Hasan Houston/Redditt Hudson

[bonwich]

This was in today's P-D. Very sad for Hasan (who was, although not shown in the article, also a Billiken, briefly).

copyright 2005 St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Fund-raiser will help pay former U. City High player’s medical bills

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Monday, Apr. 11 2005

When Felicia Houston spoke to the paramedics by phone, they said her husband

had suffered a heart attack. Don't worry, he's out of danger, they assured her.

But as soon as she saw him in his hospital bed, she knew differently.

Felicia Houston has been a critical-care nurse for 23 years.

"We're trained like detectives. I saw the posturing of his body, and I looked

at his pupils and I knew immediately what had happened: My husband didn't just

have a heart attack; there was a problem with lack of oxygen and he suffered a

brain injury."

Nearly eight months later, Hasan Houston still is in a hospital in San Jose,

Calif., unable to move and being fed through a tube. He turned 47 on Friday.

At University City High School here, Hasan was a popular athlete, a baseball,

football and All Metro basketball player, who averaged 31 points a game in his

senior year. Juan McKissic remembers his pal as the kid with the "milkshake

smile."

Sunday night, friends held a fund-raiser at Janae's restaurant in University

City, not far from the high school. Monica McKissic said the group hoped to

raise $10,000 for Hasan's medical expenses. It appeared they reached and

perhaps exceeded their goal as more than 400 people turned out, buying up

raffle tickets and out-bidding each other on auction items such as a Marshall

Faulk-signed football and barbecue grill.

The event felt more like a high school reunion, with classmates coming together

to remember their basketball legend and fun-loving friend.

"He galvanized the whole community in University City," McKissic said. "People

traveled from near and far to see him play."

The community at the time was close-knit, dynamic and comfortably integrated,

says former teammate Andy Woods. Many residents have since moved throughout the

metropolitan area but returned Sunday not only to help one of the best athletes

to come out of University City but also because of a compelling need to help

one of their own.

"Any tight-knit community comes together," said Redditt Hudson, 40, who played

basketball for University City and St. Louis University. "It's just a love we

have for each other that extends out over each of the years and over the

distance."

For many, it was hard to imagine Hasan Houston - who they remember as

energetic, vibrant, funny and brash - in a hospital bed.

Felicia Houston says the money raised will help defray a small portion of her

mounting costs. Her husband needs 24-hour care and she will have to hire help

when he comes home in about three weeks.

The couple have three sons and a daughter; Hasan taught each of them to play

basketball. He had learned the game from his father, Ray Houston, who came from

Dallas to attend the fund-raiser.

Felicia Houston was overwhelmed by the turnout. She thanked the crowd and

talked about her hope that her husband gets better. "I'm going to take home

with me all of your love and share it with him," she said.

After graduating from high school in 1976, Hasan attended the University of

Kansas, where he played basketball for the Jayhawks and met Felicia. He later

played for Bradley University in Peoria.

After graduation in 1981, he was drafted by the Houston Rockets. The team cut

Hasan, who went on to play football for the Chicago Bears before changing

careers to become a commodities broker at the Mercantile Exchange in Chicago.

He changed careers again and became a probation officer in Chicago. The family

moved to San Jose, where he was a federal probation officer and part-time high

school basketball coach.

One of his teams was The King's Academy Knights. Last July, Hasan took the team

to Las Vegas for a tournament where hundreds of players annually vie for the

attention of college scouts. He had just finished warming up with the team when

he collapsed.

His youngest son, Isaac, 18, saw it and called his mother at home.

"Dad's fainted," he said.

"Wake him up," his mother replied.

"He won't wake up."

Felicia Houston says there was no defibrillator or emergency medical team

nearby. An ambulance took about 20 minutes to arrive after someone called 911

on a cell phone, which did not allow authorities to determine the location of

the caller.

She blames his condition on the slow response time.

Recently, the Houstons closely watched developments in the Terri Schiavo case.

The term "persistent vegetative state," often used to describe Schiavo, who

died last month, "makes me boil," Felicia Houston says. "Even 'coma' sounds

better than that," she says. "Persistent vegetative state says this person

cannot come any further. And that stigma follows them their whole life after

that."

Felicia Houston describes herself as her husband's cheerleader and says he is

on a "slow journey" to recovery.

"I know that he may not be back as the man that I knew him as. But I want to

give him a fighting chance."

Hasan Houston's father, Ray Houston, says he has raised more than $6,000 so far

on a Web site: hasanhouston.com. He says all the money goes into a bank account

and will be used to defray medical expenses.

As Woods was looking out over the packed restaurant Sunday night, he remembered

how his former teammate galvanized the city with his play. "Hasan's done it

again," he said. "He's brought everybody together again."

[kwyjibo]

Andy Woods worked as SLU's SID for a year or two as well.

[bonwich]

Andy, for those who aren't aware, is Hariett's kid. (And I'm sure that B-Roy and AlumniFan, among others on this board, count Harriet Woods as one of their favorite politicians .)

[billiken_roy]

that doesnt even justify a response.

[Trich]

That reference to Andy Woods crossed my mind when I read it but I did not know he worked for SLU as the SID. There was another doubt in my mind because I didn't think Andy Woods was the Mizzou QB, who was the son of Harriet Woods. On other irony is the interest of Felicia Houston in the Schiavo case. I think I know which way Harriet Woods came down on that issue.

[bonwich]

The Mizzou QB was Andy's brother, Pete.

[Taj79]

Wow! Sad story .. I remember interviewing Houston many times for the UNews, joe. He was my first encounter with the current Billiken malaise of "you can trasnfer in but you can't transfer to SLU" seen many times in the Upchurch/Alexander/Morris fiascos. This is truly a shame ... I remember Hasan as what I would call a "mean practical joker" at the time. He always appeared angry and militant but that was all a facade for a pretty great guy. He ended up at Bradley because we couldn't get him in here. Then a year or two later, Ekker signs all those transfers and the beginning of the dark ages is upon us.

So sad when memories like these are brought back in light of unfortunate events. Here's hoping the best to the Houston family.