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The program and town pray for recovery---STORY ESPN
Ronny Turiaf was being wheeled into the operating room when he said his goodbyes to his family -- his Gonzaga family.
There he was Wednesday, a 22-year-old Frenchman about to have open-heart surgery, his life in the hands of Dr. Craig Miller of the Stanford Medical Center as the doctor tried to correct Turiaf's life-threatening enlarged aortic root.
And, in what had to be the scariest moment of his life, he referenced his love for the university, for his coaches, and for the people who took him in as a relative unknown and helped him blossom into an NBA prospect, culminating in a West Coast Conference Player of the Year award last season and getting drafted No. 37 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
"It was my turn to say goodbye, to hold his hand, to give him a hug, and then Ronny said something to me that I'll never forget," said Steve Hertz, Gonzaga's director of athletic relations. "He said, 'Coach, I'll be a great Zag and I will fight for all of us.' There were tears in his eyes. There were tears in all of our eyes. He's a great example of what a Division I athlete can be."
Turiaf pulled through the surgery Tuesday about as well as expected. Miller didn't have to replace the aortic valve, correcting the problem instead. According to The (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review, which had a reporter at the hospital, Miller "inserted a synthetic conduit into the base of the aorta." This apparently strengthened the walls of the aorta, possibly allowing Turiaf to return to the Lakers, or to play any professional basketball, in the future.
"Right before, Ronny grabbed me and said, 'You're my boy, be strong.' He took each one of us and said goodbye to us," said Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, who recruited Turiaf in France five years ago. "He is family to me. He's family to all of us. I'm really close to him. He's the godfather to my son. I'm not leaving here until he leaves. So, I'll be here the whole week and I'll wear these tiles out pacing."
The condition was discovered July 21. Doctors in Los Angeles checked on a heart abnormality after one initially was discovered during a physical at the Chicago predraft camp in June.
Three days after the Lakers announced Turiaf would have the surgery, subsequently voiding his newly agreed-upon two-year guaranteed contract, Turiaf was getting ready for the procedure in Palo Alto, Calif. (The Lakers generously paid for the surgery.)
Lloyd, Hertz and Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said they couldn't get over Miller's reaction to Turiaf after the surgeon met him for the first time.
"The doctors said that's one special human being," Lloyd said. "[Miller] said he was blown away by how humble and genuine this kid is and that it was a pleasure to help him. Every nurse said that, too."
Turiaf has that effect on everyone he meets. When ESPN.com called him in France five years ago, he was engaging during the brief conversation. He has been that way during every interview, and apparently has touched more people in the Spokane and Gonzaga communities than any other Zag.
This isn't a slight at some of the great players who have passed through, even native son John Stockton, but Turiaf has been able to reach even more people. The reason, those close to him say, is because of his infectious smile and extroverted personality that make spending time with him that much more enjoyable.
"I'll always remember the first time he got off the plane in Spokane, he grabbed me by the arm and said, 'Tommy, you can't lie to me. I can trust you, right? It's really important to me,'" Lloyd said.
"He's one of those special people that everybody feels good about after they meet him. He does that with the janitors and the secretaries and the lady at the Jack in the Box and at Papa John's Pizza. Everyone wants to take care of him. The Spokane community became his family."
That will have to continue for the coming months. The plan, once Turiaf is released, is for him to move back to Spokane. He's going to move in with teammate and classmate Brian Michaelson. Michaelson, a former walk-on and seldom-used reserve, recently purchased a house there.
Michaelson has been at the hospital with Lloyd every day (Few and the rest of the coaching staff -- Billy Grier and Leon Rice -- were at the hospital Monday and Tuesday). Michaelson picked up Turiaf's mother, who flew from France, at the airport Tuesday and ensured she was settled in during her son's post-op recovery at the hospital.
Recovery is expected to be slow and arduous, but Turiaf shouldn't lack support. Hertz said there have been impromptu mural-sized get-well cards in Spokane and on the Gonzaga campus.
"I know that Mark and Marcy [Few] have talked to countless people who want to come by and donate their time to be his nurse, bring him meals and get him back to good health," Hertz said. "It's staggering what he has meant to the Spokane community."
Few didn't hesitate to pull his staff off the recruiting road to be by Turiaf's side. He and his assistants will return to the chase Wednesday for the final few days of the July evaluation period.
Many coaches and programs probably would have reacted the same way, but it's worth noting how close the Gonzaga family has become since the Elite Eight run in 1999.
"This is a guy who won't score any more baskets for us, and I can't tell you how many times there were tears in Mark's eyes, Billy's, Leon's and Tommy's," Hertz said. "Billy and Leon had to leave [Tuesday evening], and I can't tell you how many times they called me. It's comparable to one of your children going through this. I really mean that.
"You can go through your whole career and never see something like this; it has been wonderfully refreshing to see how he has been treated," Hertz said. "I'm close to this program, and I'm so proud of a lot of the things Mark has done, but he really does care for these kids off the court."
Turiaf clearly reciprocates the feelings. And his admiration and respect for his teammates, especially Michaelson, is part of his unselfish behavior.
"Ronny thought about leaving for the NBA [after his junior year] but he said after senior night that [season] that he didn't want Brian to go through senior night by himself," Hertz said. "He didn't want him to do that alone. I know it sounds corny, but it's true.
"Throughout the day Tuesday, we all walked around here, talked and prayed for Ronny," Hertz said. "None of us hesitated to come down here. We knew we had to. We were a mess until the doctor came out to talk to us. This has been an honor to be here with him. That's what kind of young man he is."
Based on the outpouring of love and support for him, Turiaf will stay in the fabric of the Gonzaga community for a long time.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
There he was Wednesday, a 22-year-old Frenchman about to have open-heart surgery, his life in the hands of Dr. Craig Miller of the Stanford Medical Center as the doctor tried to correct Turiaf's life-threatening enlarged aortic root.
And, in what had to be the scariest moment of his life, he referenced his love for the university, for his coaches, and for the people who took him in as a relative unknown and helped him blossom into an NBA prospect, culminating in a West Coast Conference Player of the Year award last season and getting drafted No. 37 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
"It was my turn to say goodbye, to hold his hand, to give him a hug, and then Ronny said something to me that I'll never forget," said Steve Hertz, Gonzaga's director of athletic relations. "He said, 'Coach, I'll be a great Zag and I will fight for all of us.' There were tears in his eyes. There were tears in all of our eyes. He's a great example of what a Division I athlete can be."
Turiaf pulled through the surgery Tuesday about as well as expected. Miller didn't have to replace the aortic valve, correcting the problem instead. According to The (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review, which had a reporter at the hospital, Miller "inserted a synthetic conduit into the base of the aorta." This apparently strengthened the walls of the aorta, possibly allowing Turiaf to return to the Lakers, or to play any professional basketball, in the future.
"Right before, Ronny grabbed me and said, 'You're my boy, be strong.' He took each one of us and said goodbye to us," said Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, who recruited Turiaf in France five years ago. "He is family to me. He's family to all of us. I'm really close to him. He's the godfather to my son. I'm not leaving here until he leaves. So, I'll be here the whole week and I'll wear these tiles out pacing."
The condition was discovered July 21. Doctors in Los Angeles checked on a heart abnormality after one initially was discovered during a physical at the Chicago predraft camp in June.
Three days after the Lakers announced Turiaf would have the surgery, subsequently voiding his newly agreed-upon two-year guaranteed contract, Turiaf was getting ready for the procedure in Palo Alto, Calif. (The Lakers generously paid for the surgery.)
Lloyd, Hertz and Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said they couldn't get over Miller's reaction to Turiaf after the surgeon met him for the first time.
"The doctors said that's one special human being," Lloyd said. "[Miller] said he was blown away by how humble and genuine this kid is and that it was a pleasure to help him. Every nurse said that, too."
Turiaf has that effect on everyone he meets. When ESPN.com called him in France five years ago, he was engaging during the brief conversation. He has been that way during every interview, and apparently has touched more people in the Spokane and Gonzaga communities than any other Zag.
This isn't a slight at some of the great players who have passed through, even native son John Stockton, but Turiaf has been able to reach even more people. The reason, those close to him say, is because of his infectious smile and extroverted personality that make spending time with him that much more enjoyable.
"I'll always remember the first time he got off the plane in Spokane, he grabbed me by the arm and said, 'Tommy, you can't lie to me. I can trust you, right? It's really important to me,'" Lloyd said.
"He's one of those special people that everybody feels good about after they meet him. He does that with the janitors and the secretaries and the lady at the Jack in the Box and at Papa John's Pizza. Everyone wants to take care of him. The Spokane community became his family."
That will have to continue for the coming months. The plan, once Turiaf is released, is for him to move back to Spokane. He's going to move in with teammate and classmate Brian Michaelson. Michaelson, a former walk-on and seldom-used reserve, recently purchased a house there.
Michaelson has been at the hospital with Lloyd every day (Few and the rest of the coaching staff -- Billy Grier and Leon Rice -- were at the hospital Monday and Tuesday). Michaelson picked up Turiaf's mother, who flew from France, at the airport Tuesday and ensured she was settled in during her son's post-op recovery at the hospital.
Recovery is expected to be slow and arduous, but Turiaf shouldn't lack support. Hertz said there have been impromptu mural-sized get-well cards in Spokane and on the Gonzaga campus.
"I know that Mark and Marcy [Few] have talked to countless people who want to come by and donate their time to be his nurse, bring him meals and get him back to good health," Hertz said. "It's staggering what he has meant to the Spokane community."
Few didn't hesitate to pull his staff off the recruiting road to be by Turiaf's side. He and his assistants will return to the chase Wednesday for the final few days of the July evaluation period.
Many coaches and programs probably would have reacted the same way, but it's worth noting how close the Gonzaga family has become since the Elite Eight run in 1999.
"This is a guy who won't score any more baskets for us, and I can't tell you how many times there were tears in Mark's eyes, Billy's, Leon's and Tommy's," Hertz said. "Billy and Leon had to leave [Tuesday evening], and I can't tell you how many times they called me. It's comparable to one of your children going through this. I really mean that.
"You can go through your whole career and never see something like this; it has been wonderfully refreshing to see how he has been treated," Hertz said. "I'm close to this program, and I'm so proud of a lot of the things Mark has done, but he really does care for these kids off the court."
Turiaf clearly reciprocates the feelings. And his admiration and respect for his teammates, especially Michaelson, is part of his unselfish behavior.
"Ronny thought about leaving for the NBA [after his junior year] but he said after senior night that [season] that he didn't want Brian to go through senior night by himself," Hertz said. "He didn't want him to do that alone. I know it sounds corny, but it's true.
"Throughout the day Tuesday, we all walked around here, talked and prayed for Ronny," Hertz said. "None of us hesitated to come down here. We knew we had to. We were a mess until the doctor came out to talk to us. This has been an honor to be here with him. That's what kind of young man he is."
Based on the outpouring of love and support for him, Turiaf will stay in the fabric of the Gonzaga community for a long time.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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