Atwater Gets to Heart of the Matter : Boys basketball: Westside Prep reserve plays, four months after surgery to correct a congenital problem.

For the past month, Darryl Atwater has played basketball for Westside Prep of Culver City with all the emotion that comes with being on a championship team.

The Golden Eagles, in their second year, won the Westside League title and beat Redlands Calvary Chapel, 55-47, in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division V-A playoffs Friday night at Colton High.

This is a moment that Atwater, a 16-year-old center and forward, could not--and would not--miss.

So, four months after undergoing heart surgery to correct a blood-flow disorder, Atwater rejoined the team to play the final month of his junior season.

In an era of heightened concern surrounding coronary conditions in athletes, Atwater is determined to continue playing basketball.

“We were a little apprehensive at first, but since his doctor said there was no risk and he really wanted to come back, we supported his decision,” Darryl’s mother, Libby Atwater, said.

“There was an emotional side to letting him continue, but it was a medical decision that allowed him to play.”

Atwater, who lives in West Los Angeles, was born with a congenital heart disorder that was diagnosed as an “innocent heart murmur.” The Atwaters knew from an early age that their son would need to undergo surgery to correct the problem. They were told he could have the surgery in his mid-20s.

But during a routine examination at UCLA Medical Center last September, doctors discovered Atwater needed immediate attention. He was diagnosed with a subaortic stenosis, a condition in which an abnormal heart muscle constricts blood flow.

“We had known for a long time that Darryl had an obstruction. We were watching him closely for years,” said Roberta Williams, chief of pediatric cardiology at UCLA.

Then, an exercise test last September indicated complications.

“The heart muscle gets tighter during exercises, then enlarges,” Williams said. “His muscle would bulge out into the pathway of the blood as a result.”

Surgeons removed part of Atwater’s heart muscle and a membrane that blocked the blood flow. Within five days he was home. Doctors told him he could not participate in sports for at least four months.

Atwater marked the date, Jan. 31, when he could return.

Most believed he would forgo his junior season.

But he was determined to come back this year.

He received medical clearance the night before his first game, on Jan. 31.

“The hardest thing for me when I first came back was not knowing,” Atwater said. “I wondered, ‘Could it (a collapse) happen to me?’ ”

The concern came from what happened to Hank Gathers, who collapsed and died while playing for Loyola Marymount in March, 1990.

Williams tried to reassure Atwater.

“The heart muscle itself is healthy,” she said. “Darryl has a strong heart. Some types of heart problems are lifelong. Fortunately, his condition was correctable.”

Still, Gathers’ death in Westchester--not far from Westside Prep--loomed large.

School officials were reluctant to allow him to return to basketball without deflecting legal responsibility. The Atwaters said they considered legal remedies if the school refused to budge.

“I spent hours on the phone with doctors, lawyers and administrators, just trying to put it all together,” said Mike Whiting, Westside Prep basketball coach. “He may have had medical clearance, but there was a legal and moral issue on whether or not he should play.”

Whiting was particularly sensitive because he witnessed Gathers’ death.

“When you watch a guy like Gathers collapse at mid-court, it stays with you forever,” Whiting said. “No basketball game in the world is worth someone’s life.”

To allay their fears, school officials insisted the Atwaters sign a waiver before Darryl returned. Although waivers are not always legally binding, administrators wanted to distance themselves from potential liability.

They had reason for caution. Darryl’s father, Don, suffered a heart attack in 1989 while the family was on vacation in Hawaii. Family history is a key element in determining potential heart problems, cardiologists say.

Don Atwater, once a UCLA sprinter, was told his condition was unrelated to his son’s. Libby Atwater has shown no signs of heart disease, but her family background is not traceable because she was adopted at birth.

Another son, Ross, 13, has not developed an obstruction similar to Darryl’s, but recent tests show he has a relatively high cholesterol level for his age.

Atwater said he sometimes ponders the possibility of a college basketball career.

“Coming from a small school, it will be tough to get recruited . . . but I have another year here to prove myself,” he said. “Right now I’m still a little out of shape.”

Atwater, who is 6 feet 3, 190 pounds, has averaged eight points and eight rebounds in a reserve role. Westside Prep, a two-year-old school with 27 students, is 20-5.

Although he is a reserve on a championship team, Atwater understands the added attention he gets because of the recent surgery.

About two weeks ago, he took an elbow to the chest while going for a rebound. The blow sent him crashing to the floor.

“I jumped out of my seat and grabbed my head. . . . It was a scary moment,” Libby said.

Atwater got up, a little sore but undaunted. He continued playing.

“She overreacted,” Atwater said of his mother’s outburst.

That was understandable.