A scary scene during the Elite Eight game between USC and Gonzaga happened when official Bert Smith collapsed on the court.
Veteran official Bert Smith collapsed in the opening minutes of the Elite Eight game between USC and Gonzaga.
He was off to the side in the corner when he collapsed and was immediately tended to by medical personnel from both teams.
The game was stopped at the 15:44 mark with Gonzaga leading USC 11-4.
Bert Smith collapsed and hit his head on the court
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
During the commercial break, Smith became alert, stood up under his own power and was smiling. He was talking, although breathing heavily as he was wheeled off the floor by medical personnel.
Official Bert Smith was conscious while being taken off on a stretcher after collapsing on the court during USC-Gonzaga. pic.twitter.com/BsX6XCiwCA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 30, 2021
TBS showed a replay of Smith collapsing. He fell straight backward and his head hit the court.
Bert Smith, veteran NCAA official, just collapsed on the court. He's now on his feet. pic.twitter.com/BOhBvJT01U
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 30, 2021
Smith was being tended to in the locker room after it was reported he was feeling light-headed preceding his collapsing on the court. He has been replaced with the backup official who was on-site to potentially work for the night game between Michigan and UCLA.
At halftime, the NCAA delivered the latest update on Smith, saying he is alert and stable and will not need to be transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
This sounds like good news after a very scary situation in the opening minutes of the game. Hopefully, Smith will be fully healthy moving forward and back to working games.
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