When a Southern Conference representative told a crowd of reporters that Charleston coach Bobby Cremins would skip an opening statement and go straight to questions for the sake of meeting deadlines, Cremins said no way.

Instead of diving straight in to talk about how his team defeated Chattanooga 96-69 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, Cremins spoke about UTC’s Ty Patterson.

“Obviously, our concern is about Ty Patterson. I have great respect for him. My prayers are with Ty Patterson,” Cremins said with focus and sincerity. “I don’t know him personally, but they kicked our butts last year and he was a big factor. That was scary. That was really, really scary.”

Patterson collapsed on the floor during a timeout with 11:14 left in the second half.

The Bojangles’ Coliseum fell deathly quiet as emergency officials rushed the court.

From the courtside media table, Patterson was seen spread out on the floor with his legs eerily shaking and his chest convulsing. What made it worse is that nobody knew what was going on.

The emergency crew even pulled out an oxygen mask and defibrillator to rehabilitate Patterson.

Both teams were taken to the locker rooms and slowly the officials put Patterson on a stretcher and escorted him out of the arena.

It wasn’t until postgame press conference that the media learned that Patterson left in stable condition and was conscious. An ambulance took Patterson to Carolina Medical Center.

Throughout Charleston’s presser, Cremins returned to Patterson several times.

“Again, the Patterson thing. I didn’t know who he was. I said ‘oh my God.’ He’s one of the top players in the league,” Cremins said in between questions about the game.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Patterson was released on Saturday morning and attended the UTC women’s basketball game against Samford. He had suffered sudden cardiac collapse, according to the report.

For the reporters who have gotten to know Cremins, this comes as no surprise.

The 62-year-old Charleston coach, who led Georgia Tech to 14 winning seasons, including a 1990 Final Four appearance, is the definition of class.

When Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette suffered a seizure during a game against UNC-Greensboro in January, it struck Cremins hard.

In the Charleston games following Tillette’s seizure, Cremins reiterated his concern for the 59-year-old Samford coach several times. He even called throughout Tillette’s recovery to check on his status.

That’s impressive. That’s noble. That’s something to be proud to be a part of. As a reporter, as a student, or as a member of the College of Charleston community, one could not be more pleased that the College has a coach who goes above and beyond the call of the court.

When Charleston fans think of Cremins, not only should they think of his snow-white hair or his ability to recruit some of the most talented players in the country, but most importantly, his compassion for others.