Photo courtesy of Kansas AthleticsSocial media posts from people close to him on Tuesday morning pointed toward a sad ending for former Kansas forward Gethro Muscadin, who spent one season with the Jayhawks.
Later Tuesday morning, the official New Mexico Lobos basketball Twitter account confirmed that Muscadin had died, writing, “The Lobo community is saddened by the passing of former New Mexico basketball player Gethro Muscadin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time.”
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self also provided the following statement about Muscadin’s passing.
“Gethro left us late last night,” Self said Tuesday morning. “He was involved in a major car accident 10 months ago and has basically been in a non-responsive state since then. Although only here one year, Gethro was loved and liked by all and will always be remembered as a Jayhawk. We wish his family and loved ones the best going through this most difficult time.”
Self also posted his thoughts on Twitter, saying, “So young. So sad. He will always be a teammate of ours. RIP.”
The former Jayhawk, who played in 11 games at Kansas during the 2020-21 season, left the KU program after his freshman season to transfer to New Mexico. He was involved in a serious car crash last December.
Shortly before the accident, Muscadin and New Mexico decided to part ways, with UNM coach Richard Pitino saying at the time that the two agreed the program was not the right fit for the athletic forward.
Muscadin, who turned 20 on August 30, had been in a coma since the car accident, which occurred near Topeka in late December.
A native of Haiti, the former Jayhawk suffered multiple life-threatening injuries in the crash after visiting Lawrence and watching KU’s win over Nevada from the Allen Fieldhouse bleachers.
After the game, Muscadin and a friend were driving to Wichita when the crash occurred. According to an online crash long from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Muscadin was not wearing a seatbelt when the vehicle he was in “went off the road, rolled multiple times, and came to rest on the fence line” a few miles south of Topeka.
The day after the crash occurred, both Kansas coach Bill Self and Pitino asked the public for prayers for Muscadin, whom they said was “fighting for his life” and needed “a miracle.”
“It’s bad. It’s bad,” Self said at the time. “I don’t think I’m the one that should share the details of how the accident occurred. But it’s not good, guys. Fortunately, the driver is, I believe, going to be OK. Maybe not be easy, but be OK. But Gethro, he’s definitely fighting for his life. And it will be a very, very, very long recovery if he’s able to get through this. So, I’m praying for a miracle.”
According to a Go Fund Me page set up for Muscadin’s family after the incident, his mother and sister were able to travel to Kansas to be with him for a while.
The page noted in late January that he was expected to have a procedure done that would stabilize him enough to move him closer to his family in Florida.
Throughout his time on the AAU circuit and at both Kansas and New Mexico, Muscadin, who played his sophomore and junior seasons of high school ball at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, just outside of Wichita, was known for his outgoing personality and sunny disposition.
He played with current Jayhawks Dajuan Harris Jr., Jalen Wilson and Michael Jankovich, and also was a KU teammate of 2022 national champions Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, Mitch Lightfoot, David McCormack and Chris Teahan.
The Lobo community is saddened today by the passing of former New Mexico basketball player Gethro Muscadin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time. pic.twitter.com/ilDeksDDpE
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) November 1, 2022
