Northridge Assistant Home From Hospital

Mike Johnson, a Cal State Northridge assistant basketball coach, returned home with the team on Friday, less than 12 hours after being released from Kaseman Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M.

Johnson, 25, was taken to the hospital by paramedics late Thursday after complaining of chest pains shortly after Northridge’s 81-72 loss to Brown in the consolation game of the Lobo Invitational.

“It wasn’t overwhelming, but I couldn’t breathe,” Johnson said of the pain. “I panicked and made it worse.”

The emergency staff physician told Johnson that he had suffered an anxiety attack.

“Losing to Brown . . . I just didn’t handle it very well,” said Johnson, who started feeling ill while driving one of the team vans from the arena to the hotel.

Asked if doctors had given him any advice, Johnson replied: “Yeah. Win a game. That was my wife’s advice.”

Johnson’s wife of four months, Molly, is a former Northridge volleyball player.