CHATSWORTH (CNS) - The University of Kentucky was mourning today the death of a 19-year-old basketball player killed in a crash in Chatsworth.
The crash occurred about 2:10 p.m. Thursday on Winnetka Avenue near Nordhoff Street when Terrence Clarke drove through the red light at a high rate of speed and crashed into another car in the intersection, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Security video of the crash showed the Genesis luxury sedan Clarke was driving strike a light pole, then a brick wall.
Clarke was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The 6-foot, 7-inch guard was in the Los Angeles area preparing for the NBA draft and had finished a workout before the accident, CBS2 reported.
“I am absolutely gutted and sick ...," Kentucky coach John Calipari 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.'''
Calipari said he was on his way to Los Angeles to be with Clarke's mother and brother.
“This will be a difficult period for all those who know and love Terrence, and I would ask that everyone take a moment ... to say a prayer for Terrence and his family,'' Calipari said. “May he rest in peace."
Clarke, a Boston native, announced in March he would declare for the NBA draft despite being limited to eight games with the Wildcats because of a leg injury, averaging 9.6 points per game.
The mock draft posted on the website www.NBADraft.netApril 15 had Clarke being chosen by the Boston Celtics in the second round, the 48th overall selection.
Clarke was among the nation's top high school shooting guards in the 2020 recruiting class and was chosen for the McDonald's All American Game, Allen Iverson Roundball Classic and Jordan Brand Classic.
Clarke was the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council AAA Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season. He was a member of the Brewster Academy team that won the 2019 National Prep Championships and led his team back to the 2020 finals before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the rest of the event.
Clarke is survived by his parents, Osmine Clarke and Adrian Briggs, and three siblings, Tatyana, Gavin and Madison.
Photo: Getty Images
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