LOS ANGELES — Terrence Clarke, a former guard for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, died in an automobile accident, police said.
Investigators said Clarke ran a red light at a high rate of speed at an intersection and hit a car that was turning left, the television station reported.
“He struck the vehicle, hit a street light pole and ultimately hit a block wall,” Matassa said.
He was a member of the Brewster Academy team that won the 2019 national prep championships and led his team back to the 2020 finals with a 34-3 record before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event, according to the UK media guide.
“I am absolutely gutted and sick tonight,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said in a statement posted on the Kentucky athletics website.
“Terrence Clarke was a beautiful kid, someone who owned the room with his personality, smile and joy.
Calipari added that he was traveling to Los Angeles to be with Clarke’s mother and brother “to help wherever I can.”“I am on my way to Los Angeles to be with his mother and his brother to help wherever I can.
At Kentucky, Clarke was limited to eight games during the 2020-2021 season because of a leg injury, WKYT reported.
“We are stunned by this sudden, heartbreaking tragedy,” Mitch Bambert, the university’s director of athletics, said in a statement.
Clarke had recently signed with Klutch Sports as he prepared for the NBA draft.
“We are saddened and devastated by the tragic loss of Terrence Clarke,” Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said in a statement.