Mikhail Torrence, the former Alabama guard who signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 2010 but never played for the club after collapsing in practice, has died at 37. Alabama announced his death; no cause was released.
Torrence was born in Mobile, Alabama, and played four seasons for the Crimson Tide from 2006 to 2010. He went undrafted in the NBA, reportedly because of concerns tied to a heart condition that had been diagnosed.
After agreeing to join Maccabi Tel Aviv, he was supposed to get a chance on one of Europe’s biggest stages, but on August 20, 2010, he collapsed during a routine workout in Florida before arriving in Israel. He lost consciousness and was taken to hospital in critical condition. Days later he was breathing on his own, and his condition later improved to stable.
At the time, his agent, Haffey Walters, told Walla, “It’s like a miracle. He recognizes people, he laughs, he shows emotion. These are great signs, we are all very pleased right now.” About a year later, Torrence made a surprising recovery and returned to Europe, signing with Ormanspor Ankara in Turkey’s second division. He later played in Turkey, Canada, Finland, the Dominican Republic and Mexico from 2011 to 2015, and also had a brief workout with the Miami Heat without being signed. In his final Alabama season, he averaged 15.6 points, 5.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, led the SEC in free-throw percentage and was named to the conference’s second team.