Posted on: Thursday, December 25, 2003

Meyers suffers cardiac arrest

Advertiser Staff and News Services

KEA'AU, Hawai'i — Those who knew 16-year-old Kea'au High School junior Austin Meyers always mention his smile.

"He would smile and his eyes would just sparkle," said his mother, Sue Meyers. "He was a happy child."

Meyers, the youngest of three brothers, collapsed and died Tuesday after his team's basketball practice. He also quarterbacked the Cougars' football team this fall.

Meyers went into cardiac arrest after the two-hour practice, fire officials said. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon at Hilo Medical Center.

Coach Wade Ishibashi said he was briefing his team on its upcoming trip to Honolulu for the Punahou Holiday Classic when Meyers was spotted in distress.

"I saw him shaking like he was having a seizure," Ishibashi said.

Ishibashi said Meyers' performance during the practice was his best ever.

Kea'au students are on a three-week break and aren't scheduled to return to school until Jan. 13. But news of Meyers' death hit students hard as it made its way to teammates and classmates.

"The players are shocked, stunned, depressed, a little of everything you can think of," said Ishibashi.

Punahou coach Greg Tacon said Kea'au officials told him at 4 p.m. yesterday that the team plans to make the trip and play its scheduled game against Damien at noon tomorrow.

But it will do so with heavy hearts.

"I'll never forget his smile," Ishibashi said. "It's a sad, sad story."