Conrad McRae

I remember meeting Conrad McRae my freshman year at Syracuse. He was this big, intimidating looking guy, but once you talked to him you saw how cool he was. We hung out a little bit during the two years he was there before he graduated. I thought for sure he was going to the NBA. He was an amazing shot blocker and high energy player. I think the Bullets drafted him, but things didn't really pan out to well, so he went overseas to Turkey, where he became somewhat of a legend. We would hang out a little bit when we saw each other anytime he was back in the states. One summer I remember watching a game he played at Rucker Park in Harlem on TV, where he put in a slam dunk showcase. Dick Vitale called the game and I remember him screaming louder than the crowd at most of Rad's dunks. Even though he was a legend of Rucker and had a great career overseas, Rad's dream was always to play in the NBA. He would play summer leagues trying to show that he had what it took and in 2000 he was playing with the Orlando Magic and it looked like he was finally about to get back tot the league. Then one day I was with my buddy John, who was a former college teammate of Rad's and a close friend. I remember where I was when the call came and the disbelief when I heard him start crying because he had just been told that Rad had collapsed during practice on the court and died. It was a sad feeling, very sad, because he was so young, and talented, had a good heart and had so many people rooting for him.