Basketball player died of heart condition

Raymond Dunn, the Vance-Granville Community College basketball player who collapsed during a game in February, died of a heart condition, according to an autopsy report released Friday.

The Henderson sophomore most likely died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, according to the report released by the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

ItÂ’s a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

Because there are few, if any symptoms, the disease often goes undiagnosed.

The autopsy reveals that Dunn had recently undergone a cardiac evaluation that didnÂ’t result in specific findings.

On Feb. 20, Dunn, 20, a criminal justice major, collapsed as a teammate was setting up for a free throw attempt during a home game against Guilford Technical Community College.

The father of a teammate, several nurses and a team trainer descended on the court, and CPR was performed on Dunn. He was hooked up to a defibrillator after an ambulance arrived.

He died at Maria Parham Medical Center. The game was forfeited, but the school did finish its season, falling in the second round of a National Junior College Athletic Association Regional.

Dunn, a 6-foot-4 forward, was one of the top basketball players in the nation in the junior college ranks, made the schoolÂ’s deanÂ’s list for the fall semester, and planned to play at a four-year college.

Dunn attended Northern Vance High and Norlina Christian School, where he led the school to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1A tournament in 2008.

In March, Dunn was posthumously named a first-team All America by the National Junior College Athletic Association.