Player Has Confidence in Pacemaker

Joe Rhett is back on the University of South Carolina basketball team, confident his pacemaker won’t affect his ability to play.

Rhett returned to the team Wednesday, two days after practice began for the 1990-91 season.

“I’m feeling fine,” he said after going through a 2 1/4-hour practice. “I’m happy to be back on the court. . . . I feel nothing can go wrong.”

Rhett, 20, had a pacemaker implanted in February to correct an irregular heartbeat. He was given medical clearance to return to the Gamecocks last month, but the 6-8 junior forward’s comeback was delayed as his family and the school apparently tried to reach an accord on who would be liable if something happened to him.

Luther Battiste, a Columbia attorney representing the Rhett family, said he couldn’t talk about any specifics of the agreement that returned Rhett to the Gamecocks.

In the past, Rhett has said he thought twice about playing after Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers collapsed during a basketball game and died of a heart attack March 4. But Rhett said at the news conference that he has no apprehension.

“I’ve been playing a lot this summer . . . with some good ballplayers,” Rhett said. “They weren’t taking it easy on me at all. I think the first game I’ll be a little nervous ‘cause of what happened last year. But for the most part . . . the team support and coaching staff give me the confidence to go out there and play ball.”