Houston coach Brent Hall has seen Curry Van Horn drive to the basket and fall down countless times.
He always gets up.
This time, he didn’t.
Van Horn was seriously injured Friday night when after colliding with a Salem defender, he fell hard to the ground and banged his head on the floor. His body was limp as teammate Cory Scheets attempted to help him to his feet, and Hall said Van Horn was nonresponsive when he arrived on the court.
“It was as scary a situation as I’ve ever seen on a basketball floor,” Hall said.
As his teammates kneeled in a huddle and prayed, Van Horn laid motionless on the floor. He was placed on a backboard and taken to Texas County Memorial Hospital.
Hall said Van Horn began to regain his bearings as he laid on the floor.
“He wasn’t coherent and couldn’t answer any questions,” Hall said. “It took him a few minutes, but he was finally able to answer a few questions.”
Fortunately for Van Horn, it was just another fall that he will shake off. Hall said Van Horn, a 5-foot-4 guard known as “Tiny Might” by his teammates and coaches, suffered a concussion. He was released from the hospital hours after the game and could potentially return to the court as soon as Friday.
Van Horn hit a pair of 3-pointers before being injured with 1 minute, 49 seconds left in the first quarter. Houston, which led by double digits at the time, lost to Salem 60-52 in overtime.
“We obviously need him back on the court,” Hall said. “He was playing better than probably anyone on the team at the time.”