Crime & Safety
Former SHU Basketball Player Killed
Chauncey Hardy, former guard for Xavier High and Sacred Heart University, was attacked and killed after a basketball game in Romania this weekend.
Updated, Oct. 11, 10:36 a.m.
Romanian Basketball Federation chief Carmen Tocala told GSP radio that, following the bar fight, Hardy suffered two heart attacks, according to the Greenwich Time.
And according to a police spokeperson in Romania, Hardy was in a coma when he arrived at the hospital.
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The Time also reported that a preliminary autopsy revealed a massive hemorrhage and broken skull.
Original Story
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Chauncey Hardy, 23, former guard for Xavier High School and , died from injuries in a post-game attack in Romania on Saturday. Hardy was playing for CSS Giurgiu, a professional basketball team in Romania.
According to local police, Hardy sustained severe head injuries in a bar attack in Giurgiu, a southern Romanian city, after winning a game on Saturday against Dinamo Bucharest. He died Sunday, shortly after undergoing surgery in a Bucharest hospital, a Romanian Basketball Federation spokesperson reported.
"This is a terrible tragedy and we are saddened as a university and as a basketball program," Sacred Heart men's basketball coach Dave Bike said in a press release. "This is not just about a basketball player, but the person as well. It transcends what happens on a basketball court. We feel tremendous sadness and loss for Chauncey's family and those who were close to him."
Hardy played for Sacred Heart from 2006 through 2010, averaging 12.5 points in his last season there. He appeared in 114 games, helping to lead the team to the Northeast Conference championship game in both 2007 and 2008.
At Xavier, Hardy earned a berth on three All-State teams and was named most valuable player in the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament in 2005. His Xavier basketball career was cut short halfway through his senior year when he was dismissed from the team because of an incident on the Wesleyan campus.
Authorities have a suspect in custody, according to Romanian prosecutors. Ionut Adrian Tanasoaia reportedly surrendered to police early Monday. Mediafax news agency reported that Tanasoaia assaulted Hardy because he wanted to dance with his girlfriend.
