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CLOUDY Temp: 40 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, December 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend December 11, 2002 First-year Crater coach Scott Dippel, center, surveys the action in Tuesday�s girls basketball game between the Comets and Yreka. Tuesday�s game marked the first time Dippel has been on the sidelines since last Wednesday's seizure. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Crater coach returns after scare Constriction of blood vessels in Scott Dippel’s brain sidelined the 26-year-old for one week By DON HUNT Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Scott Dippel went to bed last Wednesday night and fell asleep within a few minutes. Less than 30 minutes later, the Crater High girls basketball coach awoke in an ambulance, his head throbbing in pain and feeling sick to his stomach. Just 26 years old and seemingly as healthy as a horse, Dippel was rushed to Rogue Valley Medical Center. The diagnosis: Arterial Venous Malformation, a constriction of blood vessels in Dippel’s brain that caused it to bleed and caused him to have a seizure. "They tell me I was unconscious for about 15 minutes," Dippel said. "It was pretty scary." Dippel spent one night in the hospital and missed his team’s trip to Reno, Nev., last weekend. He returned to practice Monday and was in the coaching saddle Tuesday as the Comets cruised to a 70-39 victory over Yreka, Calif. Dippel, who is now on anti-seizure medication, is scheduled to have an angiogram — an X-ray examination of blood vessels following the injection of a dye-like substance — in March and could face brain surgery after that, he said. "They’ll do the angiogram first and then determine what to do after that," said Dippel, adding that one option would be to "super glue the veins together." Dippel, who will return to his teaching duties at Crater today, said he was so sore after the seizure that he felt as if he had played basketball nonstop for three straight days. "I’m sure it didn’t help that I fell out of bed and hit the floor when it happened," he said. The seizure also apparently caused a pinched nerve in Dippel’s left leg, leaving him with a slight limp. Throughout the ordeal, Dippel said, he’s received unwavering support from not only his parents and wife, Jennifer, but also from Crater assistant coaches Kevin Corwin and J.T. Thomas. Dippel’s father, Greg, is the school’s junior varsity girls coach. "Right after I got home, all the girls — varsity and JV — came to see me," Dippel said. "That’s a lot of kids to stick into one room, but it was certainly a special moment for me." Dippel admitted that during a routine eye exam last month, his optometrist noticed something could be amiss and advised him to see a physician. But like most people in their 20s who, presumably, are in excellent health, Dippel put it off. "You think you’re pretty invincible when you’re my age," he said, "but then you go through something like this and it’s a wake-up call. "God gave me a nice little wake-up call, and so in a way this was a blessing. Now I know what I’m facing, and I’ll deal with it." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S