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UNI's Austin Phyfe heading 'in the right direction' during medical battle; Drake's Nick Norton battling for extra season

Dominique Yates, Louisville Courier Journal

Austin Phyfe’s second season in Cedar Falls was loaded with uncertainty and trepidation. The Northern Iowa big man’s battle with vasovagal syncope created more questions than answers for Panthers personnel.

The illness, described as a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure that leads to fainting, often in reaction to a stressful trigger, had no straightforward cure. This wasn’t a broken leg or fractured ankle. There wasn't a concrete recovery time.

Phyfe tried his best to fight through the condition before being shut down in early December.

Slowly but surely, Phyfe is climbing his way back to normalcy.