Terrence Clarke, a former Kentucky Wildcats basketball player, died following a car crash in the Los Angeles area on Thursday. He was 19 years old. Sgt. John Matassa of the Los Angeles Police Department told ESPN that Clark was the lone occupant in a vehicle that ran a red light going “at a very high rate of speed” in the area.
“The incident was captured on surveillance video. He collided with another vehicle that was preparing to make a left-hand turn. He struck the vehicle, hit a street light pole and ultimately hit a block wall,” Matassa said. “He was transported to Northridge Hospital and was later pronounced deceased as a result of the collision.” Matassa added that the driver of the other vehicle didn’t claim any injuries. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Clarke’s mother was at his side when he died.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Kentucky coach John Calipari released a statement after hearing the news. “I am absolutely gutted and sick tonight,” he 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.
“…I am on my way to Los Angeles to be with his mother and his brother to help wherever I can,” Calipari continued. “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.”
In March, Clarke, who played guard at Kentucky, declared he was entering the NBA draft after an injury kept him from playing the majority of his freshman season. In eight games with six starts, Clarke averaged 9.6, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He committed to Kentucky in the fall of 2019 after being a standout player at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Coming out of high school, 247Sports listed Clark as a five-star recruit and ranked him the eighth-best recruit in the country.
