Study: Basketball players at highest risk for Sudden Cardiac Death

File this under things that are terrifying.

Based on a study conducted at the University of Washington, 1-in-3,126 males playing Division I basketball are at risk for dying of SCD, or Sudden Cardiac Death. Often, SCD is the result of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or the thickening of the muscle around the heart. That number alone is scary, considering that, with 344 teams and an average of 13 or 14 players, including walk-ons, per team, there are upwards of 4,500 men's D-I basketball players. Making those figures seem all the scarier is that there is only a 1-in-43,700 that a student-athlete will die from SCD. Males face a 1-in-33,134 risk, and black males chances increase to 1-in-17,796.

And when you think of some of the recent cases in our sport -- Seton Hall's Herb Pope, former Tennessee and New Mexico forward Emmanuel Negedu, forward Vanderbilt player Davis Nwankwo, Jeron Lewis of D-II Southern Indiana, and high schoolers Wes Leonard and Robert Garza -- those figures start to sound more accurate. (Personally, this hits close to home.)

Rush The Court did the legwork, hustling to track down Kimberly Harmon, the primary author listed on the study. I'm not going to repeat too much of what she said to RTC (I strongly suggest reading it, those guys are quite informative), but there are some interesting topics she touched on.

So why is the number so high for college basketball players?

Well, for starters, the obvious answer is that college basketball has a very high percentage of black athletes, and black men are at the highest risk of SCD. But as Harmon told RTC, "the really surprising finding is the risk in Caucasian Division I players (1 in 6,135) is [roughly] the same as African-Americans (1 in 5,284). In every other place there is a race differential."

There is also the stop-and-go nature of hoops. Its a fast paced game with a lot of changes in speed, which can be stressful on the heart.

None of that is what matters right now, however, because its possible to keep the D out of SCD.

If you remember Negedu's story, he was working out with then-teammate Bobby Maze at the Tennessee football facility. When his heart stopped, he was brought back to life by a automated external defibrillator, or AED. The same happened with Pope. And Nwankwo. Their basketball careers may be over permanently, but thanks to the AED being present, all three will live a full life.

These devices cost $1,000-$2,000 a piece, well worth the investment. The problem, however, is that many facilities around the country simply cannot afford them. The other issue is whether or not there will be someone trained on how to use the machine.

You can help that fight by donating to Parent Heart Watch.

You may be saving someone's life.