Mike Gansey
In the early 2000s, Mike Gansey’s pro basketball career seemed like a foregone conclusion. The West Virginia guard, a first-team All-Big East selection, showed promise as a first-round NBA pick. But after a period of illness, marked by welts and sores on his skin, he was diagnosed with MRSA. For weeks he was bedridden in the hospital, during which he felt hit by a truck, unable to move.
Gansey’s MRSA infection is what is known as “community acquired,” meaning, not the result of surgery, but a shared setting. Community-acquired MRSA has become more common, affecting otherwise healthy athletes. With significant downtime, hospitalization, or in rare cases amputation, MRSA could be career-ending. That’s why coaches and trainers are increasingly recommending teams complete the prevention protocol before the season begins. Gansey did go on to play professional basketball, but due to his infection and lengthy treatment, he went undrafted, and his NBA dreams did not play out.