Former University of Connecticut basketball star Stanley Robinson was found dead inside his family’s home in Alabama on Tuesday night. He was 32.
Robinson, who was named the 2006 Mr. Basketball in Alabama when he starred at Huffman High School, was found unresponsive inside a bedroom in Birmingham around 7:45 p.m., AL.com reported. He was pronounced dead at 7:56, Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday, and Yates said there was no sign of trauma or foul play.
“He was just a really, really sweet kid,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun told the Hartford Courant. “The world was harsh for him, because they weren’t all like Stanley Robinson. He was such a caring, giving person.”
Robinson scored more than 2,000 career points, had nearly 1,000 rebounds, more than 500 assists, 250 steals and 300 blocked shots during his high school career AL.com reported. He was recruited by Calhoun and played at UConn from 2006 to 2010, helping the Huskies reach the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2009. He was the 59th pick in the 2010 NBA draft, taken in the second round by the Orlando Magic.
He spent most of his professional career playing in Canada, Chile and Iceland.
Robinson’s high school and college teams tweeted condolences.
Huffman High School tweeted that Robinson was “a true pioneer” for the school’s program.
“The UConn basketball family grieves the loss of a great player and an even greater person, Stanley “Sticks” Robinson. Our thoughts and prayers are with Stanley’s family at this difficult time,” the tweet read.
Robinson, who was 6 feet, 9 inches tall, was known to friends and fans as “Sticks.” While at UConn he played in 126 games, averaged 9.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while scoring 1,231 points.
“He was certainly one of the great athletes I’ve coached,” Calhoun told the Courant. “He just could never get the break he needed.”