Reggie Chaney, a former basketball star for the University of Houston, died unexpectedly at 23 on Monday, according to multiple reports.
“We are heartbroken by the passing of forward Reggie Chaney,” the University of Houston Men’s Basketball team wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The school said Chaney will be “deeply missed by all that knew and loved him,” in the statement.
Information about his cause of death has not been made available.
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A fundraising page has been set up on GoFundMe to cover the costs of Chaney’s funeral expenses.
“Reggie Chaney was a force both on the court and off. He was born on September 6, 1999, and left this world unexpectedly on August 21, 2023. This GoFundMe was created with the permission of his mother, Mikki, to help with unplanned expenses that no mother should have to worry about in this time of unimaginable grief,” the description for the page states.
All donations from the fundraiser will go “directly to Reggie’s immediate family,” according to the description.
Reggie Chaney #32 of the Houston Cougars dunks against the Norfolk State Spartans at Fertitta Center.
Bob Levey/Getty
Former teammates and coaches have begun reacting to Chaney’s death on social media.
In a post on X, Houston sports journalist Chancellor Johnson wrote, “Just to speak to who Reggie Chaney was as a person and as a player, here was Kelvin Sampson last October: ‘If I told Reggie to run through a brick wall, he would say ‘coach can I get a running start.”
In a post on X, University of Houston President Renu Khator said, “Cougar family mourns the loss of Reggie Chaney, the giant among giants of Houston basketball… the news has left us with sad and heavy hearts.”
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New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes, who played with Chaney in Houston, posted a tribute to his late teammate in an Instagram story.
“Man I can’t believe this,” Grimes, 23, wrote above a photo of himself and Chaney competing on Houston’s 2021 Final Four team.
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Chaney came to Houston after two seasons with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman wrote in a post on X, “The Razorback men’s basketball family is devastated to hear of the loss of Reggie Chaney. He was a relentless worker and loved by his teammates. His family is in our thoughts and prayers.”
Chaney played for the Houston Cougars for three years and was named the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year by the American Athletic Conference.
According to the Houston Chronicle, he was preparing to play in Greece for the professional team AE Psychiko.
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Source: HIS Education