STARKVILLE — After spending three days in the hospital, Starkville High School boys basketball coach Greg Carter is back home.
Carter had a heart attack early Saturday morning and had surgery at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus later in the day to clear a complete blockage of his right coronary artery. He returned home Monday afternoon.
“He’s doing well,” said Schreese Carter, Greg’s wife, Tuesday night. “He’s resting and recuperating. He’s a little bored because he’s not used to having to rest more than normal.”
Schreese said Greg woke up in pain around 2:30 a.m. Saturday and she took him to Oktibbeha County Hospital. They were unaware of what had happened, but she said Greg began to understand as he heard the doctors and medical professions talk.
Schreese praised the job OCH did, but he was sent to Columbus, where cardiologist Dr. John King was waiting for him. Dr. King put in a couple of stents during the surgery. A stent is a tiny wire mesh tube that helps keep coronary arteries open and reduces the chance of a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association.
“I just couldn’t believe it because he’s in good health, he works out every day and tries to eat pretty good,” Schreese said. “We were very, very surprised and even more so concerned because we didn’t know what we were looking at.”
Schreese said Greg spent Saturday in the Intensive Care Unit before being moved to a regular room Sunday.
She said Greg didn’t show any signs of pain Friday, but he did mention to her that he was a little tired.
“I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary,” Schreese said. “He had worked out earlier in the day and he cut grass. He went up (to be with) his players (for their) weights (session). He was a little more tired than normal, but he attributed that to a busy day.”
Greg took over the Starkville High program in 2001. He has led the program to Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State championships in 2010 and 2015. This past season, Starkville lost to Columbus in the Class 6A State title game.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Greg,” Starkville Athletic Director Milton Smith Sr. said. “He’s a tremendous actor up here at the school, both on the court and off the court. We’re praying he gets well soon, gets the proper amount of rest, and he can bounce back from this summer.”
Greg played basketball at Mississippi State from 1988-91. He helped the Bulldogs win a co-Southeastern Conference Championship in 1990-91. He served as an assistant coach at MSU from 1994-2001 under head coaches Richard Williams (1994-98) and Rick Stansbury (1998-2001).
Greg’s son, Tyson, who played at Starkville High, signed last fall with MSU and will be a freshman for coach Ben Howland in 2016-17.
Schreese said Dr. King was surprised with how well Greg was doing after the surgery, but rest will be a priority in the coming weeks. Schreese and Smith expect Greg to be back to coaching this winter.
“There’s no reason he won’t be able to get started,” Schreese said. “He may take off the rest of this month, but when school starts, he’s going to start.”
Since the news broke of Carter’s heart attack, the family has been greeted with kind words from people in Starkville and throughout the state, which has touched them deeply and has been a source of comfort.
“We’ve really appreciated the kind words and gentle hearts from everybody. It has truly, truly been humbling. We really appreciate that,” Schreese said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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