If 2020-21 has taught us anything, it’s that life is short and it is very precious. Living under a once-in-a-century plague, the news inundates us with daily death tolls. And this is on top of the countless other ways that tragedy can strike, at any moment.
Boston native and Kentucky Wildcats NBA Draft prospect Terrenence Clarke had everything going for him, and it was all still in front of him. “Taken too soon, or “way before his time” is an extreme understatement for this situation. It’s brutally beyond unfair that his time had to come while he was still so young.
2020 Big Blue Madness.
Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics
The 19-year-old, who was currently working on chasing his NBA dream, with the NBA Draft soon approaching in July, passed away in a car crash on Thursday. On Saturday night, a player-organized candlelight vigil tonight was held outside the Wildcat Coal Lodge to honor the life of Terrence Clarke.
His hometown Boston Red Sox also paid homage to the now deceased young man.
Boston’s own.
Our hearts are with the family and friends of Terrence Clarke. pic.twitter.com/q4hHsOENiS
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 23, 2021
“I am absolutely gutted and sick tonight,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said.
“A young person who we all love has just lost his life too soon, one with all of his dreams and hopes ahead of him. Terrence Clarke was a beautiful kid, someone who owned the room with his personality, smile and joy. People gravitated to him, and to hear we have lost him is just hard for all of us to comprehend right now. We are all in shock.
“Terrence’s teammates and brothers loved him and are absolutely devastated. They know we are here for them for whatever they need.
Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics
“I am on my way to Los Angeles to be with his mother and his brother to help wherever I can. This will be a difficult period for all those who know and love Terrence, and I would ask that everyone take a moment tonight to say a prayer for Terrence and his family. May he rest in peace.”
“We are stunned by this sudden, heartbreaking tragedy,” reads a statement attributed to Mitch Barnhart, UK Director of Athletics.
“Terrence was a young man who was so full of life and so full of promise. We hurt and grieve with his family, his friends, and his teammates and coaches, and our prayers are with all of them in this unimaginable loss.”
Scenes from the vigil held to honor former @KentuckyMBB player Terrence Clarke who died in a car accident earlier this week. @heraldleader @ExCats pic.twitter.com/Ze4tvtchKC
— Arden Barnes (@arden_barnes) April 24, 2021
Clarke only played eight games during his one season in Lexington, due to a right leg injury. He started six times and averaged 9.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.0 apg.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.