Jaylen Brantley to miss entire 2017-18 season with ‘previously undiagnosed heart condition’

By Philip Sanzo

October 10, 2017

Graduate transfer Jaylen Brantley’s basketball career has come to a disappointing end.

UMass athletics announced that the recent transfer will miss all of the 2017-18 season with a “previously undiagnosed heart condition.”

Brantley was one of Matt McCall’s first recruits as coach of the Massachusetts basketball team in late April.

The heart condition was revealed during an electrocardiogram test, standard for all UMass medical screenings.

“First and foremost, we are thankful that this condition of Jaylen’s was detected and that he is healthy. While he is not going to be cleared for basketball-related activities, he can live a normal lifestyle which is a blessing for him and his family,” McCall said in a statement released by UMass Athletics. “We will continue to honor Jaylen’s scholarship so that he can further his education and be a part of the men’s basketball program in a leadership role.”

Brantley transferred to UMass following two years at Maryland where the 5-foot-11 guard averaged 4.9 points in all 33 games he played last season.

“While knowing my basketball career will be over, the fact that I will be able to live a healthy, normal lifestyle does give me peace of mind,” Brantley said in a statement released by UMass Athletics. “This has been a hard process, but I am thankful for the support and guidance of Coach McCall, the medical staff at UMass, my teammates, my mother and my family. It’s certainly a difficult diagnosis to receive, but there is so much I want to do in life and knowing this early will help me in the long term. I thank God that this condition was detected and may have saved my life and, for that, I will be forever grateful.”

The guard was expected to make an immediate impact in the UMass backcourt that was already lacking depth.

Jaylen Brantley tweeted regarding his condition.