A sophomore basketball player at an Oklahoma junior college has died following an injury sustained during a game.
"Ethan exemplified what it means to be a Cowboy, to value hard work and being part of a team," the college said. "While the team and the Cowboy community are processing our own grief, our hearts go out to his family and friends."
College officials said the injury appeared to be head-related, though details remain unclear. "Initial reports indicate Dietz suffered some kind of head injury, but that she didn't have any more information," according to Shannon Rigsby, a spokesperson for Connors State College.
A spokesperson for the university or athletics department did not return a request for comment from NTD News prior to publication.
Dietz had been a key contributor to the team's early season. The 20-year-old was averaging 11 points per game through eight contests before his injury. In the game where he was hurt, Dietz recorded eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time.
In response to his death, Connors State College canceled several upcoming basketball games, including women's and men's games scheduled for late November and early December.
Rising Player Shot
Across the country on Long Island, a 19-year-old women’s college basketball player tragically died Saturday evening, hours after delivering one of the best performances of her young college career.Amira McCleod, a 19-year-old sophomore guard from Queens, was fatally shot shortly before 11 p.m., according to the Nassau County Police Department.
The shooting happened outside a house where students had gathered. According to CBS, a witness named Makail Muhammad, who was staying at the house, said, "I was inside, and I heard shots, and everybody started running and everything. The police came quick."
Muhammad, who plays football at Nassau Community College, told CBS that the two young men who were also shot are his teammates.
Her family held a candlelight vigil in Queens on Tuesday.