Penn State sophomore guard Marlon Smith will miss the rest of the season due to a blood clot in his brain, Penn State Director of Athletic Medicine Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli said Saturday.

After what seemed like endless days of blood tests, doctors determined that Smith had a small, transient, partial blockage of an artery in the part of his brain that controls upper and lower extremity strength; it is related to a small blood clot.

Sebastianelli pointed out that it was not an aneurysm, meningitis or any kind of infectious disease.

Because of the clot, Smith has been placed on blood thinners for three months. Smith will be on a needle form of the medicine until the pill form arrives, which Sebastianelli said usually takes three to five days.

Penn State men's basketball team physician Dr. Doug Auckerman said playing is out of the question for the Nittany Lions' second-leading scorer while on the medication.

"When you're on a blood thinner, any time you get hit or struck it would cause a huge bruise or even bleed," he said. "Basically, you can't make a normal clot, so Marlon has to avoid contact sports for now."

The ordeal began when Smith collapsed during practice Jan. 7 and was rushed to Mount Nittany Medical Center. Smith had lost his balance and fell while running down the court during a drill at practice and was unable to regain his balance after that. Smith then told Penn State trainer Jon Salazer that he felt weakness in his arm and leg.

Salazer deemed the symptoms unusual and immediately called for Auckerman.

Upon his arrival at hospital, Smith was put on a form of blood-thinning medicine, after doctors saw symptoms of an arterial blockage. Later that night, Smith was transferred to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where the 6-foot sophomore underwent further testing. He was released from the hospital Friday and attended the team's practice the same day.

The next step for Smith is a series of tests to determine if he will be able to continue his athletic career. The tests will begin after the mandatory three-month period of blood-thinning medication.

"I know a lot of people have been curious as to why I have been gone," Smith said.

"As of right now, I am felling pretty good and I'm pretty happy, pretty excited to be back with my team. ... And it's just a blessing to be here right now."

Smith sat on the bench during Penn State's 66-62 loss to Michigan Saturday, but did not play. He missed games against Minnesota and Illinois while hospitalized.

Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis said the situation should be a reality check for the rest of his players.

"I just tried to express my feelings to the team that we are all very, very human," DeChellis said. "Marlon was in great shape. Obviously, he's a conditioned athlete and things happen.

"I told the guys we have to be very, very grateful for our health. Until we don't have it we realize how important it is, and when we do have it we take it for granted. ... Something happens and all of a sudden your whole life changes."