Former Syracuse big man Fab Melo passed away in his native Brazil on Saturday.
A police sergeant who gave his name only as Couto says an emergency call Saturday night brought police and paramedics to Melo’s house in Juiz de Fora, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, the Associated Press reported from San Paulo. Couto says that when the police arrived, paramedics said Melo was dead, with no signs of violence.
“He was a really good kid, and it’s not fair that he will be defined by one thing, a 10-page paper,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told ESPN shortly after hearing Melo had died at his mother’s house. “He worked his tail off to become a really good player, and was a nice kid.”
“We don’t know the cause yet,” Boeheim added to Jeff Goodman. “It’s so hard right now, so hard to believe. It’s a sad, sad day.”
Reports out of Brazil also confirmed Melo’s death at 26, possibly of a heart attack.
SporTV journalist confirmed Fab Melo info. He was founded died in his house. Possible a heart attack when he was sleeping.
— Gabriel Andrade (@GabrielAndPaula) February 12, 2017
During his sophomore season at Syracuse, he was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Melo was declared ineligible for the 2012 NCAA Tournament after it was seeded because of academic reasons. He reportedly claimed that he was failing because he couldn’t understand English.
Melo was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He bounced around the NBA D-League and was most recently playing for Brasilia in his home country, per his Wikipedia page.
