions, keep your cool, and make decisions in pressure situations. The mental side also includes knowing your own strengths and weaknesses and your opponents strengths and weaknesses. I was never the most athletic or strongest or fastest but I always prepared myself mentally. I tempered my emotions, I watched film, and I worked hard to be able to move on to the next play after a mistake. The mental side, in my eyes, is just as important as the physical side.
