Locust Valley High School senior Francesco Allocca was in the midst of a moment he had long been preparing for — varsity basketball tryouts — when the unthinkable happened.

Just after finishing a drill, the 6-foot-4 forward collapsed in a gym at Locust Valley Middle and High School on Nov. 17, a teammate and coaches recalled. He turned very pale and struggled to breathe.

Allocca, who was getting ready for his final high school basketball season, had gone into cardiac arrest. To save the teen's life , coaches, staff and first responders swooped in, providing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator, as well as providing other medical treatment to revive him.

More than a week later, on the day before Thanksgiving, Allocca got the opportunity to say thank you to the coaches and

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