Texas Teen Dies After Collapse on Basketball Court

A South Texas high school basketball player has died while playing in an amateur tournament in Austin.

Roma High School junior Robert Garza was playing in the AAU tournament with the Hoopsters, a South Texas club team.

Hoopsters coach Arnold Martinez tells The Monitor of McAllen that the 16-year-old collapsed about 11:15 a.m. Saturday during a time out five minutes into the game after taking a drink of water and giving a teammate a "high five."

Garza's high school coach, Abelardo Escobar, tells The Monitor that Garza was taken to Brackenridge Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just over an hour after his collapse.

Calls by The Associated Press to Martinez and Escobar on Sunday weren't answered.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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