Dayton center Steve McElvene died Thursday, the university announced. He was 20. McElvene died in his hometown, New Haven, Ind. His cause of death has not been confirmed.
McElvene started 17 games last season, and was on his way to becoming a promising, improving player for Archie Miller's program. He averaged 6.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 61 percent, which set a freshman record at UD. McElvene's 55 blocks last season set a school record. He was a piece in lifting Dayton to a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"We are devastated at this news," Dayton coach Archie Miller said in a statement. "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."
McElvene was ranked as a top-10 player coming out of Indiana in 2014. He sat out in 2014-15. He was set to be a big part of the team next season, and instead, just as McElvene was entering into the offseason and preparing to enjoy his summer, his life is taken from him so swiftly. We will update this story as more details and information become available.
