It was just another normal day for D.J. Bowles as he dribbled near half court, running his daily point-guard workout.

Feeling a little woozy, he pauses at the top of WuShock’s head. Dizziness set in and Bowles passed out.

Doctors attributed this episode to an unknown heart condition and told Bowles if he continued to play, he could be endangering his life. Surgeons immediately implanted a defibrillator and gave Bowles a heart monitor to keep at home that sends occasional reports to his doctor.

Now, a year later, Bowles can only sit on the sidelines and watch the sport he grew up playing.

“It was really hard on me,” Bowles said. “I’ve been playing all my life. You’ve always got to have a backup plan.”

Bowles said he does “a little bit of everything” to fill the void where basketball used to reside. He still attends basketball practices as if he were playing for the team and he can participate in mild forms of exercise such as weight lifting.

Finding replacements for something he did every day, all day is still difficult.

“It was a big learning experience for me,” Bowles said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is being responsible, and you’ve got to give [everything] your all.”

Bowles is at every practice, every day. He said it’s the same old stuff — coaches are on him about his grades — he just isn’t playing.

Bowles could have gone to another school to play basketball since it was only the WSU medical staff that barred him from playing, but he decided the risk was not worth it.

Being dismayed from this experience is not Bowles’ attitude about his misfortune. On the contrary, Bowles said he hopes that his doctors will be able to use his case to solve other heart problems before they occur.

“It’s unexplained,” Bowles said. “I hope they can figure it out so they can help someone else. They could know before they have to quit playing.”