Tortured Souls: Former Major-College Basketball Hoopers Committing Suicide

College basketball fans wish reference was just a conditioning drill ("suicide") involving sprinting different lengths of the court. But we can't be conditioned to walk away from a different reality. It was suicide taking their own life.

In most instances, we'll never truly know why individuals good enough to compete at major-university level stooped to languishing level committing suicide. Naturally, we really don't need to speculate about the seeds of destruction. Following is an alphabetical list of former major-college players, including several this year, tormented by personal demons before dying by their own hand:

Earl Badu, Maryland (coached by Gary Williams) - Walk-on member of 2002 NCAA titlist was in legal and financial trouble in the years preceding his suicide in late September 2012 (booster filed a $300,000 civil lawsuit against him to retrieve investment). All-American Juan Dixon's best friend jumped from an eastern Baltimore overpass after slashing his throat with a kitchen knife.

Ricky Berry, Oregon State (Ralph Miller)/San Jose State (Bill Berry) - Three-time All-Big West Conference first-team selection died just two weeks before his 25th birthday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the right temple at his home in mid-August after his rookie season with the Sacramento Kings in 1988-89. First-round selection in NBA draft (18th pick overall) pulled the trigger less than an hour after heated argument with his wife, who left and spent the night at a friend's house. He had eloped without his parents' blessing.

Lance Blanks, Virginia (Terry Holland)/Texas (Tom Penders) - As reported in a heart-wrenching column shared by his daughter for ESPN, long-time NBA executive died by suicide at the age of 56 in early May 2023. First-round pick in 1990 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons averaged 1.7 ppg for UVa in 1985-86 and 1986-87 before transferring to Texas, where he averaged 20 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 3 spg in 1988-89 and 1989-90 for a pair of NCAA tourney teams.

Justin "Spider" Burns, Cal State Fullerton (Bob Burton) - Committed suicide (suffocation by strangulation) at the age of 39 in June of 2023 in prison where he was serving a sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas in 2010 (strangulation before taking her body to desert, setting it on fire and burying under rocks). Juco recruit averaged 7.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg from 2004-05 through 2006-07.

Terrence Butler, Drexel (Zach Spiker) - Died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his on-campus apartment in early August 2023. Forward appeared in eight games in his two seasons with the Dragons while struggling with injuries.

Harry Coe III, Florida (John Mauer) - Circuit judge amassed thousands of dollars in gambling debts and used re-election campaign funds, among money from other outside sources, to pay them off before committing suicide on July 13, 2000, at the age of 68 (shot himself under an expressway). Coe, who played hoops for the Gators in 1951-52 and 1952-53, was an All-SEC baseball pitcher.

Gary Custick, Connecticut (Dee Rowe) - Took his life at the age of 38 in late August 1990 while unattended in a hospital that was overcrowded and understaffed. He averaged 12.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg from 1971-72 through 1973-74, leading the Huskies in scoring as a sophomore.

Matt Derenbecker, Louisiana State (Trent Johnson)/Dayton (Archie Miller)/New Orleans (Mark Slessinger) - Committed suicide in late summer of 2014 after a battle with bipolar disorder. He was found floating in a pool with gunshot wound to the head at his friend's house. Part-time starter as a freshman with LSU in 2010-11 (6.5 ppg and 2.1 rpg) before averaging 4.5 ppg for UD in 2012-13 and 10.5 ppg plus 5.6 rpg with UNO prior to leaving the Privateers' squad in midseason of 2013-14.

Jim Dinwiddie, Kentucky (Adolph Rupp) - Attorney and divorced father of four was found dead at the age of 63 in early February 2012 of a self-inflicted gun shot. Dinwiddie's secretary found him in the bedroom above his law office, which was in a former hotel building he owned. He averaged 3.8 ppg and 2.5 rpg for three UK NCAA tourney teams from 1968-69 through 1970-71.

Bob Doll, Colorado (Frosty Cox) - After vanishing on Labor Day, he was found shot to death at the age of 40 in mid-September 1959 in the Rocky Mountains. A .45 caliber pistol he owned was discovered near his body. NIT Most Valuable Player in 1940 as a sophomore was an All-American two years later.

Lafayette Dorsey Jr., Pacific (Damon Stoudamire) and Nicholls State (Austin Claunch) - Redshirt transfer committed suicide by hanging in garage in first week of August 2020 at the age of 23. Son of former Pepperdine guard averaged 9.1 ppg and 2.7 rpg with UOP in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Dan Ducich, Utah State (Joe Whitesides) - Shot himself to death at the age of 28 in mid-June 1954 with a .22-caliber automatic pistol, leaving a note in room at Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas that he was heavily in debt. Juco recruit had asked his ex-wife of four years (actress Elaine Mahnken) for money after running into gambling trouble and claiming the mob was after him. Mahnken, known as Elaine Devry, was the fourth of actor Mickey Rooney's eight wives. Ducich, after averaging 2.6 ppg for the Aggies in 1949-50, was convicted of armed robbery in Los Angeles and was placed on five years' probation following guilty plea to stealing almost $6,000 in a series of thefts.

Kent Durrant, Brigham Young (Floyd Millet) - Committed suicide in 1957 at the age of 28 via carbon monoxide poisoning by putting hose leading from pipe into truck cab. Averaged 6.2 ppg as a sophomore in 1948-49.

Nathan Eisert, Western Kentucky (Dennis Felton) - Guard was found dead of a single self-inflicted wound in his dormitory room from a .38-caliber handgun in June 2002 following dismissal from WKU's team after playing in 16 games in two seasons.

Tom Emma, Duke (Bill Foster and Mike Krzyzewski) - Plunged from the 12th floor of New York Athletic Club in Manhattan in June 2011 to his death at the age of 49. He was senior captain for the Blue Devils in 1982-83, finishing his careering with 6.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 2.2 apg.

Billy Feeney, Portland State (Joel Sobotka)/New Mexico (Ritchie McKay) - In late August 2003, forward committed suicide by hanging from a light pole in downtown Albuquerque at 5:15 a.m. outside an apartment complex. Redshirt transfer was intoxicated and reportedly despondent about a breakup with his girlfriend. Feeney averaged 8.5 ppg and 3.6 rpg with PSU in 2001-02.

Dave Fleming, Iowa State (Glen Anderson) - School Superintendent, a focal point of community criticism for advocating concept of outcome based education (OBE), died from carbon monoxide poisoning in late June 1993 at the age of 49. Fleming's body was discovered by two horseback riders near a ski lodge. Senior captain averaged 7.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg from 1964-65 through 1966-67.

James "Jed" Frost, Missouri (Norm Stewart - Shot and killed his wife and himself in November 2022 inside the Dallas County medical examiner's office six months after she filed for divorce. Frost was a member of Mizzou's 1994 regional finalist team as a senior.

Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall (Tommy Amaker) - All-Big East Conference second-team selection as a freshman in 2000-01 died at the age of 25 in a fiery car crash about 1:30 a.m. in mid-August 2007. He ignored a railroad warning and his Nissan SUV collided with a moving Union Pacific freight train. It took four days for authorities to identify his body from dental records. Friends and family disputed suicide, but it was not ruled out as there was nothing to indicate an attempt to avoid a collision. Griffin was charged in November 2003 with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a woman claiming to be his girlfriend accused him of punching her in the face and shooting a pistol at her car as she drove away. Earlier in the year, he had been arrested for possession of marijuana. He had been expelled before the end of his senior year in high school for fighting with a teammate over a card game and punched college teammate Ty Shine in the locker room amid a midseason defeat in his lone season with the Pirates. In spring of 2003, he was arrested on marijuana possession charges. Checked into Betty Ford Center in 2004 to get six weeks of treatment for alcohol abuse. Pounded on the hotel door of a bride and groom whose wedding he crashed at a North Jersey hotel. Pleaded guilty to inattentive driving early in the 2005-06 season (drunk and watching pornography in a DVD player mounted on dashboard when crashing his Cadillac Escalade while masturbating in parking lot of grocery store) before being suspended by the NBA for violating the anti-drug program in mid-January 2007.

Phil Hankinson, Penn (Dick Harter and Chuck Daly) - Two-time All-Ivy League first-team selection (1971-72 and 1972-73), suffering from depression after his pro basketball career ended because of a knee injury, committed suicide in mid-November 1996 in Shelby County, Ky., with a single shot to the right temple from a semi-automatic handgun.

James Hardy III, Indiana (Mike Davis) - County coroner ruled second-round selection as a wide receiver by the Buffalo Bills in 2008 NFL draft killed himself at the age of 31 in mid-summer 2017 after he was found by a water filtration plant employee conducting his regular rounds in a logjam at a dam along the Maumee River. Hardy was arrested in Los Angeles for resisting arrest in a confrontation with police in 2014, but a judge later ruled he was not mentally competent to stand trial. Hardy averaged 1.7 ppg and 1.8 rpg for IU as a freshman hooper in 2004-05.

Henry Harris, Auburn (Bill Lynn) - All-SEC third-team selection in 1971-72 and the Tigers' first black athlete took his own life in the spring of 1974 by jumping from a dormitory window at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he'd been a JV coach and intramural supervisor. He averaged 11.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.5 apg in his three-year varsity career. Standout defensive player was senior captain before becoming an eighth-round choice by the Houston Rockets in the 1972 NBA draft.

Tony Harris, Washington State (Kelvin Sampson) - Harris' body was found just before Thanksgiving, 2007, slumped against a tree in a dense thicket at a sprawling army training ground near the town of Formosa, Brazil. Police said he most likely committed suicide since the shoelace from one of his sneakers was wrapped around his neck. Harris, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for WSU in the mid-1990s before playing professionally overseas, had a history of paranoid behavior and just lost a job as a counselor at a juvenile rehabilitation facility in Seattle. His wife was pregnant with their first child.

Harvey "Gink" Hendrick, Vanderbilt (Ralph Palmer) - Basketball letterman for the Commodores in 1918 shot himself in his Covington, Tenn., home in late October 1941 at the age of 43. Lefthanded-hitting utilityman notched a .308 batting average with seven different MLB franchises in 11 seasons from 1923 through 1934.

Zach Hollywood, Ball State (James Whitford) - Redshirt freshman forward died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at an off-campus apartment in mid-August 2017 shortly after the one-year anniversary of his mother's death.

Baskerville Holmes, Memphis State (Dana Kirk) - A starting forward who averaged 9.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg for the Tigers' 1985 Final Four team, he was arrested twice for domestic violence. Later, Holmes, an out-of-work truck driver, and his girlfriend were found shot to death March 18, 1997 in an apparent murder-suicide. He was 32.

Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA (Ben Howland) - All-conference selection in Pac-10 in 2010-11 committed suicide with gunshot to his head at age 27 in mid-July 2017 following a shootout with police lasting about nine hours. His mother told police that, before dying, he had been "sucking laughing gas (nitrous oxide) for six months overseas and I think it scrambled his brain." Honeycutt's mother later sued the LAPD, saying it failed to de-escalate the situation and get him medical care. He averaged 10.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.2 spg in two seasons for the Bruins.

Jumoke Horton, Saint Mary's (Ernie Kent) - Sitting in his Chevrolet Silverado extended-cab truck and using his own .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, he killed himself in Oakland in late 2009 at the age of 35. After playing for Alaskan high school with Duke All-American Trajan Langdon, the 6-9 Horton became a two-time All-WCC first-team selection, averaging 9.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg from 1992-93 through 1995-96.

Hugh Jones Jr., Tennessee (Emmett Lowery) - Navy veteran and older brother of Kentucky All-American Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in January 1966. Both brothers were All-SEC selections in 1948-49. Hugh averaged 10.6 ppg from 1947-48 through 1949-50.

Ben Jordan, Kentucky (John Calipari) - Walk-on from baseball squad died in early 2021 at the age of 22. The 6-9 pitcher joined the iconic basketball program in 2019-20 when it faced a shortage of players. The righthander pitched sparingly in 2019 after redshirting his freshman season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Rev. John Kilzer, Memphis State (Wayne Yates) - Committed suicide (by hanging) in mid-March 2019 at the age of 62. Kilzer, a rock singer who struggled with alcohol addiction, served as an associate pastor for recovery ministries at a Methodist church in Memphis until his death. He averaged 3.2 ppg and 2 rpg from 1975-76 through 1978-79.

Billy Knight, UCLA (Steve Lavin) - The Bruins' second-leading scorer as a senior in 2001-02 (14.1 ppg) committed suicide at age 39 one month following arrest in June 2018 on six felony molestation charges reportedly involving the nine-year-old daughter of his ex-girlfriend. Firefighters found him on a roadway near downtown Phoenix after he jumped from a building. He took his own life, leaving a cryptic, six-minute video titled "I am Sorry Lord" in which he acknowledged living "a life of sin."

Fessor Leonard, Furman (Joe Williams) - Three-time All-Southern Conference first-team selection from 1972-73 through 1974-75 was found dead in his Switzerland apartment in mid-February 1978. According to police, the Columbus, Ga., native allegedly was involved in the beating of a 64-year-old woman on Christmas Eve in 1977 although her criminal complaint later was withdrawn. Pilloried in the Swiss press, the 24-year-old seven-footer collected the unflattering stories in a pile with centerfolds of nudes ripped from American magazines, set fire to them and took what proved to be a fatal dose of tranquilizers in conjunction with possible asphyxiation.

Sean Locke, Delaware (Monte Ross) - Suffering from depression, he took his own life in mid-July of 2018 at the age of 23. Guard played 24 games for the Blue Hens from 2013-14 through 2015-16.

Dan Pippin, Missouri (George Edwards and Sparky Stalcup) - Three-time All-Big Seven Conference selection committed suicide in 1965 at the age of 38. Captain of 1952 U.S. Olympic team was found dead in his car at a vacant farmhouse garage where a hose extended from the exhaust pipe through a window.

Bob Presley, California (Rene Herrerias and Jim Padgett) - Juco recruit killed himself at age 29 in 1975 by jumping off bridge into the Willamette River in Portland area and drowning. After Detroit product failed to earn a spot on NBA roster, 11th-round pick in 1969 draft tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists in a marijuana-and-sleeping-pills haze. When sadomasochistic Presley got violent at home, his wife left him. All-conference second-team selection in AAWU as a junior averaged 16.1 ppg and 12.8 rpg in 1967-68 and 1968-69, leading the Bears in rebounding both seasons.

Bryan Randall, Dartmouth (Paul Cormier) - Facing a pending divorce, All-Ivy League selection in 1986-87 and 1987-88 dropped his two youngest children in the murky waters of an Orlando-area office park lake in mid-September 2003 (two-year-old girl drowned and four-year-old boy saved only by fate's hand and a passing fisherman) before loading his two older sons into the family's Dodge Durango and intentionally swerving in front of an oncoming semitrailer slicing his SUV nearly in two on the interstate (killing him and the one son bearing his name). In a suicide letter found in the wreckage, jobless-and-despondent Randall, who led conference in assists as a senior, wrote he wanted to kill himself and his children because he didn't approve of how his estranged wife was caring for them. Randall, slapped with a restraining order hinging on sordid charges of sexual humiliation and blackmail, had discovered her infidelity by tapping their home's phone. In the late 1990s, he filed for bankruptcy and had bank foreclose on his condominium in Silver Spring, Md., prior to accepting a job with WorldCom before the telecom giant collapsed.

Anthony Robinson, North Carolina State (Les Robinson) - Committed suicide with a gunshot to the head early in 1992-93 season after frontcourter played in both of the Wolfpack's NCAA playoff games two years earlier as a freshman.

Bill Robinzine, DePaul (Ray Meyer) - In the NBA offseason (fall of 1982), he committed suicide at the age of 29 in a storage place in Kansas City. He died in his car due to carbon monoxide poisoning. In a letter he wrote to his wife the day he died as it appeared his NBA career was ending, he cited financial pressures as a reason for his unhappiness. He was a first-round selection (10th pick overall) by the Kansas City Kings in 1975 NBA draft after averaging 16.6 ppg and 11.4 rpg with the Blue Demons in three seasons.

Carl Shaeffer, Alabama (Hank Crisp and Floyd Burdette) - All-SEC second-team selection in 1945-46 was a tavern owner in Indiana when committing suicide by shooting himself on his 50th birthday in 1974. Army veteran was a German POW during WWII.

Anthony Sherrod, Georgia Tech (Bobby Cremins) - Beset by a manic-depressive illness, he committed suicide with a .357 Magnum revolver in April 1991 in a suburb of Atlanta. Part-time starter as a senior was arrested for driving under the influence in 1988-89 after forward averaged a career-high 7.7 ppg the previous season when he was the Yellow Jackets' top substitute.

Al Smith, Bradley (Joe Stowell) - Died from a self-inflicted gunshot at the age of 75 in late 2022 after shooting his live-in girlfriend in Florida. Smith, a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection who averaged 17.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 3.2 apg in 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1970-71, served in the Army during the Vietnam War.

Jimmy Smith, North Carolina (Dean Smith)/Florida State (Hugh Durham) - Ex-Clemson assistant coach, who averaged 3.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg for FSU from 1975-76 through 1977-78, committed suicide at the age of 29 in the fall of 1984. He ignored the pleas of a friend and jumped to his death from a highway overpass. Smith played in eight games for UNC as a freshman in 1973-74.

Brett Studdard, Wyoming (Benny Dees) - J.C. recruit who averaged 4.3 ppg for the Cowboys in 1991-92 and 1992-93 shot his former girlfriend to death (once in the back and once in the head) and then committed suicide in the fall of 2003 in Cobb County (Ga.). The altercation occurred two days after a permanent restraining order was issued prohibiting him from contacting the pharmacist.

Melvin Turpin, Kentucky (Joe B. Hall) - Security guard died by self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in mid-summer 2010 at the age of 49. Diabetic was sixth pick overall in 1984 NBA draft. He averaged 12.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 1.8 bpg while shooting 59.1% from the floor with UK from 1980-81 through 1983-84. All-American as a senior when the Wildcats reached the Final Four.

Rudy Waterman, Dayton (Don Donoher) - Following a marriage breakup and drug problem, the third-leading scorer for the Flyers' 1967 NCAA Tournament runner-up shot himself in a suicide attempt, fell into a coma upon developing bacterial meningitis while hospitalized and soon died at 34 in mid-February 1981. He averaged 8.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg from 1965-66 to 1967-68. Late in his senior season, Waterman complained of discrimination at a campus symposium titled "Black Student Views of UD" that he wasn't given a fair opportunity to start. A local media personality filming an episode of his new TV program (The Phil Donahue Show) sought out Waterman to capture some of the discussion about race.

Mike Whitmarsh, San Diego (Jim Brovelli) - The Toreros' leading scorer in 1982-83 (15.3 ppg) and 1983-84 (18.8 ppg) committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 46 in 2009 after inhaling car-exhaust fumes in the garage of a friend's home. Two-time All-WCAC selection scored a team-high 17 points in NCAA playoff defeat against Princeton in 1984 West Regional opener.