American basketball player, 25, dies in Macedonia after dunking, running down court, collapsing

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and MYRIAH TOWNER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

An American basketball player who joined Macedonian team AV Ohrid this week died suddenly during his first practice session.

Cameron Moore, 25, arrived late Monday from Venice, Italy, the team’s legal representative, Ivo Markoski, told The Associated Press.

He said the player had been in Ohrid, a tourist resort town in southern Macedonia, for a matter of hours before he passed away on Tuesday.

‘This is a tragedy. We had no time even to meet him properly,’ Markoski said.

‘He was in Ohrid for only 24 hours. We let him rest after arrival and the tragedy occurred on the very first day of training.’

Moore had signed a preliminary deal with the Ohrid team and had just begun medical tests, Markoski said.

An official deal with the team was to be signed after the medical tests were completed.

Moore was diagnosed with cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart, in 2015 when he was playing in the NBA Development league, reports suggest.

Ohrid police spokesman Stefan Dimeski confirmed an American basketball player died suddenly late on Tuesday, but did not release his identity citing an ongoing forensic investigation into the death.

Before his death, Moore had dunked, ran down the court and collapsed, according to professional basketball reporter David Pick.

He was then rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, police said.

More details would be available after the forensics examination, according to Dimeski.

‘(We have) never experienced such a tragedy. We are totally shaken by his death,’ said AV Ohrid team manager Marijan Boshalevski, who said Moore collapsed during the last 15 minutes of practice.

Moore, who went to high school in San Antonio, Texas, was a forward for the University of Alabama-Birmingham, finishing his career ranked second in school history in double-doubles (28) and blocked shots (137), and fourth in total rebounds (747).

After his career with UAB ended in 2012, he went on to spend time in the NBA’s D-League and also played overseas in Italy with JuveCaserta and Reyer Venezia.

‘The UAB family mourns the loss of an outstanding human being whose life was taken away too soon,’ UAB Men’s Basketball Head Coach Robert Ehsan said in a statement.

‘Cameron Moore was one of the first student-athletes I met when I arrived in Birmingham in 2012, and I could immediately sense his passion for Birmingham and UAB Basketball.

‘He played an integral part in the success of so many great Blazer teams, and I know his legacy will live on through everyone associated with UAB.’

Mike Davis, who was Moore’s head coach at UAB before going onto Texas Southern, said it was ‘very sad’ to hear of the player’s passing.

‘Just devastating to hear it. Your players you coach are just like your kids,’ he told AL.com. He said he learned about Moore’s death on Wednesday.

‘You spend four years with them and you just never expect to see them pass before you,’ he said.

Moore is one of only three players in school history with more than 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in his career, according to the UAB website.

‘The entire Blazer community lost a remarkable man who meant so much to UAB and the basketball program,’ UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram said.

‘We will keep Cameron and his loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.’

Tributes for Moore were posted on social media by former teammates and his UAB family.

Denver Nuggets player Will Barton wrote: ‘RIP to Cameron Moore man! Had some epic battles with u in conference USA. Good player & an even better person. Prayers to his family.’

Professional basketball player Adonis Thomas said he was praying for Moore’s family.

‘RIP to my bro Cameron Moore man! Sad day for hoops man,’ Thomas tweeted on Wednesday.

Los Angles Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson wrote: ‘We gone miss you bro, love you man rest easy big fella. RIP camera “killa” moore.’

UAB’s Men’s Basketball team also tweeted a tribute in honor of Moore on its Twitter page.

It wrote: ‘What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we deeply love becomes part of us.’

Source: The DailyMail