Tillette back on bench for Samford

Looking back, Samford basketball coach Jimmy Tillette says he was lucky that it happened the way it did.

"I could have been in the shower and hit my head, I could have been driving," Tillette said. "If it had to happen, it was a good venue for it."

As it was, the scene on the night of Jan. 23 at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum was scary enough. Tillette, 59, suffered a seizure and collapsed during the second half of his team's 70-67 win over UNC Greensboro.

Tillette spent a couple of nights in the hospital in Greensboro before returning to Birmingham, Ala. He missed three games while undergoing tests, and doctors determined that the seizure was caused by bleeding from a blood vessel above his right ear.

Doctors called it a "vascular anomaly" and cleared Tillette to return to practice this week. He returns to the bench tonight when Samford plays at The Citadel.

"I was lucky I was in a place where I had immediate attention," said Tillette, who is a fit 150 pounds and normally rides a bike for an hour per day and lifts weights twice a week. "The doctors have told me to cut back on my workouts some, and I'm just trying to stay healthy."

Tillette doesn't remember much about that night, but he does recall waking up at the hospital to see UNC Greensboro coach Mike Dement.

"We won that game, it was a hard game for him, and then he shows up at the hospital," Tillette said. "I really appreciated that, and I've been overwhelmed by the care and concern and inquiries about my health. It means a lot."

Samford's season already had been difficult enough, after the death of senior player Jim Griffin back on Sept. 8. Griffin died in his sleep in his dorm room.

"It's been a difficult year for our guys emotionally," Tillette said. "And February is the most difficult time to win games anyway. We've just got to pull together and work hard."

Samford (9-13, 3-7) went 0-3 while Tillette was sidelined, but has won on the road at Elon and UNC Greensboro this season.

Samford lost to The Citadel 51-50 on Jan. 16, and the two teams are tied for first in the Southern Conference in scoring defense, allowing 59 points per game.

"Playing The Citadel is like looking in the mirror," Tillette said. "It's always difficult to play teams who play a similar style to yours."