Steve McElvene, a University of Dayton basketball player who would have been a redshirt sophomore in the fall, died Thursday, the school announced.
The school said McElvene was in his hometown of New Haven, Ind., at the time of his death, but did not cite a cause.
Fyers coach Archie Miller said, “We are devastated at this news. Any death is a tragedy, but for someone so young who worked so hard to have his dreams within reach, it’s hard to put into words how painful this is. Our hearts and prayers go out to Steve’s family. My family, our team and our staff will have to pull together, not only in support of Steve’s family, but in support of each other at this terrible time.”
According to Glenn Marini, the sports director at the CBS affiliate in Fort Wayne, Ind., McElvene collapsed at his family’s home.
McElvene, a 6-11 center, had spent the past two school years at Dayton, and last season was his first seeing court time for the Flyers. He set Dayton's single-season blocks record, with 56 on the year. He also tied the school's single-game blocks record, with six in a game against Saint Louis.
Last season, McElvene shot 61.0% (86-of-141) from the field, good for the best shooting percentage all-time by a Dayton freshman.
Bernadette McGlade, commissioner of the Atlantic 10, said in a statement, “The entire Atlantic 10 family is heartbroken over the loss of Dayton’s Steve McElvene. He was an exceptional young man with a bright future, both on the basketball court and in life. A life cut short is tragic for all. The prayers, thoughts and support from the A-10 community go out to the University of Dayton, Flyer Men’s Basketball and most especially to Steve’s family.”
McElvene's former AAU team, the Spiece Indy Heat also posted condolences on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
