Boys’ basketball: A happy comeback story for Valencia’s Chibuzo Ikonte

In 2013, as a sophomore, basketball player Chibuzo Ikonte of Valencia collapsed in the gym during a practice and received emergency heart defibrillation from students enrolled in a sports medicine program.

The 6-foot-7 Ikonte has been working to receive doctor’s clearance ever since to return to the sport.

On Tuesday night, in his first game since 2013, he scored 24 points in Valencia’s 67-65 win over Canyon Country Canyon.

“It’s been over two and a half years,” Ikonte told The Signal. “Sometimes I felt like giving up but I just kept my faith. Just the chance to get cleared and play, all the glory to God.”

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