FAYETTEVILLE -- Khalil Garland is excited about being home for the University of Arkansas men's basketball team's game Saturday night in North Little Rock, even though he won't play against Valparaiso.
When the game at Simmons Bank Arena tips off at 7 p.m., Garland will be on the bench in his role as a student coach.
UP NEXT
Arkansas men vs Valparaiso
WHEN 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock
RECORDS Arkansas 9-1; Valparaiso 7-5
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
TELEVISION None
INTERNET None
"The people that I keep around me, they've told me there's more to life than playing basketball," Garland, a former Little Rock Parkview standout, said after Thursday's practice. "I keep that in my mind, and I come out here every day trying to help the guys out and be the best person I can with them."
Garland, a 6-5 forward, signed with Arkansas in the fall of 2016 before his senior season at Parkview over other offers that included LSU, Memphis, Alabama, Connecticut, Baylor, Oregon and California.
[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc10_G4TE9c]
ESPN rated Garland as the No. 15 small forward and No. 61 overall prospect in the nation, but he never has played in a game for the Razorbacks.
A heart condition -- cardiomyopathy -- that wasn't diagnosed until Garland arrived at Arkansas ended his college career before it started.
According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. -- where Garland received treatment -- cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. It can lead to heart failure.
Garland hoped medications could help get his condition under control to the extent he would be cleared to play, but that never happened.
[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBrvAGC65Qc]
Now a junior, Garland said he's at peace with the knowledge he won't ever play for the Razorbacks.
"I just look at like God has another plan for me," he said.
Eric Musselman, hired as the Razorbacks' coach after last season, offered Garland a chance to stay with the team as a student coach.
"I love what I'm doing, and I really appreciate what Coach Musselman did for me," said Garland, who is at every practice and every game, including road trips. "I just wanted to stay around basketball.
"Especially this year, I've accepted my role now. I'm excited about what the future brings."
Musselman said Garland has been a plus for the team.
"Khalil is awesome," Musselman said. "He's constantly in our guys' ears. Our guys are like, 'He gets us pumped up. He gets us amped up.' "
Sophomore guard Isaiah Joe said Garland is a big part of the Razorbacks.
"Khalil, this is his family," Joe said. "We formed a brotherhood, and he's always there for us. Even though he wasn't fortunate enough to play his college career, he's still stuck with us and been doing everything he can to help the team.
"He's staying on me all the time and tries to help us stay strong on and off the court."
Garland, who gets his heart checked every two months, also attended every practice and game the previous two seasons when Mike Anderson was Arkansas' coach.
"I love them to death, every one of them," Garland said of the Razorbacks. "The best thing is watching them succeed and win games, because I see all the battles they go through in practice."
Assistant coach Corey Williams said Garland provides the staff with a unique insight.
"Khalil's an extra set of eyes for us and he can really relate to the guys who are playing," Williams said. "Sometimes as coaches we can be a little bit older-thinking, and he's knows what these young guys are thinking every day and how to relate to them."
Garland said he's taken on a vocal role with the players.
"I'm more talkative now," he said. "They listen to me more, because I barely did any talking last year. But now they look for me to talk to them about things."
The most important thing Garland said he tries to do is encourage a player when he's down.
"If someone is having a bad practice or a bad game, I'll go up and talk to them, get their head back up if it's down," he said. "I have a message and I get it across to them."
Williams said Garland provides the Razorbacks with a powerful message.
"I remind him all the time that you're living -- it could have been a different story -- and now you still have a chance to have an impact on your peers' lives," Williams said. "You're reminding them, 'Take advantage of the opportunity you have, because you never know when it might be taken away from you.' I think he's embodied that with our guys."
Sophomore forward Ethan Henderson was Garland's teammate at Parkview.
"I think he's dealt with it great," Henderson said of Garland adjusting to not playing. "Other people might have quit and stopped being around the team, but he's always supported us. He's always helping us, giving us advice and pushing us.
"I don't think he's looking back now. He's just going to keep moving forward."
Musselman said junior guard Mason Jones has expressed what Garland means to the players.
"Mason sent me a text about a week and a half ago about how important Khalil is to the makeup of our team from an emotional and a mental standpoint," Musselman said. "He's a vital part. That's why he's with us every day, he's at every practice for the entire practice and travels.
"It's important to have him with us and around us because guys respect him so much."
Hank Gathers, a star forward for Loyola-Marymount who had 28 points and 17 points against Arkansas in the 1989 NCAA Tournament when the Razorbacks beat the Lions 120-101, died a year later from cardiomyopathy after he collapsed on the court during a West Coast Conference Tournament game.
"I've read all the stories about Hank Gathers," Garland said. "I've realized basketball isn't the biggest thing anymore. I want my life. I value my life."
Garland said he played basketball his entire life before coming to Arkansas having no idea he had a serious heart condition. It was discovered after he underwent extensive testing.
"I'm very fortunate," Garland said. "Because at any moment I could have passed out on the court."
Garland, a communications major, said he might want to go into coaching as a career.
"He's an unbelievable kid with an unbelievable story," Williams said. "For him to be the way he is knowing that he can't play basketball -- something he really loves doing -- it's pretty telling about what kind of kid he really is.
"I think he would be a fantastic coach, because he can relate to guys, and he understands the game. Of course, there's some developing he has to do, but he's going to be successful at whatever he chooses to do."
Sports on 12/20/2019