Looking back at Flyer freshman’s death

Dayton’s popular big man died suddenly a year ago today.

One year later, reminders of how much promise Steve McElvene showed on the basketball court and how tragic his passing was.

It didn’t feel real then. It doesn’t feel real now — one year later.

Steve McElvene died May 12, 2016. He was 20. He had just completed his second year at the University of Dayton and his first season on the basketball court with the Flyers. He was at his family’s house in Fort Wayne, Ind. From all reports, it was just a normal morning for McElvene, and if so, that meant his smile was as wide as his stature. No one will forget that smile or the personality behind it.

Days earlier, McElvene had a productive meeting with then-coach Archie Miller. His future was bright. He was going to do big things. He blocked more shots than any Dayton player ever had in one season. He was going to break all the block records by the time he was done. No one had any doubt.

If you had to chart the trajectory of his potential on a graph, the line would head straight up. To quote a wise man named Michael Jordan, the ceiling was the roof for McElvene.

Then it all ended. I’ve talked to many of McElvene’s coaches and teammates — I’m especially thankful to Dayton’s four seniors and for

mer assistant coach Allen Griffin for sharing their thoughts last year — to get the story of where they were when they learned of his death. Here’s my story.

I was sitting at my kitchen table, where I

DAVID JABLONSKI / STAFF Former Flyers center Steve McElvene died a year ago at the age of 20 in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. McElvene, who played one season at Dayton, had an enlarged heart.