Published Oct. 20, 1997|Updated Oct. 2, 2005
A Florida Atlantic University basketball player collapsed during stretching exercises at practice Sunday and died.
The player, Walter Turner, 18, of Miami, was unconscious but breathing as athletic trainers worked on him. Turner was declared dead at 2:50 p.m. at Boca Raton Community Hospital, about 45 minutes after he collapsed.
Turner, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound freshman, came to FAU from Norland Senior High in Miami.
"This is such a shock. It's not easy to take," Jeff Morford, his high school coach, told the Miami Herald.
Turner was a relative newcomer to basketball. He did not start playing until his junior year, and then minimally.
As a senior, Turner averaged six points and 11 rebounds at center. Turner helped Norland to its most successful season since 1973, winning a district title.
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy today. Funeral arrangements were pending Sunday.
MORE BASKETBALL: South Alabama missed last week's self-imposed deadline to fill its coaching vacancy so officials could interview recently fired Michigan coach Steve Fisher and former Memphis coach Larry Finch. Fisher was scheduled to interview Sunday, the day after Finch left campus.
TENNIS: Lindsay Davenport defeated Nathalie Tauziat 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 in the final of the European Indoor Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, to collect her fifth title this season and move to a career-high ranking of No.
4. Fabrice Santoro captured the first ATP Tour tournament of his career, the Lyon Grand Prix in France, by beating Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-4. Karol Kucera beat Magnus Norman in the final of the ATP Czech Indoor in Ostrava when Norman retired after the first set because of an injury. Byron Black upset French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) to win the Marlboro Championships in Hong Kong. Martina Navratilova beat Chris Evert 6-3 to lead her team to a 41-39 victory at the Legends Tour event in Irving, Texas.
COLLEGE SOCCER: Henrik Nebrelius set a school career scoring record as Tampa (10-1) handed visiting Alabama-Huntsville its first loss, 6-3. Nebrelius, who scored four times, has 63 goals, breaking the mark by two. South Florida's men's team downed visiting Marquette 3-0 to keep alive its chances at the Conference USA title. Brian Waltrip led USF (9-4-2, 5-1-2) with a goal and two assists. Jeff Cunningham and Darrick Metrius also scored. The Bulls, having finished their conference schedule, must wait for the Marquette-St. Louis game Friday to see if they will share the title. USF's women's team (9-5-1) scored two goals in the first 32 minutes and held on to beat host Stetson 2-1. USF's Andrea Zenone scored at the 23:22 mark, and Kristine Edner kicked the game-winner nine minutes later. Gavin Redmond and Jon Akin scored to lead Saint Leo (8-4) to a 2-0 victory over Dowling College.
COLLEGES: In volleyball, Florida (19-1) swept host Alabama. Florida State's volleyball team (18-4) beat visiting Wake Forest 3-1. USF's volleyball team (17-6) beat visiting Cincinnati 15-9, 15-9, 16-14. Paula Araujo had 19 kills for the Bulls. In tennis, Florida's Dawn Buth defeated teammate Stephanie Nickitas 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the Gator Fall Classic. Buth beat fellow Gator Bonnie Bleecker 6-2, 6-4 in a semifinal, and Nickitas beat teammate Stephanie Hazlett 6-3, 6-4 in the other semifinal. Buth and Nickitas then downed Hazlett and Traci Green 8-4 in the doubles final. UF's women's cross-country team finished third at the Nittany Lion Invitational in University Park, Pa. Becki Wells placed fifth for the Gators. UF's softball team beat Tallahassee Community College 2-1, Florida Southern 2-0 and Santa Fe Community College 5-1 at its Fall Tournament. Georgia swimmer Lisa Ann Coole was named NCAA Woman of the Year.
RUNNING: Kim Bruce of St. Petersburg finished 10th in the Detroit Mazda International Marathon one day after finishing 15th at the First of America 10-miler in St. Petersburg. Her time was 2:54:59. Running his first marathon, Khalid Khannouchi won the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon with the fourth-fastest time ever, 2:07:10. Marian Sutton was the women's winner with a personal best 2:29:03. Jerry Lawson, who finished seventh, set an American record, 2:09:35.
FIGURE SKATING: Victor Petrenko and Kristi Yamaguchi won the U.S. Professional Championships on Saturday night in San Jose, Calif.
HORSES: Bet On Sunshine won the Phoenix Breeders' Cup Stakes in Lexington, Ky. Chief Bearhart won by 2\ lengths over Down the Aisle in the Canadian International in Toronto. Hidden Lake won the Beldame for fillies and mares at Belmont Park in New York.
YACHTING: Paul Cayard's EF Language held a 109-mile lead as it neared victory in the first leg of the Whitbread Round the World race.
BOXING: An auction of Muhammad Ali memorabilia garnered more than $1.3-million at Christie's in Beverly Hills. Ali had earlier said some of the items were stolen, but Christie's officials said Ronnie Paloger owned everything free and clear. "I haven't done anything other than put together a great collection," said Paloger, who amassed about 3,000 items over a seven-year period. Clothing from the "Rumble in the Jungle" fight drew some of the highest bids. Ali's white robe decorated with African patterns sold for $140,000 to a bidder who requested anonymity.
RUNNING: Harold Sanon won the Atlantic City Marathon in 2:31:34.
BOWLING: Jason Couch of Clermont averaged 256.5 to take a 24-pin lead over Dennis Horan after the second round of the PBA's Mobil 1 Classic in Bay City, Mich. First-round leader Tim Criss was third at 2,903.
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