NATCHEZ — Torrey Dixon is ready to get back on the court and resume the game that has been his life for 19 years.

But the former Vidalia High School basketball star knows that the heart attack he suffered April 9, 2011, put more than just his career in jeopardy, and he now has things in perspective.

“(Basketball) has been my meal ticket,” Dixon said. “That’s what has kept me smiling. Just the love of the game has kept me happy. Basketball is a part of me. It’s really a part of my body.

“But life and family are way more important right now.”

Dixon was working out for LSU scouts at Baton Rouge Community College when he collapsed from a heart attack. He was kept under sedation for a day at Baton Rouge General Medical Center, where he stayed for approximately a week.

More than a year later Dixon is healthy but still awaiting the go-ahead to return to basketball.

“I haven’t been released,” Dixon said. “My health is great. I’m better than I ever was, and my body is better than it ever was.”

Dixon said he is able to exercise and plays pick-up games with his friends and former Vidalia teammates.

“I’m really just keeping myself in shape,” he said. “I’m playing ball whenever I can with old teammates and friends and keeping myself in shape for when the opportunity does come.”

Dixon’s doctors have not given him a timeframe of when he will be able to return, Dixon said.

“It’s just a thing where I have to be patient,” he said. “The way science is now, doctors discover new things, and you never can tell what can happen. I’m young, and I have a lot of time to do a lot of stuff.”

Dixon said he has come to terms with waiting out his medical clearance, and he spends a lot of that time thinking about what he will do.

“I have a lot of time to think about what I’m going to do until I get ready to play ball again,” he said. “I just have to figure out what’s the best thing for me to continue to get my education.”

Dixon said he has not ruled out going overseas to play professionally if he is not cleared in time to try to catch on with a college team. He said he is still deciding what school he will attend this fall to resume his studies.

“School is boring actually (right now),” Dixon said. “I don’t know what to say about it. It’s school. But it’s the most important thing to me right now.”

Despite his patience, Dixon knows that when his time comes he will be grateful.

“I’m ready (to play again),” he said. “I feel like there is no doubt in my mind, I’ll drop to my knees and cry and thank the Lord (when I can play again).”