Exclusive: Duquesne’s Barre Overcomes Career-Threatening Heart Issue

If you know anything about Duquesne Men’s Basketball sophomore forward Halil “Chabi” Barre it is that through the ups and downs of his life, he has always smiled, but in the past several months that was put to the test as basketball was nearly taken away from him after collapsing on the court Jan. 30 due to an unknown heart issue.

In his own private time as Barre went through the reality that his basketball future was uncertain, he sat in his dorm and wept. The Cotonou, Benin native admitted he was two steps away from grabbing the phone and calling his parents but reminded himself that he had to be mentally strong.

“They say basketball is for dogs and you have to be mentally strong,” Barre assessed. “There were times where I said, ‘you know what I’m out of here’. First of all, I had no idea what was going on with my heart, if I could play basketball again, I’ll just let it go.  I was in my room crying, going to practice and watching your team. In my head I really wanted to be out there helping my team and it’s really hard.”

The Collapse

Jan. 30, 2023, is a date that Barre will never forget, a day where the last thing he remembered was going up for a dunk prior practice and then waking up in an emergency room unsure if he would ever play basketball again.

Barre had collapsed on the court, and it was a scene which reminded those in the program of what Damar Hamlin had experienced earlier in the same month and the forward himself recalled Jeff Green’s aortic aneurysm in December 2011.

Recalling the events leading up to his heart issues, Chabi was unhappy with his performance two days prior in a road loss to Massachusetts and admitted he was not feeling well.

Despite this, he made the decision to work out the next day and felt both lightheaded and dizzy. After a five-minute break, he got up and finished his workout.

As per custom under Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, Barre got to the gym an hour early that fateful Monday and was warming up, when he collapsed on the court.

“The initial possibility of what could happen at that point it scares you,” Dambrot remembered. “You’re running around just trying to make sure he was okay. It took a long time and that’s the part that really scared me. It shook me. I thought it shook our whole team to be really honest about it. It kind of made everything else irrelevant.”

After waking up in the hospital, nothing made sense to Barre and only when a nurse told him he was in the ER and Dambrot entered the room to tell him what happened, did it start to make sense.

Basketball means more to Barre than most. For him, it is an opportunity to provide for his family and his country.

His half-brother is Mouphtaou Yarou who played for Villanova from 2010-13 before enjoying a professional career overseas had the desire to see Barre play basketball.

Originally soccer was Barre’s sport but at age 12, he was introduced to basketball. He would say that coming to America opened his eyes as far as how much he could do to help people back home.

“His family doesn’t have a lot and it’s a way for him to change his family dynamic,” stated Dambrot. “He’s gifted. You’re only gifted in so many things in life, so if he would have had basketball taken away from him, then it would have been a big hit for him, mostly emotionally. It’s that important to him.”

When Barre competed in NBA Academy games in Australia, he played well to the point that clips of him led to a connection who thought that there was the possibility of a bright future.

In his career thus far, Chabi has competed for the Benin National Team and played on the same team as Cade Cunningham in Florida.

Barre understands that being from Benin people in his generation there would kill to be in his current position, where he hopes to be able to play professionally and impact those back home.

As for coming to Duquesne, Barre stated that progress got started late and things happened, but that he is very happy to be here, showing no regret for his decision.

Even before the heart issues, Barre had some ups and downs, missing time due to a knee injury and also having to understand Dambrot’s expectations of him and the instant standard he desires.

Through it all, the two have developed a great relationship and both understand and appreciate each other.

“He’s just a fun guy, good to be around and a good person,” Dambrot determined. “He’s got untapped upside and I think he’s 60% of what he’s going to be. He’s still growing, getting stronger and learning but he’s doing some things naturally that a lot of people can’t even do.”

As Dambrot remembered on that Jan. 30 day, he watched Chabi warm up and then suddenly collapse.

He recalled how hard it was to watch and not only did it scare him, but when discussing it he revealed that it was probably the most difficult thing he had ever been through as a coach.

Rallying Around Barre

Every day Barre was in the hospital at least half of his team came to check on him, a gesture still very much appreciated to this day. From the beginning, Duquesne was there for Barre with Vice President of Athletics Dave Harper coming in to see him the very first day.

“I’m very thankful to every single person that contributed for me to play basketball,” said Barre. “They put me in the best situation possible. You can’t ask for anything more. How serious Duquesne was about student-athletes and health in general is amazing.”

One way the team supported Barre came with blue hearts being placed on the team’s jerseys beginning with the Feb. 4 contest at George Washington.

Initially Barre was unsure what the heart was for and then began to think it may have something to do with him.

When Dambrot spoke to the team in the locker room prior to tipoff, it became clear.

“Coach D talked about ‘this is for you Chabi, we really love you,'” Barre revealed with a smile. “I’m a very sensitive kid so I started crying. Every time I see that I think this moment pushed me not to really give up.”

Barre relied on his Muslim faith throughout this process and consistently prayed to God. It was God who stopped him from picking up the phone to call his parents and end his basketball aspirations.

“I’m a Muslim and we pray five times a day,” said Barre. “Since that thing happened, I don’t think I missed one day yet. Even if I have a class, I find time to pray. It brought me closer to God.”

The Return

The fear of the unknown was prevalent throughout Barre’s months of recovery.

Doctors still don’t know why he collapsed. Which also explained why it took so long for him to get cleared.

Barre understands that he is taking a risk by coming back to play basketball, but doctors have reassured him that the risks are not high.

Still the fear of collapsing is a real one as if it happens again his basketball career will be over.

During the time, Barre controlled what he could, and his weight went from 204 pounds to 225 pounds. The weight room became a part of his recovery.

Barre understood that he had to wear a heart monitor and he began to get frustrated at his trained because they had to supervise everything.

As he reflects on his battle to return to the court, Barre is grateful and believes the patience he displayed has paid off. Now he can play at full speed with the goal of shocking the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The determined forward already revealed that there was a team meeting where he told them that he was going to be the one to help Duquesne win.

At Duquesne’s Basketball Tipoff Event, Dambrot introduced his team and when it was Barre’s turn, both were all smiles with the coach revealing to the crowd that his wide smile meant good news was coming.

Now that the news is official and Barre can fully compete in practice, he is hard at work for the Nov. 6 season opener against Cleveland State.

“Coming off of a big situation like that, you’re nervous but at the same time I’m really grateful to be able to play college basketball again and be with the guys while doing what I love,” Barre concluded. “I knew (getting cleared) was coming, so the fans were there so I had to show them that I’m ready and I have something for them.”