Former player dies in Arkansas accident
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/03/2009
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A former Purdue basketball player was killed Sunday night in a hit-and-run accident in Arkansas.
Jonathan Uchendu, 22, played for coach Matt Painter as a freshman during the 2006-07 season. He appeared in 27 games, but averaged just 6.1 minutes and less than two points per contest. After the season, he left Purdue and attempted to transfer to Arkansas-Little Rock.
That transfer eventually fell through, however, and Uchendu stayed in his home state of Arkansas to try to make it to the NBA Developmental League and work on a rap career.
“It’s a sad day when you lose one of your former teammates and a friend,” senior guard Chris Kramer, who was in the same recruiting class as Uchendu, said Monday. “I lived with him the summer before my freshman year, so we had a lot of great memories there. It’s just a sad day, but we still have all the memories.
“He was really chasing his dream, working out and trying to become an NBA player. He was on the verge of making it in the NBA D-League. It’s a sad story for somebody who was really on the verge of making a dream become a reality.”
Police told the Associated Press that the nearly seven-foot-tall Uchendu was walking near Shackleford Road and Interstate 630 in Little Rock, Ark., when he was struck by a vehicle that then fled the scene. Police believe the car was a Nissan Altima, which should have extensive hood and front-end damage. As of Monday evening, no one had been arrested.
“I talked to him every once in a while, kept up with him on Facebook, just gave him a call or a text every once in a while to see how things were going,” Kramer said. “With Jon, everything was always good.
“When you hear something like this, especially through other people, the last time you talked to him could have been a long time ago. You didn’t have anything to say to him before he died, so you just want one more chance to talk to him, just for him to know how much you appreciate him.”
Associate head coach Paul Lusk, who recruited Uchendu, declined to comment before practice Monday.