Deans determined to bounce back after "uncharted" heart surgery

The 20-year-old former JackJumper has emerged from open-heart surgery with a positive diagnosis and renewed perspective about the on-court cardiac arrest that nearly ended his life.

Speaking from Florida where he is on a four-year basketball scholarship, Deans said he was finally able to look ahead again.

"It feels like I was in a patch of uncertainty for about eight or nine months since the cardiac arrest but now that the surgery is done I can look at my future again," he said.

"I'm just thankful to be in a position where I can move on and look towards better things."

Six weeks ago the Queensland-born point guard, who went to Invermay and Trevallyn primary schools, Riverside High and Launceston College, had myocardial bridge unroofing surgery at Stanford in California.

It followed his dramatic collapse for the Jacksonville Dolphins earlier this year in which for three minutes he was not breathing, had no pulse and has been told he was effectively dead.

Deans said surgeons told him the operation was virtually unprecedented.

"It is specific surgery only done at a handful of places in the world so I was fortunate to be able to get it.

"It involved cutting the top of the heart muscle which encloses one of the main arteries but I actually had two which they had never done before but they wanted to do that to make sure there were no issues further down the road.

"It went really well and I'm grateful to have that in the past and not to have to think about it again."

Deans, who is in the second year of a psychology degree, said he is facing a three-month cardiac rehab process after which he may be able to return to the basketball court.

He has begun light cardio work three days a week during which his heart-rate, blood pressure and other vital signs are monitored.

"After that I will go to hospital in Atlanta for more testing to see where I'm at and what I'm like when my heart-rate increases.

"The main thing for me was if I could get through this would I be able to live a normal full life, and the answer to that is yes. The basketball aspect is still uncertain because the surgery is almost uncharted, especially for a young athlete like myself.

"I have to have regular check-ups for three months and after that hopefully I'm a good chance to be able to play again but because there is no solid data, because I'm the only person at this age to have this issue, they cannot guarantee anything at this stage."

Deans said he is thankful to his coaches for finding him roles within the Dolphins' National Collegiate Athletics Association Division 1 program.

"They say I have a high basketball IQ so I'm still able to contribute to the program which is pretty cool considering the situation. This is definitely positive news and I'm really hoping I get the chance to play again.

"I've been playing for such a long time and have a huge love for the game because it's brought me so much so I want to keep playing if I can, but the whole experience has made me realise there's a lot more than just basketball.

"But if I get the chance and there are no complications, absolutely I'd love to play again."